Annecy Christmas & thrifted leather goodies teaser, plus then and now lake shots

Hubby's home after flying for a week, so this weekend we're in nesting mode. I have a slew of Christmasy photos I plan to take this week once he decompresses and we start venturing out, so for now this teaser will have to do. A river that runs out of Lac Annecy, which really looks like a canal, snakes through the old town where we live. Annecy is actually known as the Venice of France because of this lovely canal/river. In the summer, cafes along either side are brimming with noshing tourists, but now the bridges are all aglow with sparkly white lights. Isn't this a beautiful shot? Hubby takes the credit for this one.

IN THE FALL: Since the Christmasy pics are forthcoming, I thought I'd share a few then & now photos from a jaunt around the lake taken last month versus ones snapped a week or so ago. This concrete dock is part of a pay-only beach in the summer, but once the season closes they open the gates and let any one wander in. This is the view from the end of the dock looking back to land, with the casino on the right and a retro-looking resto straight ahead.

NOW: This one is from last week after the snow had arrived. As the sign says, there's a disco inside too. Mmm. I wonder if the French meaning of disco is the same as the English? It seems an unlikely place for a disco, but what do I know?

Looking out to the lake and the mountains beyond. I love how the concrete dock curves. You can just see a distant mountain with a gleaming patch of sunlight on its snowy peak.

THEN: Just a few weeks ago, the chairs and tables were still left out from the summer. I envisaged myself getting up every morning and strolling over with a cafe to read and bask in the sun. All the cafe patios are still open this time of year, and the French have no problems sitting outside drinking, and, of course, smoking (the latter is def the national pastime). That pole is part of a trampoline, I think.

NOW: Alas, this is one patio that has packed it in. Too bad I didn't discover it earlier in the Fall as it would have been a fave spot to hang out and dream.

THEN: Lovely potted Mums in old urns, in front of a commercial dock that, after it closes in the summer and the boat gets put to bed somewhere else, is a popular wedding photo spot.

NOW: The flowers are gone, and a mountain dressed in snow is the awe-inspiring backdrop.

THEN: That same mountain, taken from the concrete dock.

NOW: Walking home along the lakeside promenade with the sun setting against the mountain.

I don't have a then & now shot of this one but I just love this permanent carousel. Wonder if they allow grown-ups to take a spin? But then again, I get motion sickness, so it may not be pretty.

My "new" thrifted Italian-made leather boots with pull-on straps may pale in "wow" comparison to the lovely Annecy pics, but I was pretty jazzed as I've been looking for a boot with a bit of a heel, and after my recent Ugg purchase, I didn't want to pay full price (these were 18 Euro - yes, even thrifting in Annecy is relatively pricey). In fact my local thrift shop is becoming a leather handbag and boot haven - I have more from this haul to show you, once I can get organized and take some photos, along with some fab vintage Etsy purchases that I will show you once hubby takes some outfit snaps for me.

Since I haven't found an appropriate place where I can do an pre-timed outfit shot, we'll have to contend with the 'ole blurry-blogger-shot-in-the-mirror trick. I'm wearing the new booties with a cashmere sweater (bought new), a vintage Avon pendant that every vintage style blogger seems to have (which doesn't stop me from loving it), and a thrifted skirt I bought in Canada.

Have a great weekend! Are you ready for the holidays? xo

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Alpine Christmas prep

Hubby's been flying a lot but we've managed to pack in some good quality time when he is here. Last week, after (finally) getting my carte de sejours (French residency card), we celebrated with hubby - let's have this in writing, folks - offering, yes offering, to take me shopping for boots. The leather ones I bought in Annecy (new) were freezing my feet (it's a damp cold here). Hubby insisted I go the Ugg route.

I've resisted for a long time. I hate the Uggs I see every one wearing; they look like slippers to me, and besideswhich, I'm not a fan of looking like every one else. But I liked these lace-ups. Tres alpine chic and supremely comfy. I am now wearing them with everything from dresses to jeans. Still, buying new doesn't have the same thrill as buying thrift. I used to thrift practically every piece of apparel, boots included, in Toronto, and sadly, it's just a different ball game here.

Though there's been heaps of snow at higher altitudes, Annecy didn't get the white stuff until the weekend. Here's a view of one of my fave shortcuts home after shopping, behind a large church and alongside one of the canal's (really a river that runs out of the lake) little offshoots.

