Hello dear readers...

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer- and that you are having a chance to rest, relax and rejuvenate.

I will be spending the next month in jolly old England (which wasn't so jolly last week with all those riots but hopefully things are on the mend!)

While I'm there I will continue to blog but might not be as punctual with my posts and videos so thank you in advance for your understanding. I'm really looking forward to going to England again, seeing family and hopefully do a bit of traveling while there. I will, of course, keep you updated on all my adventures and observations.

Speaking of England, this week's video is called The Neutral Dress. Inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge and her love of neutral, subtle glamor, I show you my favorite neutral dress and the many ways in which I wear it. To see the video click here, look in the sidebar of this blog or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

And now for this week's post on a Trio of Discoveries:

Film:

Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen
Woody Allen’s latest film Midnight in Paris is not really a discovery as most of you have probably seen this already! But oh what a wonderful film it is so for those of you that haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it- especially if you are a Francophile like me. This is the first film I’ve seen in the cinema since having my baby. My husband stayed home with the baby and I met a girlfriend at our local theater. I got a hot tea and some nachos (don’t ask- I wanted to be naughty at my first cinematic experience in a year) and we settled in for the ride.

I knew I had made a good choice in movies right from the opening scene which is a musical and visual love letter to Paris. Seeing so many of my favorite old haunts brought back a painful and delicious nostalgia. The opening sequence is set to a highly moving saxophone piece (see second discovery below) and then the movie begins.

I do not want to give too much (or anything really) away but can tell you a brief and vague synopsis. Gill Pender (played by Owen Wilson) and his fiancé Inez (played by Rachel McAdams) are in Paris for a short holiday before going back to the states to get married. Gil is a writer who is fascinated by nostalgia and the time period of 1920s Paris- the age of Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso and Gertrude Stein (amongst others). Not quite satisfied in his current relationship, Gil goes on midnight walks in the city of Paris when a mysterious event keeps occurring…

Do go see Midnight in Paris to find out what happens!

Music:

Sydney Bechet Petite Fleur Album

As mentioned above the opening sequence in Midnight in Paris is one of the best I’ve ever seen in a film and part of it was due to the melodious and moving saxophone song it is set to. After seeing the film I searched high and low for the artist (Literally. It took me forever to find this guy) as there is no Midnight in Paris soundtrack available. But eventually I cracked the case (and thank you to all of my twitter friends who helped me along the way!) The opening song in Midnight in Paris is Si Tu Vois Ma Mère by Sydney Bechet.

I immediately looked up the song on iTunes and came across Mr. Bechet’s incredible album Petite Fleur. Sidney Bechet was not only a highly talented African American saxophonist who often collaborated with Louis Armstrong- but was also one of the first prominent jazz soloists of his time. His album Petite Fleur (which includes the great song Si Tu Vois Ma Mère) is like melodic sunshine. If you love Art Deco music with a French twist you must listen to this album. It is only $5.99 on iTunes. I listen to it while making breakfast in the morning and it starts off my day very pleasantly indeed. As a side note- this would also be excellent to play at your next dinner or cocktail party.


Television:

Tommy & Tuppence

Speaking of Art Deco… Have you all seen the Tommy & Tuppence series from the 1980s starring Francesca Annis and James Warwick? You all know that I have a borderline obsession with everything to do with Art Deco England (have you seen or read Mapp & Lucia yet?). I never quite got into the Tommy & Tuppence books by Agatha Christie as I was more of a Poirot person myself but this series is so delicious I will have to give the books a try again.

Tommy and Tuppence are a high class crime fighting duo that have an eccentric approach when it comes to solving crimes. Start with The Secret Adversary movie to see where it all began and then watch season one and two of Tommy & Tuppence Partners in Crime.

