7 Heavily Discounted Designer Flats To Suit Every Budget

1  /  2  /  3  /  4  /  5  /  6  /  7

I'm one of those people who's always one trend and season behind. The minute I need to get something, it's out of stock everywhere. The winter parka with a detachable lining comes to mind. I find shopping ahead an agonizing experience. Imagine trying on a winter coat in 27˚C heat. I feel like I am going to melt into a puddle of sweat. That was my experience when I was at the Zara store in Monte Carlo yesterday in a tiny fitting room and no A/C.

Lately, I've been inspired by the fashion here in the French Riviera. Gorgeous tanned women in colorful clothes and beautiful sandals. I'm not even going to delve into the number of droolworthy designer bags that I've spied with my little eyes. My fingers itched to photograph them covertly but I hate to be pummeled to the ground by their bodyguards/husbands. A pair of beautiful leather sandals or espadrilles are a must if you don't want to end up getting millions of blisters, thanks to the heat.

Here are my top picks which are heavily discounted. The prices range from a mere £30 to £140 with a steep 50% to 70% discount. Now's the best time to stock up for the next summer.

4 Best Patisseries/Glacier in Provence

The French have a magic touch when it comes to dessert and bread. Their cakes and pastries look like works of art and taste like heaven on earth. Here are my top 4 picks that are tried and tested but there are still tons out there for me to check out on my next visit.


Jean Luc Pele










A visit to Cannes isn't complete without a compulsory stop at Jean Luc Pelé. Each mouthful of his creations is pure decadence and a culinary experience that no gourmand should ever miss. I thought Green & Black chocolates are good but heck, words can't describe when I took my first bite of a petit chocolate cake called Manjari - a chocolate sponge filled with creme brulee and scattered crispy chocolate balls in the center and covered in dark chocolate. It was a sensory explosion in my mouth. This artisan patissier-chocolatier is a genius, as far as I'm concerned.

One of his staff looked at me with much amusement when I ran back and forth from one end of the counter to the other end just trying to decide on what to buy. She didn't even bat an eyelid when I spent the next 10 minutes photographing my cake from every angle before plowing into it. I guess she must've seen plenty of customers exhibiting pretty strange behavior at the store (insanity by chocolate). I went back to Cannes (a nearly 4 hour return journey by bus) just to eat another cake AND bought another to go. Yes, yes, gluttony is a sin but even God would understand the need to shovel as much as I can while we're here in South of France.



LAC Chocolatier


You're probably thinking that my meals in Provence consisted of chocolate and cakes. You're right! And the thing is, I don't even have a sweet tooth but I'm now addicted to LAC's chocolate delights after my first bite. Each cake costs 3.70€ to 5€ which is ridiculously well priced considering how sublime they taste. If you're staying in Provence, I urge you to visit Nice just to check out LAC Chocolatier. They have 3 stores in Nice including one in Vieux Nice (old town).

Addresses

18 rue Barla, Nice

49 rue Gioffredo, Nice

12 rue de la Préfecture, Vieux Nice 




 Florentin

 

I drop by Boulangerie Patisserie Florentin twice a day. Once in the morning to pick up my baguette and the evening for another and a slice of caramel millefeuille.  I prefer the handmade baguette tradition (as the French call it) with its pointy ends to the standard thinner ones. I love the beautiful golden brown crisp crust with the airy and chewy texture inside. I've blown my gluten free diet to smithereens because I can't resist heading to the boulangerie just for a whiff of freshly baked bread.

I've tried different pastries at Florentin but the one that rocks my boat would have to be the caramel millefeuille. It is THE best millefeuille I've tasted so far. The burnt and slightly bitter caramel surface complements the 2 layers of cream. But wait...... wait till you take a bite of the buttery and crunchy puff pastry. It is absolutely divine.


Address: 47, rue France, Nice




Fenocchio





While we were hanging about on the steps of a church, we chatted to a Parisian who normally spends her summers in Nice. The first thing she asked was if I've visited Fenocchio glacier yet. The ice cream parlor is a popular destination in Nice. There's a queue all hours of the day but the service is always cheerful and efficient. There are 90 flavors to choose from (violet, watermelon, jasmine, salted caramel, rose, vanilla & meringue to name a few). So it's perfectly logical to make a daily trip while we're on our 2 week vacation here to try out as many flavors as we can.

