Before I went to London, the previews for “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris” flashed across my TV screen as a sign that I had to see this movie and, if possible, while I was in London. That didn’t happen because it wasn’t in theatres yet, but shortly after my return, I saw it with a friend.
The movie plot is based on a novel written in 1958 by Paul Gallico, “Mrs Arris Goes to Paris. Mrs Harris is a widowed cleaning lady from London who sees an haute couture Dior dress casually draped over a chair in the home of one of her clients and instantly falls in love. She daydreams of having her own Dior dress and proceeds to make her dreams come true.
Lesley Manville is perfectly cast as Mrs Harris, someone many of us can relate to. This light-hearted storyline is a fantasy of so many of us, and the escape from reality is so welcome…I hope you have all seen it or will see it.
By coincidence, Dior became “the designer” while we were in London. The first day of the trip, we spent (trying to avoid the heat) in Harrods…the door we entered led us right into the in-store Dior Boutique. The handbags, scarves, jewellery…oh my, this was going well! (I did treat myself to a little Dior something a day later at Selfridges). Moving along, we entered the world of beauty…if you’ve been to Harrods, you will know the main floor is dominated by cosmetic counters, beautifully lit and displayed. Our first stop was at Dior. As we were spritzing the new fragrances in their collection, we were approached by Daniel, a very sweet young man who oozed enthusiasm for the brand. Having just finished his training, he was eager to share everything he’d learned about Dior fragrances and cosmetics. Before long, we were in makeup chairs, trying on new looks we both purchased. This kind of service is rare these days…it was our own “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris” moment.
I’m always on the lookout for the “original” Miss Dior perfume, but, unfortunately, to no avail. (Daniel did mention that I wasn’t the only one who longs for the return of this fragrance). I did purchase the new “Miss Dior” Eau de Parfum with velvety notes of Lily of the Valley (one of Dior’s favourite flowers), Peony and Rose. Unique to this latest edition is the couture bow tied around the neck of the bottle made of fine threads tightly woven to create a jacquard pattern in colours that represent the floral scents within. This bottle also has the hound’s tooth pattern embossed into the glass. This collection had the option to add personalized charms to the ribbon…of course, I had to do this, too ( a “J”, a “bee”, and a “heart”). There was the possibility of having my name or initials engraved on the bottle; however, the machine was skipping in spots, and Daniel did not want to take a chance that the bottle would be ruined.
Travelling takes us out of our regular routine, and if we are willing to be carried away by new experiences, it can ignite all our senses. We can bring home treasures for our homes, gardens or personal,and endless ideas and inspiration. Whether it’s fashion, as on this trip (you may wonder what inspiration I got considering my all-black, everyday uniform...Monsieur Dior says it’s OK though!), or books, music, cooking (my daughter, who is an instinctive cook, brought home new ideas to incorporate into her daily meals…she didn’t inherit that gene from me!), or decorating…the list is infinite and free for the taking.
I know I said in the last post I wasn’t going to talk anymore about London, and I promise…this is it.
xox Judy
erfum and although it is not anything like the original it is a beautiful floral scent of
