q9y8 blog » Orange Boxes http://blog.q9y8.com an escape from the mad world. something fashionable, something joyful and something orange. ;-) Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:45:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 J’aime mon carré http://blog.q9y8.com/jaime-mon-carre/ http://blog.q9y8.com/jaime-mon-carre/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:40:14 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=1988 For my fellow scarf lovers, Hermès just launched a website called jaimemoncarre.com (I love my scarf). It is a fun site which offers instructions on how to wear and knot your scarf.

Picture Credit: Hermès

Have fun browsing and getting inspired. :-)

]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/jaime-mon-carre/feed/ 5 Summer Outfit (7): Blue Breeze http://blog.q9y8.com/summer-outfit-7-blue-breeze/ http://blog.q9y8.com/summer-outfit-7-blue-breeze/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:31:38 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=1955 Couple of days ago a friend mentioned one of my beloved old carres which holds a special place in my heart: Le Jeu des Petits Bonheurs. It is something special for me not only because I adore the design, as its name says: Play of Life’s Little Treasures, but also because it was my very first Hermès carre. ;-)

So I would like to share a carre outfit today (shirt & leather necklace: COS, shorts: Zara, shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo).

]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/summer-outfit-7-blue-breeze/feed/ 19 Carré Story – Cent Plis des Miao http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-cent-plis-des-miao/ http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-cent-plis-des-miao/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:14:58 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=1599 I’ve heard months ago that there will be quite a few China related designs in the Fall/Winter Carré collection, so I was very curious how they will look like:

  1. The Rhythm of China
  2. Sichuan
  3. Cent Plis des Miao

Now after seeing and trying these new season Carrés in store, I made my choice. The Rhythm of China was designed by the Chinese painter Ding Yi. The idea is to symbolize the soul of modern China by using countless little colored stars. Unfortunately it is not my cup of tea at all. Sorry, Mr. Ding. ;-)

Sichuan is an old design from R. Dallet, it features the wild animals from this very province in China. It’s a beautiful design but the color combinations of the reissued ones are just not for me.

The last one is Cent Plis des Miao, I wasn’t aware of this design until a friend wrote to me about it (a BIG thank you, my dear :-D ). At first I was surprised that Hermès issued a scarf based on the traditional pleated skirts from Miao, which is a minority folk from southwest China’s Guizhou province. This is really something special for me coz I’ve lived in Guizhou for many years and still have friends there. The design itself is simply stunning, I love the way the skirt is presented, the dedicate embroidery details at each corner and the vibrant color mix…


Picture Credit: hermes.com

Wearing this Carré will surely bring back my memories in Guizhou… I’ll post a Carré outfit next time~~ Happy weekend everyone! :-)

]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-cent-plis-des-miao/feed/ 11 Carré Story – Regarde Paris http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-%e2%80%93-regarde-paris/ http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-%e2%80%93-regarde-paris/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:31:02 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=1008 Back in December as I was writing about the carre “Noel au 24 Faubourg”, I also listed my grail scarves. “Regarde Paris” is one of them, designed by Bali Barret in 2006.

What makes my heart beat faster while gazing at this carre is the black and white pencil scratch. It brings back my childhood memories, the days I enjoyed painting so much and spent hours sharpening pencils and drawing pictures… The fact that I finally found it in Paris makes this carre more special for me.

The pop of fresh mint color is just perfect for the Spring! :-)



]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-%e2%80%93-regarde-paris/feed/ 8 Hermès S/S 10 Campaign http://blog.q9y8.com/hermes-ss-10-campaign/ http://blog.q9y8.com/hermes-ss-10-campaign/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:18:34 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=970 Anyone else getting tired of winter and looking forward to spring? These fabulous ads just put a smile on my face and drive the winter cold away. Not to mention the priceless childhood memories behind: the little Mermaid, Aladdin’s genie, Cinderella…

Karlie Kloss by Paolo Roversi, enjoy! :-)





Picture Credit: Paolo Roversi for Hermès

]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/hermes-ss-10-campaign/feed/ 10 Carré Story – New Springs http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-new-springs/ http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-new-springs/#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:27:03 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=783 First of all, I wish you all a happy, healthy and successful 2010! :-)

I’ve been searching for a purple carre to add to my little scarf collection for a while, but couldn’t find a suitable one until I saw New Springs in purple colorway. It is such a special scarf not only because of the design, but also the touching family story behind.

