French will forever be the magical language of love, a language admired by so many, flowing words from lips of stunning pencil-thin ladies in sweeping cashmere scarfs and big red hats.

Parlez-Vous Fran?ais? Me neither. I was far to busy passing notes to cute boys during French class to actually learn anything. O? sont les toilettes, where is the bathroom, is about the extent of my vocab. However, I do shop in French. Quite well, in fact. From fashion to furniture, perfume to paper products, I can talk about French shopping until your head has hit the table, smack into your foie gras.

There's this shop I found that you're going to simply love. Basic French. With a store in Red Hook NY, and an online marketplace, prepared to be charmed by exquisite gilles dewavrin candles, claire fontaine notebooks, la compagnie de provence linen water, and a lovely collection of housewares and linens. What I like is that the site is easy to navigate, and isn't tightly packed with products which makes it a breeze to get in and get out rather quickly - great for those of us on the go!

Psst: The store owner and ex-New Yorker, Carol, even has a blog documenting her 'other' life in France. It's a great journal, if you have time to read it, click here.

Fresh finds from Basic French, tr?s fantastique!

Since we're speaking French here, let's talk travel for a moment. If if you are
dying for a good read, I highly suggest Almost French, one of my favorite travel books about an outsiders guide to living in Paris, written by Aussie journalist Sarah Turnbull. While on assignment, Sarah falls head over heels with a fabulous French laywer, Fr?d?ric, and makes a dash to reside in the city of lights. Her memoir sheds unexpected light on the paradoxical quirks of French character, highlights how having a pooch is quite the status symbol, and is laugh out loud funny as she describes her head-on collisions with the French. Another great travel story in top ten position on my list is One Year off by David Cohen, a successful businessman from California who sells it all, packs up his wife and 3 young children, and takes a complete tour around the world for one year. It's amazing, especially for times when your soul feels somewhat tortured by the mundane day-to-day. If you want to simply gain more of an education about French fashion, food, and the glam life, pick up a copy of The Essence of Style. For a fun coffee table book in a vintage postcard-style look of black and white, pick up a copy of An American in Paris (see top photo) with photos from celebrity photographer Veronique Vial or simply, Paris (I own this) as seen through the eyes of German photographer Heiko Lanio. So....has anyone been to France? Care to share? Comment! Comment!

(top photo from an american in paris taken by photographer veronique vial. all other photos from basic french.)