Francophile Gift Guide 2022//20 Lovely Trés Chic Things
Oh the frenzy of the season!
C'est ici! C'est ici!My love affair with all things FRENCH is longstanding and I know I am not the only Francophile out there, so this year’s francophile gift guide has been curated with 20 lovely trés chic things — from clothes to accessories to parfum to foodie delights — that I know your French-obsessed loved one will adore.
I know you very much look forward to my holiday gift guides but especially this one! And I hope you love the gift ideas here as much as I do. I put so much time and effort and really think this is one of my most special francophile gift guides yet. I know that shopping small and local is also so important to you to find the “parfait” gift so I think you will be very pleased with the variety here. Many of these fabulous shops are women-owned too!
Send this guide directly to Père Noël so you get exactly what you want and love! HA
Happy holidays, everyone.
Bisous.
Sooo excited about this one!!!!
L'Ecole Des Beaux Arts Watercolors - Fell head over heels in love with this shop on Canyon Road in Santa Fe which you can read all about here. Their handmade watercolor paint is pure pigment mixed with natural watercolor medium; this gives their paint a rich, opaque, pure quality. Their medium is from Germany and is made from stabilized Gum Arabic, (sap from the Acacia Tree), honey and glycerine. They use the finest natural, mineral, earth and some synthetic pigments from Italy, France, Germany, Mexico, Austria, India and the US- and they use no known toxic pigments. The paint is actually handmade in their studio in New Mexico! These are the pigments they source from France.
You can build your own custom palette by selecting your colors and fill your favorite empty watercolor tin!
Please do allow around 3-4 weeks for their paint to ship- depending on availability, they may have to make a fresh batch which takes up to week to cure! So get your orders in now!
2. Croissant Porcelain Box By Augarten Wien- Get your carb fix with Augarten Wien's whimsical croissant box. Use it to serve butter or jam at your next dinner party, or stylishly stash sugar, candies, and mints in this food-inspired porcelain box. This one is on my own Christmas list for Père Noël ! The French Baguette Porcelain Box is lovely too!
This realistic 'French Baguette' box will effortlessly add character, from table to dresser.
Or perhaps your loved one might love the Bread Roll Porcelain Box too.
3. Vintage French Work Jacket from L'Ecole Des Beaux Arts- A little history. In Europe, for quite a long time blue was a common color among the poor because indigo was a very cheap dye. Sometime in the 19th century, this evolved into what the French call “bleu de travail”, or “working blues”. It is a jacket that is made out of a distinctive blue, hard-wearing cotton. The sizes range from Men's Small, Medium and Large, and colors vary from bright blue to deep Indigo. This 100% cotton Vintage European Work Jacket is the real thing!
Bill Cunningham was a legend, and we will miss him dearly. Due to the increasing demand for these jackets, there may be a wait time, but they will let you know. These jackets ship from Europe, all are unique in color, size, button placement and wear. They take pride in matching your jacket to you. Every paint stain, repair, and color variation tells a story!
4. Tableau Parisien Ormaie Fragrance- Just picture this…
THE DAY SETS IN.
THE TERRACES ARE FILLING UP.
SHE WEARS A TUBEROSE WITH A HINT OF
SPICE AND TOBACCO.
The fragrance draws its inspiration from the first Parisian moments experienced by the founder of ORMAIE. Tableau Parisien is a unique white flower, sensual and spicy. It evokes a certain Parisian elegance with just a touch of nonchalance. The bottle of Tableau Parisien is a homage to the Paris of the Art Deco era. Its cap is carved from elm burr wood, hand polished and then varnished to give it its unique elegance .The colour of the fragrance comes from the raw materials that it is composed of-Red tuberose, amber. and tobacco . Pricier gift but what a way to say Ohh la la! Je t'aime
5. Leather Phone Cases with Card Holder | DEL’EP- Adore this leather phone case! So simple and chic and allows you to have your phone with you! (perfect for concerts, museums, walking the pups, etc) Full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather, 100% durable, 100% French. This chic and practical pouch is also your phone's best friend, protecting it! It ages beautifully over time, becoming softer and shinier year after year ! And Cherry on the cake, when your phone is in its case, the sound that reaches you is amplified and clarified, like the effect of a speaker. Comes in various classic hues and ships directly from France!
