French Culture Site
	Melissa Demiguel BellaOnline's French Culture Editor

All About Dior... [offsite link]
Christian Dior is one of the most popular designers of all time. You can see a rolling chronology of the company´s history, as well as view a photo fashion gallery that gives details about some of their more famous designs. (Go to "About Dior" at the top of the page to access.)

French Fashion Designs of the 1700´s [offsite link]
A nice little web page with some black & white illustrations and some specifics about the types of clothing and accessories that were popular during the reign of Marie Antoinette.

Louis Vuitton & The Art of Luxury Travel [offsite link]
Almost 150 years ago, Louis Vuitton began making travel bags for those with discriminating tastes, and the money necessary to satisfy them. Read about the history of Vuitton, as well as some information about their well-known designs, including the famous interlaced "L" & "V" monogram canvas. The site also has a separate travel section where you can obtain guides to many European cities. (Be patient, though - the pages can take a while to load.)

Of Course-It´s a Corset! [offsite link]
Believe it or not, there is an organization called the European Corset Society. They claim to be "dedicated to a most feminine garment," and their site certainly backs that up. Everything (and more!) that you could possibly want to learn about the corset is here, and it provides a fascinating walk through time. (You might note that some of the grammar is a bit off, which is perhaps the result of a translation into English from another language. Regardless, it´s a fun site!)

Paris Winter Fashion
Trends for this season have a universal appeal incorporating pieces from the 60’s and 80’s into a modern, wearable silhouette. Though more than the fashions that compose window displays and translate to the streets, Paris chick is found underneath the clothes in the attitude of the women.

Pierre Cardin - A Leader in Men´s Fashion [offsite link]
The first couturier to "bring fashion into the street," Pierre Cardin designed men´s clothing and accessories to be accessible to "everyman." His bio will provide some surprising glimpses into a familiar name in fashion.

Soldes : When Parisian Stores Entice Shoppers
France's biannual sales motivate shoppers into a consumer frenzy, not on account of groundbreaking prices, though they do relieve some of the sticker shock I experience in regarding price tags. No stranger to the Parisian boutiques, I usually greet the storm on the first day of the soldes.

The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie Bikini
According to Anne Fibion Waterwear, evidence of the first bikini was found as far back as 200 A.D., when mosaic figures of women were created on a villa outside Sicily wearing fur bikinis! And over 1800 years later, we´re still wearing them - only with more water-friendly materials...

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