This morning it was raining, so struggling to think of something to do, I decided to sit down and read through the little book in which I write all my favourite poems. Said book is a pocket-sized gold notebook, and one of my favourite possessions. Flicking through the well-loved and much thumbed pages I came to one of my favourites, a french poem called "Les Roses de Saadi" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore:
"J'ai voulu, ce matin, te rapporter des roses; Mais j'en avais tant pris dans mes ceintures closes Que les nœuds trop serrés n'ont pu les contenir.
Les nœuds ont éclaté. Les roses envolées Dans le vent, à la mer s'en sont toutes allées. Elles ont suivi l'eau pour ne plus revenir.
La vague en a paru rouge et comme enflammée: Ce soir ma robe encore en est tout embaumée: Respires-en sur moi l'odorant souvenir."
My french is far from perfect so I won't attempt to translate line by line but the poem starts "This morning I wanted to bring you roses" and goes on to tell the story of how the narrator picked so many flowers that they burst the knots tying them. The flowers then get taken by the wind and into the sea, turning the waves red as though on fire. The poem ends by saying that despite the lost flowers, that evening she can smell them on her dress, a sweetly smelling reminder of the roses she had wanted to pick.
To me the french language is beautiful, and is one of the reasons I so love that country across the Channel. The poem got me thinking about what France means to me, and why it is a country I will always love...
Amelie, one of my favourite films, and my favourite character of all time... A young woman who loves the feel of plunging her fingers into a bag of seeds, and whose life is made up of dreams... Marion Cotillard... one of my idols The Moulin Rouge, the namesake for my all time favourite film...
La mode... French Vogue, a reliable style-bible... The chic simplicity and ease of french brands such as Chloe... A history of fashion... Dior's New Look that shook up the fashion industry and created an elegance and grace that, for me, will never be replicated... Coco Chanel : "Fashion fades, only style remains the same" Yves Saint Laurent and le smoking... Cool style on the high street that we English seem to struggle to emulate (there's just something about a french woman that makes a t-shirt and trousers seem effortlessly perfect)... Comptoir des Cotonniers... Ladurée macaroons that are just as sweet as the colours they come in... My best friend... And, of course, the magic of Paris... (Jewellery by Les Nereides at accessoriesonline)
My home may always be England, but sometimes I think my heart is in France...
September is on the horizon, and September means one thing and one thing only. Ties coming out of hiding, new pleated skirts, shiny black shoes, the smell of crisp clean paper in new books, freshly sharpened pencils, clean rubber-soled plimsolls and leather satchels... Yes, it's time to go back to school.
Luckily for me this is the first year in which, come September, I won't be trudging back up the school drive. No, it's off to university for me thank goodness. However as the rain tumbles down outside, signaling summer drawing to its inevitable end, I can't help but reminisce. Now it is with a certain nostalgia that I think back to the excitement of a new school year and the feel of a brand new school uniform (probably several sizes too big), and I find myself yearning for long socks, a pinafore and a rucksack. And, of course, a cherry red duffle coat.
Isn't it funny how things seem so much more appealing when they are gone and you are merely remembering them. Summers seem longer and hotter, skies appear bluer. And the back to school look suddenly seems covetably chic. For the ultimate in school-girl style, choose a handmade leather satchel from the Cambridge Satchel Company, opting for a Crayola shade for added childish chic. Leather satchels from £66, The Cambridge Satchel Company And if you've managed to get access to Daddy's credit card... This rainbow-coloured satchel from Orla Kiely is gorgeous but certainly not pocket-money friendly...
Red duffle coat £50 Miss Selfridge Blazers used to be the bane of my life. For several years I had to wear a badly fitting navy one that would stifle in summer and leave me shivering in winter. However, now that my days of enforced blazer wearing are long since over a jacket seems oh-so tempting...
I'm Libby Page, a fashion journalism student at the London College of Fashion and author of Love Pink, a book that celebrates all things pink. Love Pink is raising money for Breast Cancer Care. This year I was a finalist in the Vogue Talent Contest
For me fashion isn't just about catwalks and polka dots, it's about the food we eat, the cars we drive and the society we live in, as well as the clothes we wear and how they make us feel.
This morning it was raining, so struggling to think of something to do, I decided to sit down and read through the little book in which I write all my favourite poems. Said book is a pocket-sized gold notebook, and one of my favourite possessions. Flicking through the well-loved and much thumbed pages I came to one of my favourites, a french poem called "Les Roses de Saadi" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore: 
Amelie, one of my favourite films, and my favourite character of all time... 
A young woman who loves the feel of plunging her fingers into a bag of seeds, and whose life is made up of dreams...
Marion Cotillard... one of my idols
The Moulin Rouge, the namesake for my all time favourite film...
La mode...
French Vogue, a reliable style-bible...
The chic simplicity and ease of french brands such as Chloe...
A history of fashion... Dior's New Look that shook up the fashion industry and created an elegance and grace that, for me, will never be replicated...
Coco Chanel : "Fashion fades, only style remains the same"
Yves Saint Laurent and le smoking...
Cool style on the high street that we English seem to struggle to emulate (there's just something about a french woman that makes a t-shirt and trousers seem effortlessly perfect)... Comptoir des Cotonniers...
Ladurée macaroons that are just as sweet as the colours they come in...
My best friend...
And, of course, the magic of Paris...