6. Double Pommade Concrėte from Officine Universelle Buly- A unique recipe, a cosmetic prowess: its “reverse emulsion” brings instant comfort and deep moisture to the driest, most dehydrated skin. Its Royal Highness rules over pandemic times: it’s the queen of purification and cleanliness. With its fresh, delicately invigorating scent – a mix of eucalyptus and sweet orange – the Double Pommade Concrète is at once a balm and a shield against irritation and redness. A myriad of essential oils allies to bring their power to your hands and turn them into your best ambassador: soothing sweet orange is mixed with a sanitizing broad spectrum complex made with ravintsara, eucalyptus, manuka, tea tree, niaouli, rosemary and Java lemongrass essential oils. Africa’s precious material, shea butter, rich in oleic and stearic acid, phytosterols and natural antioxidants (vitamins A and E) work smoothly to nourish the skin. Shea butter is universally known as a beauty ingredient. Patiently harvested, hand-picked using millennia-old techniques, it’s one of the continent’s richest assets – literally and figuratively. As a binding agent and enhancer for this must-have comforting balm, beeswax, known to soften the skin durably, is combined with regenerating, repairing sesame oil. A hint of camomile floral water brings its soothing virtues to correct redness and inflammation.
Finally rid of the woes inflicted – sometimes irremediably – by everyday life, the hands are revived, brought back to their natural beauty. Among its many uses, it’s perfect to brighten hand- and toenails, condition cuticles and enhance beauty when needed.
7. Laguiole Claude Dozorme Four Piece Breakfast Set From Bon Marché- Claude Dozorme is an award-winning and family-owned cutlery maker in Thiers France known for their unrivaled expertise and innovation which has been passed down through generations. The key steps in making a Claude Dozorme product have not changed for over a century, resulting in cutlery which is both avant-garde and artisanal, and boasts unrivaled quality. Contrary to popular thinking, the Laguiole is not a registered trademark for knife but a type of pocket knife named after the eponymous village in the Aveyron. Famous for its curved shape and decorated with a mythical bee design, Claude Dozorme was the first cutlery manufacturer to create a non-folding version of the Laguiole for tableware.
Bon Marché is proud to bring you the Claude Dozorme Berlingot Laguiole collection--a perfect match for their superior quality artisan-made colorful French table linens and serving ware.
The Four Piece Laguiole Breakfast Set includes the following: 1 tomato knife, 1 cheese knife, 1 spreader, and 1 paring knife. Several color options too and I love the box they come in! Just wrap a pretty ribbon around it and gift! I bought mine in Santa Fe and will be ordering a few of these for loved ones !
8. Marin Montagut Personalized Decanter - You dreamt it, they did it ! The street where we grew up, the street where we live, the street where we kissed for the first time, the street we love, the street where we dream of living... Tell us the street you want and they will bring it to life: on a glass, a vase or a carafe! Each piece is mouth blown and the name of your street is hand painted in their workshop in Paris.
Marin Montagut’s new Left Bank boutique, near the Luxembourg Gardens, is a magical delight for design lovers. Inside, the sage-hued walls encompass a veritable garden of delights—from porcelain plates embellished with Montagut’s watercolor illustrations of French gardens and tarot-card motifs, to silk scarves imprinted with his signature maps of Parisian neighborhoods and parks, to glassware hand-painted with images of chairs or flowers.
Certainly, there is no greater embodiment of the bohemian Parisian than Montagut himself. Clad in his uniform of striped marinière shirt, blue worker’s jacket, and faded jeans, the artist can be spotted cruising around town on his navy Vespa as he navigates from his production studio in Montmartre to his apartment in the 11th arrondissement to his shop on rue Madame. Born in Toulouse, he was reared in a family of antiques dealers and worked for the French decorator Christian Sapet, whose 20th-century vintage shop in the Saint-Ouen flea market is a must-stop for everyone from designers to movie set decorators.
His book Timeless Paris was in my 2021 Francophile Gift Guide and I highly recommend it! Marin Montagut takes readers inside twenty of his favorite quintessentially Parisian locations - seemingly untouched by time - that provide rich creative inspiration.
9. A Trip To Provence From The Comfort Of Your Own Sofa- Best French Forever® is your destination for elegant, thoughtful gifting with a French touch. Surprise her a trip to Provence from the comfort of home with a curated box of handcrafted, high quality products from artisans and small businesses of the South of France.
About the gift box:
La Box Self-Care features some wellness essentials made with love in Provence, to bring you or a special someone a well-deserved moment of self-care à la française.
