There are two weather moods we run into here: (1) perfect, as advertised on the calendars; and (2) as now, days of rain, flown in specially from the British Isles just to remind the many expats who've fled to the Languedoc WHY they've fled to the Languedoc (hoping for a tan, basically). || SO ... every day must have a plan B, the "what intriguing thing shall we do if it's raining" plan. Today: head to Montpellier to shop for clothes. Simone has a special challenge in her career. She works with nonprofit boards. Not infrequently, she runs into a board member, maybe even the chair, who disdains her advice. Organizations like to stock their board ponds with big fish, fat with influence and cash. Big egos and presumptions ride along like rudders. To counter this problem, Simone dresses better than anyone else in the room. Her secret? Buying from French designers hardly ever seen in the U.S. (that, and a trim figure that wears clothes well). On every trip to France, we visit the shops in Montpellier, 45 minutes away. Montpellier isn't Paris, of course; but it's far from provincial. It is the European headquarters for IBM, for instance; and boasts Europe's oldest medical school. It is a bustling, growing, cosmopolitan town known for its major arts festivals. A Paris design house named Zapa has a shop in Montpellier; Simone always finds something(s) striking there. L-r: "going to the city" clothes; the remodeled car park, which tells arriving motorists how many open spaces are on each level; the newsstand where we always buy our International Herald Tribune so I'll have something to read while Simone tries on clothes at Zapa. I have spent many hours on this red velvet bench. Almost across the street is Soleiado, a printed textile firm closely associated with the south of France. Soleiado owns patents to all its motifs, and reintroduces them in its seasonal collection. Simone bought a sun dress in watermelon colors first printed in the 1800s. I have 2 new shirts, a jacket, and 2 ties. Montpellier is holding a dance festival. The opera house thrives. Simone heads with determination toward the car park.
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