And speaking of lifestyles of the rich and famous ...

Who among us doesn't fancy the idea of being holed up in a French castle (provided you don't have to clean it, that is) and waltzing down the sweeping staircase in Givenchy haute couture. Well, if you are a hop, skip and jump from the Chateau Haroue outside of Paris - perhaps stranded in Europe by volcanic ash - you can now get a taste of what that life might be like.

Hubert de Givenchy has curated an exhibition of forty classic haute couture evening gowns from Cristobal Balenciaga, Phillipe Venet and his own famous label and they'll be available for the public to swoon over from 7th May at the Chateau.

You will be able to examine up close the iconic black evening dress that Holly Golightly wore as she breakfasted at Tiffany's.

And apparently Queen Fabiola of Belgium's Balenciaga designed wedding dress (1960) will also be on display, including the luxe, long and bejewelled veil.

Check out Chateau Haroue's website for more details on its architectural and historical significance. It sounds like the perfect meeting of French architecture and French fashion to me. Now all I need is an air ticket.