when you see the view from the eiffel tower, the paris skyline at dark, then you'll understand that we've travelled too many miles to stay apart

Nothing says Paris like La Tour Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower, to you who can't speak French as sophisticatedly as I ... I only joke, poorly). In movies or television shows where the character runs off to Paris find his or herself (it's usually a gorgeously petite gamine), the Eiffel Tower is always within eyesight. The tower is always the first thing that the heroine sees - she looks up from behind the window of her taxicab, and with just one look from her big doe eyes, her faith in love is restored. So when I first went to Paris at thirteen, I was disappointed when I look out our hotel window and saw a lovely, but Tower-less, view. Finally, after a few days in Paris, my family and I went for lunch at the tower's restaurant. I couldn't find anything on the menu that was meat-free so the chef made a special vegetarian meal for me. Goodness, I've never had vegetables roasted and whipped that were so delicious. I don't know if it was the meal itself, or if it was the wonderful feeling of being in Paris, speaking my broken middle school-French to my fluent parents and waiters, or the fact that the chef had deigned little old me worthy enough for a special meal - but it was probably one of the best meals I had ever had. 

Over the years there have been many thinkers, writers, architects, and the like who have expressed their dislike of the French monument. William Morris once said that he ate a meal in the Eiffel Tower's restaurant everyday because it was the only place in Paris to eat without seeing "that hideous tower." 

While I appreciate the humor of the anecdote, I disagree with it. I belong to the hopeless Romantic group of believers who find something magical there, regardless of how corny and obvious it is. (But we are also the ones who are in our twenties and would still drop every thing at a moment's notice to go to Disneyland). The girlish excitement I feel when I see the Eiffel Tower hasn't waned since I was thirteen. 

Even the TomKat proposal didn't spoil the place for me - actually that may have been the first and only time I ever approved of anything that couple ever did (except for having Suri - apparently Suri is exactly like I was at four-years-old, according to my mother, so I obviously adore the child). 

What has now become a cliche tourist pose was once so charming in the early 20th century

I've already expressed my love of An Education on this site, but I thought the scene where Jenny and David went to Paris was the ultimate

Audrey Hepburn with Fred Astaire, her costar in Funny Face

Many of Audrey's film alter egos live in or travel to Paris. Here she is with her costar from Paris When I Sizzles, William Holden. The previous movie they were in together, Sabrina, Audrey goes to Paris and comes back a new woman

Here are Audrey and William again 

Brigitte Bardot, posing on an overcast and cloudy day with the tower distantly seen in the background 

The gorgeous Dita Von Teese, already familiar with the lushly decadent and gorgeous, poses in perhaps the most lovely photo I've seen in quite a while 

The Eiffel Tower in the rain

Yes, even Gossip Girl has visited the Eiffel Tower. What would a summer in Paris be without Blair Waldorf contemplating life and love with an array of pastries and a clear view of the tower?

Imagine waking up to that view every morning ...

"Eiffel saw his Tower in the form of a serious object, rational, useful; men return it to him in the form of a great baroque dream which quite naturally touches on the borders of the irrational." - Roland Barthes, The Eiffel Tower and Other Mythologies

Francoise Hardy poses on an uncharacteristically vacant morning in the park in front of the tower

Another gorgeous photo of Francoise around Paris

"... The Tower must escape reason. The first condition of this victorious flight is that the Tower be an utterly useless monument." - Roland Barthes

Catherine Deneuve poses for a photo in 1976 for photographer Helmut Newton

A very neat photograph of lightning striking the Eiffel Tower in 1908

A shot from Sylvain Chomet's scene of Paris, Je T'aime in front of the tower

One of my favorite actresses, Romy Schneider 

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon costar in The Great Race (1965)

The Beatles in Paris during their three-week engagement at the Olympia Theatre

"Paris has the Arc, Paris has the dome, Paris has a sense of style you'll never find in Rome. Paris has the springtime sun for every flower, but Paris would not be the same without the Eiffel Tower" - Madeleine, Madeleine at the Eiffel Tower

"I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre. I haven't seen anything. I don't really care." - Tyra Banks

Don't be like Tyra! 

Dress Like a Cupcake Should Feel

I love this mantra, created by UK illustrator Hennie Haworth. When I think of dressing like a cupcake, I think of dressing like I was six years old again, pretending I was Eloise at the Plaza or Grace Kelly on the French Riviera. Flirty dresses with full skirts in shades of pink, lavender, yellow, and cream - made even better by layers of crinoline underneath. Hair that looks like frosting, decorated with pink streaks, glitter, feathers, or bows. Lace, silk, satin, and sparkle! The look should be romantic and innocent. The idea should be to live inside of a 1950s movie, I personally have always wanted to live in an Audrey Hepburn movie. For Audrey, the answer is always to go to Paris and reinvent herself. Or to buy a new Givenchy dress.

