Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Lily of France

You may seem them around New Orleans alot, but the symbol of the fleur de lis has been around much longer in France. It has been used by the French for nearly 1,000 years to symbolize purity. Literally meaning "flower of the lily", it was also the symbol of the Bourbon monarchy. Unfortunately, there are many tacky, wannabe fleur-de-lis accessories, etc on the market. But there are some more sophisticated, glamorous and regal items that do justice to this popular design:

Diamond Fleur-de-lis stud earrings in 14K white gold
These are definitely my favorite fleur de lis earrings-they're cute, glamorous, and elegant at the same time! They're on sale for $156 at Ross Simons.

Fleur de Lis outline necklace
Some may call it kitsch, but I can't help but love this necklace...it's made of sterling silver and if you enlarge the picture on the website, you will see that the outline is all cubic zirconia. Buy it for $75 at Emitations.


French blue silk dupioni
Look closely and you will see that this beautiful silk is embroidered with elegant fleur de lis. This seems like something Marie Antoinette would actually have a dress made out of. Buy it at 54" wide for $49.99 at Hyena.

Marie Antoinette brass & Swarovski crystal Fleur de lis earrings
These are aptly named after Marie Antoinette herself, and I personally just love the gold and blue combination. Que pensez-vous? They're only $9 and are made by Shakti Studios.

Jeffrey Campbell Fleur de Lis gold metallic shoes
These lovely flats are actually what inspired this post. I saw them at Lord & Taylor the other day and searched everywhere on the internet to find them; they were at Cotton Island for $75. They come in other colors as well: black, white, and silver, but I prefer the gold and think it has the most Marie Antoinette potential in it.


White Stargazer lilies
Last but not least, the real deal-living, breathing white lilies. They are so elegant and perfect for Easter, which is fast approaching! Order them for $45-50 at 1800flowers.

-R*

6 comments:

ShabbyInTheCity said...

Je pense que J'aime les Fleur de Lis!

savvycityfarmer said...

One of each please

FrenchGardenHouse said...

You always have the most loveliest of blogs. I love fleur~de~lis! It's the jewelry I wear and sell.

Thanks for always making your blog a true feast for the eyes.

The flats are wonderful, I love this sentence
"I prefer the gold and think it has the most Marie Antoinette potential in it" I might have to have those!

Shopalicious! said...

This is a beautiful blog! Would you be interested in exchanging links?
My email is shopaliciousgirl at gmail dot com...

a. said...

Love the earrings! And of course the blue and gold fabric. So elegant!

sylvia said...

hi, is the fleur de lis only associated with france and new orleans? would it be wierd for someone to get a tattoo of the fleur de lis if they werent french or had no association with new orleans at all? I was intrigued by the fleur de lis because to me it is associated with royalty.