Tapping into the unicorn trend?
Today’s post is on yummie rainbow things, because I am always drawn to interesting and gourmand smells and tastes. On some days, I absolutely have to indulge in tasting and smelling amazing things, so recently I went to Ladurée in Harrods London, followed by a sniffing escapade in the Harrods Perfume Hall.
Writing this I wonder, if I have been zapped by the growing unicorn trend or if I have always been a veteran unicorn when it comes to certain things. In Japan the “Kawaii” trend has been present for many many years so pink, cute and girly things are my old fad! But with the ongoing unicorn trend in the West, your guess is as good as mine!
The original Ladurée in Paris
Ladurée is one of my go-to places when in Paris. The Paris branch is a granny’s paradise, a heaven of antiques in a splendid building on the Champs Elysees (there are a few more in Paris but this is my fave one. Thick cushions, lunch, tea and dessert….give me good book or send me there with a friend and I will be one happy Olga.
My photos of Ladurée in Paris, above and below.
But whilst I am spending time in London, its a delight that in this city they also have a branch – styled slightly different, with more marble and modernity.
Ladurée is famous for its rainbow-cloured MACARONS
If you have seen the recent trends of rainbow coloured, unicorn-themed gimmicks, candy and accessories, well, Ladurée had it all first, I say. They are the masters of all shades of pastel colours, sweet macarons (the FAMOUS macarons) and cakes. If you want to have a macaron with you at all times, you can purchase it as a keychain, too as the company has branched out into a broad scope of merchandise in the last years, from fragrant candles to bags to key chains and more.
My healthy snack of that day was a coffee and a chocolate eclair which was so chocolaty that I won’t need any chocs for a week at least. The service was impeccable, and so was my treat. (Yes, I need to put on weight, so fat and cream is my health regimen!)
Update: Ladurée is also connecting itself to fashion in 2018. The patisserie has done a collaboration with bridal designer Vera Wang entitled Vera Wang Pour Ladurée! “Her Ladurée line includes coconut crème chantilly macarons, coconut and mango wedding cakes, coconut and mango mini cakes, and a cake made out of coconut crème chantilly macarons.´ Wang tells Vogue” and will be featured in the Madison Avenue and Soho locations through January 26.
So how does one fuse the idea of wedding and haute maraconerie (I don’t actually know if this term exists…)?
Here are some snapshots which were featured in Vogue.
Harrods Perfume Hall
After Ladurée, I explored the Harrods Perfume Hall where you can find best-seller fragrances, but more importantly, they stock all the niche perfumes. This place is often packed and hard to maneuver through during peak hours, however it is a one-stop-shop for many beautiful olfactory creations that are not widely available, including the private lines by jewelers and fashion brands which have become quite a trend lately.
For example, and completely in tune with sweet desserts, there was a bottle of this year’s new fragrance by Amouage in a rosé flacon, entitled “Blossom Love!” Yes I am quite obsessed with it now…
The unicorns are out to get us…
You see what I mean about the unicorns? Everything is pink and girly and pastel-coloured at the moment.
“Van der Poel says that her team originally projected the unicorn trend for 2012 and 2013 following the sudden popularity of pastel-colored French macarons in the food world and a spate of fairy tale-themed films in theaters. She labels the trend a “combination regression-escapism” moment, especially for Millennials who grew up in the late 1980s and early 1990s during the original incarnation of the “My Little Pony” cartoon.” explains the San Francisco Chronicle.
It may be well true….
FASHIONBLOGGA 