Address
2 Place Rosetti, Nice
6, rue de la Poissonerie, Nice

From Cannes, with love

Outfit: Christys panama hat, Karen Walker silk dress, Chanel sunglasses, Coach bag, Hermes Cape Cod watch, Hermes Collier de Chien, Sam Edelman.


Outfit: Christys panama hat, Galerie Lafayette top, 7FAM cutoffs, Hermes Cape Cod, Hermes Collier de Chien, Havaiana flip flop, Coach bag

The last time I was in Cannes was about 16 years ago and I barely remember the place. I was on a budget Contiki tour with 40 others who were hungover just about everyday with the exception the 4 of us that were either too young to imbibe or have severe allergic reaction to alcohol. This time I'm back with a young daughter and a husband in tow,  a lot more grey hair but minus my well worn backpack.

Cannes is definitely a playground for the rich and famous. Or just rich. Very very rich. It was strangely disconcerting to see slick (dirty) old men garbed in designer gear openly ogling younger women and tweens/teens carrying designer bags. Shopping in Cannes is a pleasure. High end designer boutiques line the stretch of Boulevard de la Croisette along the beach. I've found a few specialist boutiques, some of which aren't all that well known outside of France along with a patisserie/chocolatier that is like heaven on earth. I can't wait to share these with you.

I nipped into Chanel to ask if they have any black caviar leather wallet on chains (WOC) but they're sold out. In fact, they're so popular that they fly off the shelves the minute they get a delivery.  I had to try on a black tweed jacket (similar to the one in the photo but in black) but at 4600€, it's more of a dream than a reality. I thought I'd strap on my Hermes Collier de Chien to try to blend into the Cannes scene. The daughter complained that my bracelet looked like a weapon and the husband asked if it was a bondage cuff that I'd bought at a sex shop. Pffffffffffffft........!! Don't they know that anything that comes in an orange Hermes box is sacred? It was fun to enjoy the pretentiousness that surrounds Cannes for a couple of days but I feel more comfortable in Nice.

Images from Nice

I can't believe we've been in Nice for nearly a week now. It's hot but not unbearably so, thanks to the gentle breeze from the sea. Sunbathing isn't my kind of thing and swimming in the sea when I can't see the bottom scares the crap out of me. BUT.....there's something magical gazing at the sunset by the beach and strolling down the busy promenade in the evening.







Yesterday, I managed to convince the husband and Lil L to walk down the long stretch of the Promenade des Anglaise in the hot afternoon sun to Le Port where the gazillionaires park their super yachts and fly in via helicopter. We collapsed at an Irish pub (it's a familiar life source) and parked our derrières outside only to discover an hour later that they have lovely A/C inside along with free wi-fi. Pfffffft. We each whipped out our electronic gadgets and instagrammed (me)/youTubed (Lil L) /emailed (hubs) like mad. I know....pretty sad. My name is Marlene. I'm an internet addict. It has been 4 hours and 25 minutes since I last logged in.

Along the way, we managed to get an eyeful of topless ladies going about their suntanning routine. I blushed and turned my head so quickly, I nearly got myself a whiplash. I guess perky or not, there's no shame in letting them all hang loose.



See those tomatoes in the photo? Yes, €14.95 a kilo. I was the idiot who bought 4 tomatoes for €5.45. 4 tomatoes!! You'd think they have been infused with edible diamonds or something similar. They tasted......b l a n d. The next day, I went to the local supermarket and bought a punnet of the incredibly sweet cherry tomatoes for €2.25. Expensive doesn't mean good. Lesson learned.




An Hermes Kelly, a cute dog, Hermes Oran sandals and a panama hat.....how could I not covertly photograph this elegant lady? Panama hats and St Tropez leather sandals are a must here. The general (totally generalizing here) fashion sense in Nice is poles apart from Paris. Colors. Lots of colors. And whites. And tight, tight, tight. Low down the front (it's all about the cleavage) and bottoms get shorter and the two shall meet somewhere in the middle.