Even on a grey, snowy day, Annecy looks picture-postcard perfect.

Speaking of new, the coat I'm wearing was bought new a few years ago. The only thing that was thrifted here was this 1980s scarf. Not normal for me, but there you have it.

We took advantage of the festive weather and bought our Christmas tree at the market (25 Euros). Isn't it cute?

This is the final product, sitting on our dining room table all aglow.I love the two branches jutting out on either side at the top - it makes the tree look like a little alien being.

View by day, in our sweet French apartment.

I just have to show you a bit of the rest of the room, including the amazing ceilings. Our living room is huge and it's my fave room in our little apartment.

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Thrifty outer-wear I haven't shown you

Time to haul out the cashmere. It's only about zero degrees C or a few degrees above in the day, but it feels chilly - perhaps it's the lake and mountains that make it feel more damp and bone-chilling. Annecy looks very festive now and is all decked out in lights, with snow-capped mountains showing in the distance, so I promise to take pics and show them to you soon. There's a Christmas food and artisan market that runs from now until early January, plus a sound and light show too.

I don't think I've ever shown this vintage coat I picked up years ago at a Toronto vintage sale. It was originally marked at $60, but it was such a lovely autumn day that the coats weren't selling. When the woman marked them down to $10, I pounced on this plushy cashmere and wool A-line baby, with three huge crochet buttons. The collar is real fur, forgive me, but when I flip it up as I have here, it is oh so warm and protects me from the wind and chill. French women, btw, have no revulsion towards fur - I can't tell you how many (new) full-length fur coats I've seen on the backs of oh so chic women-of-a-certain-age.

It's a blurry shot but I had to show you my fave beret, black wool with these silver studs. I used to have a more expensive version, with the studs fastened onto the fabric, but they fell off. Ironically this cheapie one I bought in the UK with the studs glued onto it has lasted without any stud casualties.

Ok, I have shown this one, come to think of it, but not enough considering how much I wear it. This cashmere cape, bought in a Toronto thrift shop for a few dollars, is made by Jimmy Hourihan of Dublin. Hourihan International still exists and its capes go for between 300-400 Euros. This shot was taken earlier in the fall, just outside the vet's where we took Dinky, and I'm happy here as I thought she was going to be ok then, sigh. I channeling my inner rocker Chrissi Hynde look here, with electric blue eyeliner and flat hair!

Outfit deets:

Jimmy Hourihan of Dublin cashmere cape with hood: thrifted in Toronto, Canada
High Street dress: found in a UK charity shop
Blue leather gloves: UK charity shop
My fave blue suede booties, made in Italy: thrifted in Toronto
Vintage choker: vintage jewellery sale in Toronto (there's a matching bracelet)
Cashmere sweater/cardi: new, 10 Euros at the weekly market under our window in Annecy
Lancel French designer handbag: found in Annecy thrift shop.

Ooh, excuse the bad hair and dorky face. This pic was taken a few weeks ago when we drove up to a resort town in the mountains to bask on sunlit patios with friends the whole day - it was lovely. I know I def haven't shown you this blazer as I picked it up in Toronto, with my now hubby, just before I moved away from the Big Smoke last year. It's by French designer Lolita Lempicka, 80s/90s I'm guessing, and was under $10. I'm not usually into double-breasted blazers, but the wool and the fringe reminded me of a Canadian Hudson's Bay Company blanket. That may not be a good thing.

Outfit deets:

Lolita Lempicka wool blazer: thrifted in Toronto
Jeans: thrifted in Toronto
Periwinkle blue cashmere turtleneck: found in an Ottawa, Canada consignment shop
Cape: above
Guess? booties: new but on mega sale
Leather bag, thrifted in France (see below).

The gorg made-in-Italy bag is a recent find at my local thrift shop, Bazar Sans Frontiere, for about 7 Euros. I thought the arm handle was tres French. This truly is how French women carry their bags! I wonder if their arm goes to sleep?

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Grunge-y Dresses; $10 Jackets

I so regret getting rid of a sumptuous deep blue patterned velvet 1990s dress, long and with a drop waist, that I had back in the day, that when I saw this short 90s velvet dress on mega sale on Etsy, I just had to snap it up. Not sure why I'm so grooving on the 90s now, but I'm not micro-analyzing it. It's such a sweet little frock, and it will be cute for the holidays too.

