One Last Post About France: Shopping!

A costumer cannot go to France (and Italy) and not go shopping!  So what came home with me?

One rainy/misty day at the Chateau, a group of us attempted to go see the ruins of the Chateau de Montségur.  Sadly it was too rainy to make the trek up the dirt path to the see the chateau, but we did have a fabulous lunch in a medieval-y (in a good, non-cheesy way) restaurant and find a great medieval-y shop attached to its own blacksmithing forge.  I have been wanting to find some nice silverware for use at Renaissance Faires, but I wanted something that wasn’t the same as everyone else’s (tried that, quickly lost my Hampton Court Palace spoon in the sea of lookalikes).  Although they’re more medieval, I found a nice spoon/fork set with ladies heads on the handle and snatched them up.

In Venice, I headed straight to Antonia Sauter’s shop on the recommendation of Trystan & Thomas’s Carnevale DVD.  There I found a GORGEOUS mask that will perfectly match my green Venetian Renaissance dress, made of silk velvet, spangles, and feathers.

Being a book slut, I also grabbed the catalogue for the Mme Elisabeth exhibition, and a book on the Fragonard Costume Museum, while seeing each exhibit.

Of course, I needed to buy some fabric!  Doing tons of research on 18th century these days, particularly Provencal styles, I wanted some 18th century-appropriate Provencal fabric.  Sadly I didn’t find anything OTT fabulous!  There are two manufacturers of French printed cottons still in existence:  Les Olivades and Souleiado.  I went to Les Olivades shop in Arles, where I got one yard of a pretty red cotton print — only a yard because it was really pricey!  I also trekked out to the Souleiado outlet (Les Olivades has one too, but you need a car to get there and I was car-less).  Sadly they didn’t have anything I was in love with, but having taken a bus and walked about 15 min. with suitcases, I was determined to buy something!  I found these mustard yellow (not my favorite color, although I think I can probably pull it off since I’m a warm color girl?) pieces (no idea what they’re for — quilting?) with FABULOUS 18th c. designs printed on them and I grabbed a bunch — I do wish the background color was more exciting!  And then on my way out, I noticed the sale bed linens and am glad I did, because I found this fitted sheet with a fabulous red sprig design on it.  I’m thinking of using the sheet for a petticoat and the red for a jacket, and making a Provencal ensemble.  Still no idea what’s going to happen with the mustard fabric pieces!