10. The French Kiss Duo From Madame Gabriela- Obsessed with these lippies! ! 1 x PARIS AT 7PM and 1 x SAINT-TROPEZ AT 11AM; a classic elegant, powerful and perfect true red that flatters all skin tones and Madame Gabriela's ultimate lip conditioning treatment. A lightweight, supremely clean colorless lip balm crafted for youthful kiss-ready pouts.
WHY IT'S UNIQUE
Both uber-clean formulations are powered by healing antibacterial UMF 15+ Mānuka honey, for its impressive healing and soothing powers. Enriched with a unique blend of natural skin hydrators like sesame seed oil, cocoa seed butter, castor seed oil, shea butter and sunflower seed oil to nourish the skin and protect its barrier function. Luminous award-winning PARIS AT 7PM also contains the soothing effect of bergamot and ylang ylang. Both breakthrough products deeply moisturizes. The combination of lightweight clean oils and butters make their balm feel luxurious, super-rich and barely there - while their classic red provides high color payoff, keeps lips feeling moisturized and blends seamlessly thanks to a powerhouse of rich ingredients full of antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes and vitamins.
11. Van Palma Janis Green Wool Felt Hat- Van Palma was born in Provence, and if its name recalls the breeze in the Californian palm trees, its essence smells of lavender, mimosa and the landscapes of Cézanne and Van Gogh. Lulled by the Mediterranean, Victoria wanted to create a suncare brand so that all women, wherever they go, can take a ray of sunshine with them. Since 2014, Van Palma has continued to breathe new life into the accessory market, particularly the hat market. Always with the desire to innovate and bring a fresh look to fashion, the designer loves to play with colors, jewelry and embroidery. Their pieces are unique, customizable, and tell a story, your story.
Each year, their collections mix embroideries and prints with noble materials such as silk, felt, velvet, leather... Victoria plays with codes and contrasts! The clothes are fluid and the cuts are vaporous. They embody a vision of free and assumed femininity, resolutely signing the Van Palma identity.
Currently obsessed with the Janis - Wool felt hat - Gold plated jewelry - "The best is yet to come" embroidery - Green color. Made in France and customised in Versaille!!
12. France Channel Subscription- As a Francophile, and a Cinephile, I’ve always just loved French film and TV. I find it to be legendary! Watching French movies and TV series has been such a fantastic way to improve my language skills and immerse me more and more in French culture. As someone who is learning the language, I try to listen very carefully while reading the subtitles to associate the words I’m hearing with the translation on the screen. This might sound like work, but when there are entertaining storylines and beautiful scenery, learning the language is made soooooooooooo much easier.
I am thrilled to let you know about an affordable new-to-me streaming service that has the largest collection of French Movies, Series, Documentaries, Cartoons, & even Live News!
France Channel is 100% dedicated to French culture and creation, calling itself first “Culturtainment” platform, to attract all American Francophiles, French learners and French living abroad to simply enjoy the best of what France has to offer. They have graciously partnered with me to offer you 15% off a yearly plan using promo code GFY15 or enjoy 15% off a monthly plan for three months to see if you love it as much as me. That promo code us GFY3M15. Read more here. .
13. Antoinette Incense Burner From Catbird NYC- - Finally: an incense burner which is witty, wistful and ghoulish! Handmade in the tradition of great 18th century Parisian studios, with clay sourced from the quarries in the Paris Basin. It takes skilled artisans about two weeks to make a single Astier piece. Created by Astier de Villatte in collaboration with Countess Setsuko. The Setsuko Cat Incense Burner is darling too and I do not even really like kitties. Just set the incense in the base of the cat, watch it languidly pour from its mouth. Go go, smoking kitty. Check out all the ASTIER DE VILLATTE products here!! So may great gift ideas!
14. Sur La Table France Map Kitchen Towel- A perfect gift for the traveling foodie, this cotton towel features a map of France with landmarks and foods that make the country such a popular tourist destination. Super soft, durable cotton towels and machine washable for easy cleaning ! The Sur La Table Macaron Kitchen Towel is precious too!
15. Maison/Made Hydrosol -Multi-correctional and soothing, lemon balm’s sensibilities bestow an antioxidant bounty upon the skin. Bright but peaceful, this hydrosol re-energizes the skin and helps to settle the body and mind for sleep. One of the best all-purpose hydrosols for all skin conditions, lemon balm’s bounty of benefits above all soothe tension whilst remaining refreshing and delicately stimulating. With its high content of antioxidants that targets cellular renewal and repair, lemon balm is slightly acidic (like human skin) and is pH friendly, useful either as a facial toner or incorporated directly into a cleansing ritual.