I'm sporting it with a new haircut (from a month ago); a huge Anne Klein scarf that I picked up on mega sale at a consignment shop in Toronto (it's a thick black crepe but has this red velvety squiggle pattern throughout); a fabulous vintage jacket by James Bay, a Canadian maker about which I can find very little, thrifted for a glorious $10 in my fave neighborhood thrift shop in Toronto, Stretch Thrift; and stretchy cloth and leather gloves thrifted in the UK, I think. The bag was handmade in Montreal, bought new, as were the Guess? booties.

I'm wearing the same scarf, pre-hair cut and with a slightly blurry face, with this grungy little dress/tunic I picked up with a gal pal in a consignment shop in a little village not far from here. I never thought I'd ever wear something like this, but it appealed to me at the time and still does. It was quite a but warmer when this pic was snapped, so I'm wearing a Parasuco cropped denim jacket, found at the same $10 sale as the consignment shop scarf. The lace-up booties are a fave pair, and oh so 90s, picked up at a downtown vintage shop just a few months before I left Toronto for about $35. Not a Grunge Queen thrifty price but I loved them too much to leave them there, and I've worn them so much I've already had to replace the soles.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Green Bally Bag & Green Beret

The gloriously sunny days and 12 degree C temps that have had me going on two-to-three-hour walks these past few weeks left us yesterday, and, though still warm, the greyness has set in. I bought a few dresses last week on Etsy so no Cyber Monday for me. Friday I was busy running around looking for Birthday fixings for the hubby. Who knew that balloons and birthday streamers are impossible to find in Annecy? I had to improvise with a Christmas garland and a home-made Happy Birthday banner - and I am so not showing you the pics but hubby was definitely touched by my DIY project!

Thought I'd show you another way I've worn my $10 cashmere dress bought at the market in Annecy this fall (see post below). This pic was snapped about a month ago, when my hair was super long and I had to hide it under a beret. I'm standing on a walkway that leads up to the Chateau overlooking Annecy. Poor hubby has to park his car in the carpark here as there are no other spots available. Good thing for us as we get our exercise walking up that steep hill!

I feel like a bit of a 1920s girl here - maybe because the vest makes the outfit a bit shapeless.

Aside from the dress and the tights, the entire outfit is thrifted:

Navy wool trench, thrifted in Toronto, Canada.
Blue leather gloves: bought in a charity shop in St. Annes, UK.
Blue suede Italian boots: my absolute fave, found for $14.99 in a Toronto thrift shop.
Amazing plastic colour block necklace: $2.99 at a Toronto, Canada thrift shop!
Vintage Kangol angora beret: gift from a fellow vintage pal.
Orange Benetton wool vest: thrifted for a few Euros in an Annecy thrift shop.

I am super thrilled with this green leather purse I found at the local thrift shop. It was only a few Euros and it's by Bally, a Swiss maker whose bags go for several hundred Euros. It's in mint condition and unlike anything else I have.

It is been a really long time since I've participated in Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. I am happy to do so again. I am off to go wander in the rain and later work up the nerve to call a French school to see about French lessons (talking on the phone, in French, can be very intimidating when your language skills are not that advanced). The French don't really seem to let the rain hinder them - cafes and patios are still open, and throngs of people tend to be milling about (except on Monday, when many stores are closed). So I will have a quiet walk in the rain. Have a great day.

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My cheapie-deapie cashmere dress, and amazing Lancel handbag

Annecy continues to be beautiful this Fall, as this recent pic of the canal attests, snapped by my hubby. Just beyond the bridge at the far end of the photo is the lake and the mountains. I just love the light and the colours here -  the photo could almost be a postcard!

I'd like to thank all my fabulous blogging buddies for their kind words and comments the last few posts. It hasn't been an easy time and I still miss Dink like hell and grieve for her, but life has a way of taking over, and sadly, or happily, the pain has slowly subsided so that little things make me smile now. I'm still not in a major fashion frame of mind, but I have been snapping the odd photo of my get-ups (or rather, hubby has). Here's a an outfit from the end of September:

This pic was taken on the very bridge you see off in the distance in the first photo, called the Pont des Amours (Bridge of Lovers). It's normally swamped with tourists and since it connects people from one side of the lake to the other, it's quite busy. I'm not sure how romantic crowds make it, but I love it anyway.

