Great Gifts with a French Touch

The French historically have given gifts with Gallic panache. Henri II gave Chenonceau, the loveliest Loire Valley château, to his mistress Diane de Poitiers, along with the income from a tax on all the bells in his realm. François I gave his favorite, Anne de Pisseleu, the immense 13th-century château-fortress of Dourdan, along with the village around it. Bringing things up to date, here is our sampler of chic, elegant and delightful holiday gifts with inimitable French flair.

Picture 1: Translucent porcelain Déshabillez-Moi cup and saucer by designer Emilie Flöge of Esprit Porcelaine in Limoges. Set of two (€150). website

Picture 2: Sweet and sexy Mauboussin ring: Vraiment Toi, a green amethyst set in white gold above an oval diamond frame (€1,325). website

Picture 3: Founded in 1827, purveyor to Queen Victoria, Maison Duvelleroy has been revived by young Parisiennes Eloïse Gilles and Raphaëlle de Panafieu. Couture fans are handcrafted in silk, feathers and sequins (€490–€4,500 and up for special orders); there’s also a playful new designer line, with prices ranging from €30 to €50. Available at Bergdorf Goodman, NY. website

Picture 4: Jeweled Tatiana platform sandals, Atelier Mercadal Au Printemps (€260).  website

Picture 5: Say Joyeux Noël, or something sweeter, with Joël Durand’s Alphabet des Saveurs. Based in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, chocolate alchemist Durand transforms the flavors of Provence—almond, lemon, orange, thyme, rosemary and even olives—and also chestnuts, honey, pepper, violets and roses into 32 delectable flavors, one for each letter and six punctuation marks. (€9–€130). website

Picture 6: Silkscreen print of Paris by Jean-Jacques Sempé, the much-loved artist and illustrator famed for Le Petit Nicolas and his New Yorker cartoons.Les Rues la Nuit (€1,000). website

Picture 7: Handmade Point du Jour champagne flutes (€70), Laurence Brabant Editions. website

Picture 8: Green aventurine and 18-carat gold vermeil necklace (€1,350) by American designer John Agee, found exclusively at his Paris boutique. Prices range from €300–€2,600. 11 rue Jacob, 01.40.46.93.20. website

Picture 9: Anyone who regularly strolls the Boulevard Saint Germain has long been delighted by the Ours Dormeurs, the sleeping bears who are usually napping in the window of the Ovale children’s clothing shop. (Medium bear €458, baby bear €282). website

 

Picture 10: Berluti Venezia luggage: Trolley (€5,600). website

Picture 11: A Chanel bag from the exceptional Paris-Byzance collection, in an opulent patchwork of beaded and embroidered tweed with a classic Mademoiselle lock and a jeweled chain strap (€10,000). website

Picture 12: Shimmying discs in black and white, like the late 1920s flappers in this winter’s big-screen hit, the nouveau silent movie The Artist. From Galeries Lafayette’s Briefing label (€89.99). website

Originally published in the December 2011 issue of France Today