Dear Daily Connoisseurs,

The time has come again for me to take my annual summer break. I look forward to this break each year because I am able to devote more of my work time toward writing projects. I also come back refreshed and renewed in September for another great season on The Daily Connoisseur.

Before, I go on my break, however, I wanted to have a chat with you about various things that have been happening this summer. When I return from my break, I will have at least two major life updates for you (maybe more)!

Today, I'm sharing an amazing story about what happened when I got a flat tire, some ten-item wardrobe observations for summer, an album that I have been loving, what I've been watching, the trouble with being a minimalist and so much more! Intrigued? I hope you watch today's video!

Mentioned in the video:

My favorite summer album has been Bach for Breakfast, as recommended in At Home with Madame Chic.

I've been working on a project and listening to Bach for Breakfast. I recommend this in AT HOME WITH MADAME CHIC. This is seriously such a good album. I love it! My favorite is Sinfonia from Christmas Oratorio. #Bach

A post shared by Jennifer L. Scott (@dailyconnoisseur) on Jul 13, 2017 at 6:01pm PDT

My favorite song on the album is the Sinfonia from Christmas Oratorio. So good!

Congratulations to my YouTube friend, Kathryn Morgan. I love both of her YouTube channels, Kathryn Morgan and Forever Youngs.

A post shared by Ꮶathryn ℳorgan (@kathryn_morgan) on May 29, 2017 at 7:16am PDT

MiniCelini a wonderful business that makes girls dresses from Dad's old shirts. Problem is, dad (my husband) is such a minimalist, he doesn't have any old shirts! :)

I also discuss two recent articles on the casual nature of our everyday clothing: Verily Magazine's piece Why I No Longer Wear Leggings In Public, and Tom Ford's interview on leisure wear.

News


My TEDx talk on the Ten-Item Wardrobe has received over 1 MILLION views. Thank you to all of the Daily Connoisseurs who helped to make this happen!



Actress Naomie Harris (Skyfall, Pirates of the Caribbean) takes inspiration from my TEDx talk and the #TenItemWardrobe

At home, #sundaychillin in bed. Inspired the @JL_Scott #tedtalk on the '10 item wardrobe' and… https://t.co/j6Hj0esZck

— Naomie Harris (@NaomieHarris) July 23, 2017

On Instagram
Pinc Flamingo shares her #bookgoals picture from Rizzoli Bookstore in New York and I spy The Madame Chic Collection...

• This is what I like to call #bookgoals 💕@rizzolibookstore

A post shared by Jess ➰ (@pincflamingo) on Jul 21, 2017 at 2:13pm PDT

Comment of the Week
Lynn T. writes: I have had your first two books for about a year now and just started reading them this weekend at leisure. I always listen to your YouTube videos and thought what could I be missing? Well, it appears a lot! Your books are little treasures. I just ordered your third book today. I am 56 years young but you have definitely taught this old dame some new tricks ❤️ I recommend these books to women young and old.

Dear Lynn, thank you for your great compliment about the Madame Chic books. I really do appreciate your support!


Even though I will be taking a break from the blog, I will occasionally post on social media. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay au courant with all things Daily Connoisseur.

Today, I would love to know your thoughts on any or all of the subject I discussed in today's video. If you have any requests for the upcoming season, please leave them down below. When I return, I am very excited to share my life updates with you!

Have a wonderful summer and I will see you soon...

With love,

Jennifer



Visit my Author Website

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Sign up for my Seasonal Author Newsletter


FTC: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Links may be affiliate.

I listen to it while making breakfast in the morning, and while cleaning the kitchen at night...

I listen to it when I drive...

I listen to it when I write...

And it's on in the background when I read...

Classical music is such an integral part of my day. It's my favorite genre of music. I grew up listening to it in my parents' home and it has remained with me ever since.

Classical KUSC is such an amazing resource. It is a listener supported classical music station— one of the last of its kind.

They are 91.5 fm for those of us in Los Angeles. Or you can listen to them anytime, from anywhere in the world, on their website: www.kusc.org

I am told that they are on iHeart radio as well (Thank you reader Janu Tornell for this information!)

You can listen to KUSC anytime for free, but if you feel as passionate about keeping classical music on the radio as much as I do, please consider donating to them and becoming a member. No donation is too small!

Watch my embedded video to learn more about Classical KUSC, their special broadcasts, and their lovely newsletters. If you are unable to watch the embedded video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur.

To learn more, visit www.kusc.org, or click here.

To donate to Classical KUSC click here.

P.S. My favorite composer is Chopin... who is yours?


Visit my Author Website

Like my Facebook Page

Follow me on Twitter

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 :)

The Daily Connoisseur is now available on Amazon Kindle


Visit my Author Website

Like my Facebook Page

Follow me on Twitter

After I lived in Paris for a few months I started to learn the secrets of the city from the locals. Perhaps they waited to see if I was ‘worthy’ of being told the secrets or perhaps they had tried to tell me when I first got there but my French was so bad I didn’t understand what they were saying- either way I was grateful.