I'm wearing a stretchy cashmere blend dress I picked up at the weekly market for 10 Euros, from the same guy that sold me my 3 Euros dresses in the summer.

The 80s-esque scarf was thrifted for three bucks CAD at Goodwill in Toronto.

And the leather bag? Goodness I've been meaning to show you this for ages. I found it for 4 Euros at the second-hand place I told you about months ago, Bazar sans Frontiere.

The French, as you may know, are very into their bags, and this is a high-end French label called Lancel - there's a shop in the old town where a mere wallet will run you 500 Euros, so I think I got a major deal on my huge bag! It was a bit beat up so I cleaned it well, and a black Sharpie marker filled in the edges where the corner tubing detail was starting to wear away.

The logo has changed and I couldn't find this one in an Internet search, so hopefully the bag isn't a fake. Apparently there are a lot of fake Lancels out there, but this bag says Made in France, and you can tell it's well-made ... and besideswhich I somehow doubt that the knock-off market would do a booming business here. The French, as I have joyfully discovered, are very much into items made in France, and rather obsessed with quality. I'm sure a French woman would rather jump in the lake in the middle of winter than be seen with a fake bag. Even in Annecy, which is fashionable but not the fashion capital of France, it's not uncommon to see Celine handbags draped over the arms of girls in their early 20s!

So now, hopefully, I look like a true French woman!!

The cute studded lace-ups were new and not cheap, but hey, nothing's cheap if you buy new in Annecy.

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Annecy in the Fall

Thank you all again for your kind comments about dear Dinky. I have not responded personally to each comment as I usually do, but please know that each and every one means a lot to me, and I appreciate your personal stories and remarks. It's still rather sad days for me so I hope you'll bear with me as I show you the lovely Annecy in recent weeks - the pictures reflect the many quiet walks I've had of late. My heart is just not into fashion at the mo. The above shot is from a stone perch overlooking the canal (really a river that was paved in to look like a canal) that flows from Lac Annecy, leads to the Rhone river and eventually feeds into the sea (the Mediterranean). You can just see the famous Chateau in the distance.

This was taken in September around the lake, again from a little stone wall. I am continually amazed at the clarity of the water. The lake is both mountain and spring fed, and the water is so pure it's used as drinking water in Annecy. The lake is well protected - no sewage, no salt in the winter, and not full of huge boats in the summer. It has special zones where certain water activities are allowed and others aren't. A bike path that circles most of the lake rests on an old railway bed.

Annecy is nestled in a valley surrounded by the French Alps, so mists are common here and add another layer of beauty to the lake, which as you can tell is one of my favorite places to wander and daydream, especially when my hubby is away and I'm feeling lonely.

This was taken in September as well, when many of the boats were covered but still in the water. Now there are fewer, though many still berth alongside the lake and canal for the winter. The water doesn't freeze and averages a temperature of 4 degrees C in the colder months. 

We had friends visiting last week and were lucky enough to jump in the only tour boat still open during the day (not pictured here), which closes this week. It took us for an hour tour around the lake, and it was heavenly.

This is a wee man-made island, the only one on Lac Annecy, which serves as a sanctuary for the many swans, ducks and water birds that populate the lake. You can see clusters of red leaves here but this is rare - I am loving that many leaves are still on the trees this late in the game, but I am so missing the brilliant reds and oranges of Canadian autumns. 

A more recent pic, at dusk, with the sun reflecting off snow-capped mountains, and skeletons of moored boats settling in for a quiet winter's sleep.

I love walking at dusk and watching the sun set over the distant mountains. The light changes all the time.

Here's a blurry shot from  different location, but you get the idea.

This is one of my favourite haunts, along the northern tip of the lake, which is often very quiet and is near to the special spot where Dinky rests. I try to go here as often as I can. I love the huge trees and the view of the lake looking east (here) and south (below).

I'm sure that many have sat on this wall and let their imaginations float away ....

I hope you've enjoyed a lovely fall. I have been checking in from time to time with your blogs but have not left comments. I will be my 'ole self again soon. Have a great weekend. :)

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