Watch it for the beautiful Art Deco costumes and styling (although I will grumble that they put far too much makeup on the beautiful Francesca Annis in the series- If you watch it you’ll see what I mean- a le no makeup look was definitely in order there!) Watch it for the dashing James Warwick who is the quintessential English gentleman (and whom I have a hopeless crush on- don't tell my husband). And of course watch it for the intriguing casework that only Agatha Christie could cook up. The Tommy & Tuppence movies and TV series are available on Netflix.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my trio of discoveries this week.

Gatsby is pictured above :)

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Before this special Thursday post begins make sure to check out my latest video on A New Dress for my Capsule Wardrobe. In the video I describe the thought process I use before purchasing anything to add to my capsule wardrobe. You can see the video by clicking here, looking in the sidebar of this post or by visiting: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur.

And now for this special Thursday post...


Today I am sharing with you a trio of discoveries that recently came across my desk… so to speak.

Mapp & Lucia DVD


While in The Continental Shop in Santa Monica recently (to buy Royal wedding paraphernalia) I asked the proprietors if they had any good British DVDs to recommend to me. I told them how much I love Poirot and any English story set in the art deco period. They readily offered me advice on several series… the first of which was Mapp & Lucia. I can’t tell you how happy I am I asked for their advice because I rented the Mapp & Lucia disc on Netflix (to see if I liked them) and have found the series to be such a little gem!

The Mapp & Lucia series is from the mid 1980s and stars Geraldine McEwan (recently known as Miss Marple) and Prunella Scales (from Fawlty Towers fame) as two middle aged ladies who reside in the fictional town of Tilling on Sea in the late 20s and 30s. It is a comedy of manners, of social climbing and of cattiness, but one with tremendous heart. Also the heroine Lucia, played by McEwan, is a woman after my own heart as she lives life as a formal affair, plays the piano and is an obsessive patron of the arts. I loved the DVDs so much I plan on returning to The Continental Shop and purchasing the collection for my library. They really don’t make television like that any more!

(As an aside, be patient with the series. The first episode is a little bizarre, especially if you are not familiar with the story of Lucia. I promise after you get through the first episode the rest that follow are nothing less than delicious and if you are like me you'll wish the series were longer than just two seasons!)


Lucia books by E.F. Benson


Because I loved the DVDs so much you know I just had to read the books. The Mapp & Lucia series is based on the books by E.F. Benson. I started to search for the books on the kindle and was delighted to find that they are either offered for free or for a very low price (another reason to love my beloved kindle). The story of Lucia actually starts long before she moves to Tilling on Sea and meets Elizabeth Mapp. Some of the earlier books are called Queen Lucia and Lucia in London where we are introduced to Lucia’s life in Riseholme with her trusty sidekick Georgie as they battle various adventures. Some involving a mysterious guru, an operatic newcomer and a prophetic princess.

The order of the books are as follows:

* Queen Lucia (1920)
* Miss Mapp (1922)
* Lucia in London (1927)
* Mapp and Lucia (1931)
* Lucia's Progress (1935, also known as The Worshipful Lucia)
* Trouble for Lucia (1939)

I’m so happy to have discovered E.F. Benson’s books as I’m always looking for new authors’ works to devour from that particular time period in England. Delightful.

The Case for Falling in Love by Mari Ruti, PhD


On a completely unrelated note, Mr. Connoisseur and I recently celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. How time flies! I feel very grateful to be married to such a wonderful man. Recently the publishers from the book The Case for Falling in Love by Mari Ruti, PhD sent me a copy of the book to review on my blog. I know many of you readers are married or are otherwise in happy relationships, but for those of you who aren’t (and wish to be) this is a refreshing and highly interesting book written for single women who wish to find love. It is written from Dr. Ruti’s unique perspective with regards to gender studies and debunks many myths related to dating and romance. Plus, Dr. Ruti studied at the University of Paris… so you know she has some decidedly French influences in her technique! For more information on the book or to read more reviews, please visit: www.mariruti.com


The Mapp & Lucia and E.F. Benson images are from amazon.com and The Case for Falling in Love is from mariruti.com

The Daily Connoisseur is now available on Amazon Kindle