In 1974, Philippe Ledoux designed one of the most iconic Hermès scarves named Springs. 35 years later, Dimitri Rybaltchenko reinterpreted this classic design of his grand uncle to New Springs (The family has been designing for Hermès over 3 generations). I am not a big fan of the old Springs, but find the new edition really sparkling. Rybaltchenko substitutes the old realistic drawing with a sense of abstract via thick sketching lines and vibrant colors. Through the deconstructed carriage to express an unexpected modern kaleidoscope.

I’ll post a winter outfit with this scarf next time! :-)

Picture Credit: hermes.com
]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-new-springs/feed/ 8 Carré Story – Noel au 24 Faubourg http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-%e2%80%93-noel-au-24-faubourg/ http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-%e2%80%93-noel-au-24-faubourg/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:39:04 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=747 In the world of Hermès, 2010 will be the year of “Conte et raconte” (story telling). Most new Carre designs are based on this theme. Unlike the SS09 collection, after browsing the SS10 new designs, I couldn’t find one that really makes my heart sing. Maybe it’s time to start searching for some grails. For a scarf lover, grail scarves are these personal must haves, these one will treasure forever and never let go. ;-)

There are 5 on my grail scarf list.

  1. Noel au 24 Faubourg
  2. Cheval Surprise
  3. Regarde Paris
  4. Ex-Libris (GM)
  5. A Cheval Sur Mon Carre (GM)

I feel very lucky to have already found one of them: Noel au 24 Faubourg. Issued in 2004 and designed by Dimitri Rybaltchenko (one of my favorite H scarf designers). It is just perfect for the coming Christmas! :-)


]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/carre-story-%e2%80%93-noel-au-24-faubourg/feed/ 14 Happy 1st Advent http://blog.q9y8.com/happy-1st-advent/ http://blog.q9y8.com/happy-1st-advent/#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:15:33 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=661 We did some pre-Christmas shopping on the weekend. It is hard to believe that yet another holiday season is just around the corner. Well, I am not complaining at all. I really enjoyed browsing the beautiful holiday ornaments and love the atmosphere of Christmas markets in the city.

Sunday was the first advent, the tradition is to light the first advent candle and bake some sweets. :-)

We tried kelly cookies this time, the baking form (plus recipe) is a lovely little gift from Hermès. The cookies taste great! BTW, if you are interested in the recipe, pls let me know.

Hope you’ve had a very happy 1st advent! :-)

]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/happy-1st-advent/feed/ 13 Art on a Silk Square http://blog.q9y8.com/art-on-a-silk-square/ http://blog.q9y8.com/art-on-a-silk-square/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:46:42 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=566 Since a dear friend asked me why the Hermès scarf is so special. I would like to share something I know. The first Hermès scarf was produced in 1928, inspired by Napolean’s soldiers. It was a big success, Hermès later launched its first carré in 1937 at a factory in Lyon. This is the begin of a silk journey.

  1. each carré measures 90cm × 90cm, weighs 65 grams and is woven from the silk of 250 cocoons
  2. carrés are printed using multiple silk screens, one screen for each color
  3. 43 is the highest number of screens used
  4. 6 to 8 weeks are required to prepare for silk screens and colors
  5. the hems are all hand-stitched, it takes 30 to 45 minutes to finish one carré
  6. each design takes 9 to 12 months of research and development
  7. there are 50 carré designers, contributions also came from artists like H. Matisse and most recently J. Albers
  8. Hermès issues two carré collections each year. Half are new designs, half are re-colored classics

BTW, I store all my carrés in their orange boxes (wrapped in the original acid-free paper). Tagged their names and colors on the box so that I don’t need to open each box to find the right one. ;-)

]]> http://blog.q9y8.com/art-on-a-silk-square/feed/ 23 Le Carré Hermès: Yes or No http://blog.q9y8.com/le-carre-hermes-yes-or-no/ http://blog.q9y8.com/le-carre-hermes-yes-or-no/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:58:05 +0000 q9y8 http://blog.q9y8.com/?p=549 Many Hermès scarfies have been waiting for this for years…Now Hermès has finally decided to issue a book documenting it’s scarves from the first one debuted in 1937 right up to the present day.

Picture Credit: hermes.com

I was very excited when I first heard this news. As a scarf lover, I would love to own such a book that would have covered each scarf from day one, with a brief description of the artists and the stories behind. However, I figured out later that there are only less than 200 scarves featured in this book and with very few descriptions. It is indeed beautifully made, but sadly not really the one I’ve been expecting.

My dear fellow scarfies, what’s your thoughts? ;-)

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