Quoi de neuf: shopping in August 2018
New products, designs and ideas from around France
What’s the time, Tintin?
When Georges Remi, internationally known as Hergé, was charged with illustrating Le Petit Vingtième, a weekly youth supplement for a major Brussels newspaper of the time, little could he have known how his creation The Adventures of Tintin would enrapture the Francophone population of both his own country and neighbouring France. Or that one day his characters would adorn a range of watches...
Fans from the ages of seven to 70 have loved his adventures ever since, and so a new range of themed watches will appeal to readers of all vintages. This could be nostalgic adults keen to carry a reminder of the reporter and adventurer with them; comic book fans; or children eager to discover Tintin’s world.
The collection explores three worlds reflected in Tintin’s stories: his first investigations in the country of the Soviets (1930), the lunar adventure (1953) and then some of his cohorts, including Milou (Snowy), Professeur Tournesol and Capitaine Haddock.
Sizes range from XS to L (28 to 44 mm), in a wide range of colours. Prices start at €69 and go up €149.
https://boutique.tintin.com
Miniature motors
Nothing evokes rural France of yesteryear quite like the sight of an old Citroën 2CV chuntering through the lanes.
Now the car manufacturer is celebrating 70 years of the 2CV and 50 years if its Méhari jeep, with new miniatures.
Symbol of an era and of a certain way of life, the “Deudeuche” is an icon of automotive history that unites a huge number of enthusiasts around the world.
For those who are not lucky enough to own the full-size model, the companyis selling a selection of three-inch cars in its honour, from €65.
The ‘lifestyle boutique’ also features a selection of ready-to-wear items, toys, decorative objects and other accessories, including coffee cups and phone covers.
https://lifestyle.citroen.com
Bougie wonderland
Lou Candeloun’s candles are cast one by one, by hand, the old-fashioned way at company HQ in the sunny south.
The company name means candle in Provençal, and all the scents which the candles give off evoke the region (apricot and rosemary, melon and fig, orange blossom, Calisson...).
Besides the scents, their uniqueness comes from the wax: there is no paraffin derived from petroleum – they are 100% vegetable and natural. Even the wicks are made of natural cotton.
There are three visual styles to choose from: glass jars with small snap-on lids, mineral concrete (pictured, 220g/€65), or metallic.
www.loucandeloun.fr
Taste of summer
Auguste Fauchon was born in Calvados in 1856. After working as a street vendor in Paris he eventually opened a fine foods outlet on Place de la Madeleine.
Skip forward to today’s crowded high end épicerie landscape and the Fauchon brand still stands out as a mark of quality French produce. The flagship store was recently revamped into a gastronomic temple.
The company provides a range of fresh and dried or pre-packed foods, with many available to order online, including hampers and gift boxes.
Keep your cool with their ‘Avoid the heatwave’ picnic hamper, featuring a bottle of Bordeaux rosé Enclos de Viaud, black olive tapenade, goat’s cheese and thyme crackers, crab rillettes and crispy toasts, for €50.
www.fauchon.com/en