Never say no to champagne before breakfast, chocolate-covered strawberries for lunch, or macaroons for dinner, and always keep room for dessert. Wear shoes because they look delicious with frilly ankle socks; not just high heels, but sparkly oxfords and pink marabou mules. Sit in front of a vanity mirror for hours and primp while listening to your best girl friends Eartha Kitt, Julie London, and Peggy Lee on vinyl. Buy perfume with bottles or names that excite you. Names that come to mind are Lolita Lempicka, Pink Sugar (how delish does that sound?), Dolly Girl, Princess, Blush, Daisy, Maybe Baby.

Here are some images that inspire me to indulge my inner cupcake:

An image from the endlessly inspiring Miss Dior Cherie campaign, helmed by Sofia Coppola and photographed by Tim Walker. Imagine running around Paris, popping into Dior and Ladurée, all while Brigitte Bardot's "Moi Je Joue" plays in the background.

Another Sofia Coppola project, Marie Antoinette, was described by the director as "the essence of Marie Antoinette's spirit ... She was in a total silk and cake world." In the memory of the Queen of France, I say, Let Them Eat Cupcakes!

The real-life "California Gurl" Katy Perry looks cotton candy-licious with a lavender wig and glittery and glowing skin.

Nothing says girlie quite like a ruffly dress with a heart-shaped back.

Holly Golightly knew that a tiara was the perfect way to add a little icing on top of an outfit.

Ruffle perfection! Actresses Mia Wasikowska, Amanda Seyfried, and Rebecca Hall look lovely in layered chiffon numbers in Vanity Fair.

When tired of prancing through the streets of Paris, a true Miss Dior Cherie knows to catch a ride from a group of balloons.

Design label Ban.do is excellent at designing delicious headwear that is sure to satisfy your sartorial sweet tooth.

Michelle Williams is every inch a pixie princess in delicate lace and rhinestone hair accessories.

An over-the-top mix of stripes, polka dots, and every color in the rainbow is a great way to channel your inner cupcake.

Vogue Korea shows us how the modern-day Alice would look at a Wonderland tea party.

Style maven Susie Bubble takes a cue from raspberry macaroons.

In the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, the designer shows off his confectionary creation.

Dita von Teese dresses like the most luxurious cupcake in the world in an 'outfit' (if you can call it that) of baby pink, glittery rhinestones, and feathers.

Lily Allen is caught in a mod romance in the music video for "The Fear."

In Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, Amy Adams swaths herself in silks, furs, feathers, and satins, focusing on a cheerful color palette of pale pink, Robin's Egg blue, and gold.

Princess Grace Kelly - need I say more?

Kelly Osbourne strikes a pose in a pink dress, accessorizing with sparkly jewels and lavender hair.

Mischa Barton looks like a romantic bohemian adorned with feathers galore.

Beautiful hair hues: baby pink and pale purple.

The Pink Ladies of Grease look like sweet treats in the final scene of the film.

When I hit retirement age, I hope I am one-eighth as cool as the pastel-toned ladies of Juicy Couture.

Amanda Seyfried looks darling in Miu Miu platforms (which I Die for) and a ballerina sweater.

Ann-Margret looks the polar opposite of the sex kitten she would become as she stars in Bye Bye Birdie as sweet-as-apple-pie teenager Kim MacAfee.

One of my favorite Vanity Fair covers featured the young starlets of Hollywood in retro-inspired outfits of a pastel palette.

Another image from Miss Dior Cherie finds our heroine in a bakery. How perfect to look at cupcakes while dressed like one!

Zooey Deschanel - a quirky cupcake in a dreamy creation by fairy tale enthusiast Erin Fetherston.

Doris Day knows better than to match her outfit to her pups - she matches her dogs to her outfit!

Gossip Girl's Blair (Leighton Meester) and Serena (Blake Lively) are the ultimate dream team in scruptious outfits perfect for strolling the Parisian streets.

Betsey Johnson, a wild cupcake if there ever was one, rechannels Eloise at the Plaza to include zebra rugs and hot pink boas.

So delightful you could just eat her up! Amy Adams gets smooched on the set of the Vanity Fair cover photo shoot.

Well-hearsed in the stories of princesses (from The Princess Diaries to Ella Enchanted), Anne Hathaway looks every bit a princess at the Met Ball.

What better way to channel your inner cupcake than to accessorize with large curls, oversized glittery sunnies, and pink flowers in your hair?

When the option to wear flowers in your hair is no longer available, feather headdresses in pastel hues is a more-that-suitable second option.

Grace Kelly looks sweet as a treat in her beach get-up in To Catch a Thief.

I cannot get over how delish Debbie Reynolds looks in this fab outfit in Singin' In The Rain.

Channeling Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face is a near impossible task, but when paired with a handful of pink balloons, it's easy to get in the mood to strike a pose.

I'm more than a bit obsessed with Miu Miu's newest collection, a gathering of pinks, whites, rhinestones, printed birds, and prairie-style shoulders. This would be my dream cupcake wardrobe.

I love this vintage-y photo of a group of gals in these delightfully delicious swim caps with bright lipstick and eye shadow to match.

Another image from Miss Dior Cherie. A girl can't help but be inspired by the sweet indulgence.

I think the important thing is to seek the sweetness of a cupcake everyday, and, if you can manage it, in everything. Life is much more fun to look at it through rose-tinted glasses, no?