This hydrosol is crafted exclusively for Maison/Made by a master artisan and certified Biodynamic® distiller in limited quantities. As part of their Verdant Collection, this hydrosol is a way to directly nurture the Biodynamic® Regenerative movement beyond the boundaries of their Burgundy estate.
16. Le Marais Assorted Pastry Sampler- These were also included in last year’s gift guide! Since opening in 2013, Le Marais Bakery in San Francisco has wowed customers with authentic French croissants that transport them to Paris with every flaky, buttery bite. Now you can enjoy a sampling of Le Marais' finest at home, frozen and ready for baking in your own kitchen. Served warm from your oven, they offer a delicious taste of the bakery's favorites and make a wonderful spread for breakfast or brunch.
The assortment includes: Au Beurre Croissants: Classic French croissants handmade with buttery, 12-layer dough that bakes to a flaky golden finish with a silky-soft interior. Chocolate Croissants: Rolled pains au chocolate filled with two batons of dark Valrhona chocolate from France. Almond Croissants: Croissants baked with almond cream filling and top crust, sprinkled with sliced almonds. Kouign-Amann Batons: Swirled croissant sticks filled with a rich vanilla buttercream.Chocolate Kouign-Amann: Caramelized croissant cups with a Valrhona chocolate brownie-like filling.Pain aux Raisins: Croissant swirls filled with vanilla pastry cream and rum-soaked raisins. They are shipped frozen too and can be put in the freezer upto 3 months! And the box they come in is sooooo adorable!!! They are in my freezer right now!
17. Let's Eat France- 1,250 specialty foods, 375 iconic recipes, 350 topics, 260 personalities, plus hundreds of maps, charts, tricks, tips, and ... you want to know about the food of France!!
18. BAIES / BERRIES CANDLE 1,5KG – LIMITED EDITION- The stars of Diptyque’s map of stars adorn the exclusive new vessel of the very large Baies / Berries candle in a constellation all their own. Handcrafted by the French manufacturer Virebent, which has been recognised as an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (a “living heritage company”) by the French state, the vessel is fashioned in a deep black enamelled terracotta, speckled with real gold. The iconic Baies / Berries scent, which combines the tangy coolness of just-picked blackcurrant berries with the lively, flowery accents of rose, delicately permeates the winter nights.
Burning time : 120 hours
19. 2023 CATBIRD X ASTIER AGENDA- Your to-do list has never been so wonderful. This seventh annual custom version of Astier de Villatte's classic agenda opens with a quote that is a true north star of how to be. Another excellent use of this agenda: notating in the evening all the things you did in a day, perhaps your sweetest thing, or something delicious you ate. Either way — a place to remember.
Catbird is proud to be the only store in North America to have a custom Astier agenda. Typeset by hand, each cover is completely unique, and is traditionally printed in Paris using methods that have nearly been forgotten. Each week contains an extra made up day, such as Puddingday -- if only life were so! -- and the back of the book is populated by a directory of Ivan and Benoit of Astier's favorite places in Paris and New York, including private detectives, dentists, cake-makers, and Catbird!
8.8 x 7.2 x .5 inches
each cover is unique in color scheme
hand-printed in Paris
20. Holiday Box From French Wink- This set is the perfect gift to enjoy the Holidays with!! Order the Classic Box which includes….
1 Tissage Moutet kitchen towel ''Joyeuses Fetes'' ( Happy Holidays) - made in South West of France by Tissage Moutet
1 Eiffel Tower snowball - Made in France
1 natural mini candle Paris (lavender citrus scent, as good as a candy
1 Comptoirs Richard Organic tea box . Au Champ de Mars is a green tea which combines sencha tea with ginger and lemon.
1 lava cake baking mix
1 Angelina Paris chestnut cream made from high quality French chestnuts and vanilla beans from Madagascar.
1 box of speculos cookies
A French Wink organic cotton pouch
Or order the Fois Gras Box!
Your recipient will get all of the above plus delicious Fois Gras!
For more French Wink goodness-click here!!!! They have the best products for Francophiles!!!!
All of this s'il vous please!!!
Happy shopping!!!!!!!
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