It was at one of Madame Bohemienne’s wild dinner parties where a few artsy types were the guests of honor, that I learned about the Louvre at Midnight.

“You haven’t heard about the Louvre at midnight?” they asked me astonished, as I had already been in Paris for a few months.

“Non!” I replied, leaning in over my coq au vin, “do tell!”

Well every so often (usually once a week- but one could never tell- and never really on the same day) a group of musicians played a free concert in the courtyard of the Louvre at midnight. It was spectacular- so special, so romantic! We had to go.

And go we did. I’m not sure how we found out what night they were playing as this wasn’t an advertised thing, but my friends and I, one crisp evening in early Spring, wandered into one of the courtyards of the Louvre and found a string quartet. Only a handful of people were scattered around the courtyard listening to the beautiful music. There were no chairs- people either sat on the edge of the fountain or on a blanket or scarf laid down on the floor.

The quartet played rapturously for about an hour- Mozart, Chopin, Brahms. I remember sitting there feeling so in the moment- so grateful that I was sitting under the stars in this beautiful city, by this beautiful building that held some of the world’s most important pieces of art in its walls, surrounded by friends and listening to this ‘secret concert’- and feeling that life was truly good, indeed…

I’m not sure if the secret concerts at the Louvre are still held at midnight, but if they are and you find yourself in Paris… allez, I tell you- allez…

Last night R and I attended a special performance by Carol Channing- the legendary Tony Award winning actress. The benefit highlighted a number of causes- raising money for a roof for the Alta Dena Church- a church dear to Carol's heart- and bringing awareness to keeping the arts in the schools- Miss Channing's own personal mission.

The evening was fabulous. She debuted three songs from her new CD entitled For Heaven's Sake, as well as sang the songs she became famous for, including: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend (my favorite) and Hello Dolly!.

Meeting Carol Channing and experiencing her performance from the front row was such a special experience. She comes from that era of glamor, taste and politesse and even though she is in her late eighties, she still has that twinkle in her eye and that enigmatic smile that made her famous. I am grateful to have met her and her husband Harry, and fully support their plight to keep the arts in schools.

For more on information on Carol's Foundation for the arts, please visit: www.channingarts.org

Ever since she entered the music scene I have been fascinated with Lady GaGa. Not only do I love her album (literally every song!) I am intrigued by her avant garde sense of style and unconventional attitude. I have gotten so tired of the cookie cutter/ bubble gum pop stars of late that I was about to lose interest in the pop culture music scene all together.

Fortunately Lady GaGa came around just in time to shake things up a little and make me believe in artistic expression again! Her latest video is Paparazzi, directed by Jonas Akurlund. It is a dark, sexy, provocative little tale about love and revenge in the public eye. Love it or hate it- this latest video is visually stirring and a far cry from the typical.

Watch the video for Paparazzi here.

So I'd love to know... how do you feel about Lady GaGa?

Image courtesy of popmusicology.com and www.dailymail.co.uk

Coldplay’s latest album Viva la Vida could be compared, in my eyes at least, to my recent experience with Coco Mademoiselle. At first listen, I wasn’t sure about how much I loved it- and I desperately wanted to love it-, as Coldplay is one of my favorite bands of all time. When they released their first single “Yellow” their poetic and heartbreaking lyrics and sound moved me deeply and they have continued to do so through the years with each album release.

Viva la Vida, however, is not like any other album they have put out yet… It took a few listens- ten to be exact, before I fell in love with it. I compare this to the dry down of Coco Mademoiselle that I experienced last week. Wasn’t sure at first… then pure love, bordering on obsession!

The album starts out with “Life in Technicolor” which is a purely instrumental track that I feel sets the listener up for the journey to come. It suggests the start of something new- a tingling, rush of excitement for the dawn of a new day. It also hints at the exotic nature of the album- largely influenced, I believe, by Japanese sounds.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Lovers in Japan/ Reign of Love” which evokes images of bright young things riding bicycles through cherry blossoming orchards in Japan. The song evolves, as so many on this album do, into “Reign of Love” which sounds like a divine lullaby. Every time I hear it I want to close my eyes and just smile- which is bad because I’m generally listening to this album whilst navigating through L.A. traffic.

“Viva la Vida”, of course, is another great song and their first single released on the album. I don’t know why but whenever I hear it I picture myself as a young woman in one of Judith McNaught’s romance novels riding in a coach on the way to a ball to meet Count Westmoreland (or whatever the hell his name was). There is something very exciting and revolutionary about this song- which probably inspired the album cover they picked (see above).

And finally, if I were to pick a third favorite, it would be “Strawberry Swing” which, upon listening, brings to mind a perfect, sun-drenched day… perhaps in the summertime where you have not a responsibility or a care in the world and you wake up in the morning, and go to bed at night feeling happy. Oh if only everyday could be like that…

Viva la Vida!