I enjoy cooking especially when there's plenty of fresh produce. We've been eating in more often than out. I adore popping down to the local boulangerie everyday for my crusty bread and the grocer who stocks incredible cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables. I thought I'd try figs, ricotta and walnuts, drizzled with local Provençal lavender honey (thank you Amanda for the inspiration). Divine! I've got a ton of photos that I can't wait to share. We're off to explore other parts of the French Riviera tomorrow.

A Whistle Stop

1  /  2  /  3  / 4  /  5  /  6 /  7

Thank you all for the sweet comments you've left for me on my birthday. They've certainly put a huge smile on my face. The one thing that never fails to amaze me is the tight knit community we have within the blogosphere. I'm lucky to have met some of you. It's wonderful to have the kind camaraderie that we have going on here despite the fact that most of us are scattered all corners of the world. We're still in Nice on our sun fueled and eating fest vacation. I don't want to bombard you all with a million images of food, gelato, the beach and well, more food so here's something I've been dying to share since earlier this week.

On my way to my favorite King's Road shopping trail last weekend, I did a short detour to Harvey Nicks. I managed to have a quick look at the new Autumn/Winter collection but the one brand that really appealed to me this time would have to be Whistles. Ever since I've been Isabelized (I borrowed the word from Myizzi), I haven't cheated on her once. Err.....with the exception of my one and only Rick Owens and Chanel jackets but that's understandable though.

One sales assistant at Whistles told me that their Chief Executive, Jane Shepherdson drew her main inspiration from Celine.  The new collection is incredibly well priced and the silhouette and colors are decidedly French. Call me crazy but I'm elated about the longer sleeves especially for those of us who are conscious about our bat wings. My upper arms are definitely my problem area and it's near impossible to find sleeves that aren't short or long and hit just above the elbow. As for her dresses, the fabric drapes just so to hide the bulge while maintaining a nice curve for those of us who don't have a pancake flat tummy.

My main complaint with most designers and even mid priced brands these days is that they're charging more for less. More £££ but inferior quality. I'm still enamored with all things French particularly brands like Claudie Pierlot, Maje, Sandro, Comptoir des Cotonniers, The Kooples to name a few. I am not, however, in love with their pricing so I've taken to hunting around for similar styles but at a price range that I feel more comfortable with. Anyway, enough of my yabbering but check out their collection if you get a chance.

Bonjour from Nice

Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes I've received here, Facebook and Instagram. I've officially left my 30s behind. Despite my trepidation about joining the 40s club, the clock didn't stop ticking, the sun rose and set as it has for centuries and the jelly belly I've developed from over-eating hasn't disappeared on its own. Bummer. A huge thank you to my friends, Noel and Amy who surprised me with a Hummingbird Bakery red velvet cake and made me blow out the candles too. I haven't celebrated my birthday in years so words can't described how touched I am by their thoughtful gesture.








We went out for a stroll along the Promenade des Anglaise to catch the sunset. Every tourist and resident in Nice is nicely tanned and brown with the exception of 3 Asians (that's Lil L, hubby and I) who're slathered in SPF 10000 and wore large hats that covered our faces. Such typical Asian behavior. On the other hand, it's a luxury to not change my clothes 3 times a day depending on where the wind blows. I wore my t-shirt and shorts in the middle of the night and I didn't turn into a popsicle.







Food and more food. Or should I say dessert and more dessert. I was in denial all day after seeing a photo of me taken by the hubby (take a look at the next photo below). He and I will need another talk about how to take "proper" (aka thin) photos of me. There were way too many bits that jiggled especially when I run. Or walk.






Christys' hat, Chanel sunnies, Karen Walker for Uniqlo t-shirt, Uniqlo shorts, Sam Edelman Trina sandals, Hermes Collier de Chien bracelet, Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere 35 and Hermes Cape Cod watch.

Ahh...yes. The photo. Or as Lil L always says, there's your fake grin again. Honesty is totally over-rated. Thank goodness for Amy who presented me with this Karen Walker for Uniqlo t-shirt. I under-packed and this was the perfect gift for me especially in Nice. The Sam Edelman Trina sandals are one of my best buys ever. My feet ache in flat shoes after several hours but these have low chunky heels along with a nice plush cushioned sole that made 8 hours walking a breeze. So....here I am, trying to be a badass by wearing a massive cuff with extreme hardware. All I can say is, the Hermes Collier de Chien doubles as a self defence tool. Those sharp metal bits are licensed to kill.