Fashion Quote of the Day
Shopping Tour Guides
French Holiday Recipes 
IT DOESN’T FIT….
No kidding…unless you are buying your clothes “sur mesure” or you are the universal clone size, some clothes that would be otherwise absolutely stunning won’t be without a tuck here, a dart there or some alteration.
Every designer and every woman who appreciates style knows not to underestimate the value of a good tailor.
REALLY, all kidding and cliché’s aside, I recently went shopping with my mother, yes mother. She tried on both a leather blazer and a suit that were nice but I was less than impressed…until she let the tailor (this store had one on site) take a look.
The result was transforming…. both to her appearance and my perspective. I never imagined the difference a few minor alterations could make, let alone the value of a timeless piece that becomes a style chameleon with an accessory or make up change.
In the photo she is wearing the blazer and the pants from the suit with one of our flea market treasures…. a Dries Van Noten scarf.
I am now a convert and from now on my “prêt a porter” finds will selectively come under the tailor’s scrutiny for that little extra transforming je ne sais quoi.
As to the accessory magic, more to come on that one…. stay tuned!
Paris Is Always A Good IdeaI love Audrey Hepburn and the way she wore a little black dress and made it one of the most iconic fashion staples of the twentieth century. It is still a timeless wardrobe essential. Although you can trace the mystique of this little chameleon to the 1920’s and Coco Chanel and a more pragmatic direction through the 60’s... to Dior’s more dangerous appeal, it wasn’t until Ms. Hepburn wore it in Breakfast at Tiffany’s that the LBD came into it’s own.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my go to movies….whether I’m sad, frustrated, in a great mood, looking for inspiration, fashion or otherwise, it just works for me.
Not surprisingly, I love little black dresses too. I have my everyday little black dress, my special occasion little black dress, the get out of my way little black dress, the maybe so maybe not so innocent little one….it goes on for a while. Parisian women have learned how to take the LBD and spin it for all occasions. I’ve taken a lesson from them and from one of my favorite actresses and done the same.
So ladies, I began this little entry with one of her quotes and will end it with one as well….
“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”
Paris Jewelry
Buyer Beware
I am getting ready for my next visit to Paris, HOORAY! I am also shopping here at home for an upcoming formal event…because clearly I need more clothes...
Just as you have to know where you are shopping and what you are buying when you are in Paris, I learned that the same thing applies here in the good old USA when bargain hunting.
I just recently bought a beautiful pair of designer jeans at TJ’s… the price tag said $59.98 and the retail price was over 200 bucks… SCORE. I looked even closer and saw the actual tag was still on the pants… wait for it… 375 dollars, DOUBLE SCORE! Great bargain!
I continued on and looked at some D&G items, $599... original suggested retail price over $800, at first glance it looks like this is yet, another great deal! But wait...what's this...the actual label price was 450 euro...well how many dollars is that? About $633.. that my friends is NOT such a great bargain, only 34 dollars off, no thank you! They tricked me!!
Moral of the story- when shopping, ALWAYS look, try, and ask before you buy, no matter where you are! TJ’s new runway section is great IF you know what you are doing…
The Perfect Paris Purse
Private Shopping Tours
If you are looking for a personalized tour please contact us directly. Do a self guided tour that we put together specifically for your needs, a guided tour with one of our unique shopping tour guides, or have your tour chauffeured with one of our English speaking drivers. Shop for clothes, chocolates, linens, jewelry, vintage, whatever makes you happy! We even offer an opportunity to have jewelry created just for you! Why wait… contact us now!
Paris Flea Markets
Paris Flea Markets are a different animal.
Many of the flea markets here in the states are simply cheap prices and hit or miss items. You could go one week and find exactly what you were looking for and then go back the next and not find a single thing. So of course when the suggestion of Paris flea markets came up on my last trip, I had my reservations.
I had visited several markets in Paris in the past and was really turned off by the hawkers and frankly, tacky items… I’ve already been thoroughly disappointed each time. I know what to expect- a million people running around like chickens with their heads cut off while vendors shove items down your throat. Not my idea of a good time. I was ASSURED that this time would be different if I just let her take the lead. Sure, why not.
We arrive, zoom past the normal chaos of the front markets and land ourselves in a completely different area. Side street upon side street of dazzling items, room to walk, vendors catering to people IN actual stores, not those running past them. Alas I can actually see 10 feet in front of me! Little cafes, crepes, ICE CREAM… hmm I could get used to this.
We start with tapestries, not my thing, but the owners are so pleasant and the prices are great! Clearly, my mother and her interior decorator side are in heaven. I wait patiently, fantasizing about the possibility of things I might find, then stop myself, don’t get your hopes up, you don’t want to be let down again! We leave, smiles on both our faces, obviously for different reasons at this point.
I am overwhelmed by what I see, what I want, and the array of items calling my name! Then I see it…a 1950’s green, fur hood, aviator bomber jacket, the real McCoy… I’m intrigued. I slip it on and it fits perfectly. I stare into the mirror and am in awe at what looks back at me, this is beautiful, unique, classic, and it FITS! My smile now stretches from ear to ear, we look at the price tag and it’s… wait for it….REASONABLE… it’s decided we must get it! First purchase and I am beyond ecstatic.
We continue on…vintage Hermes ties, one of a kind Chanel pieces not only no longer made, but barely a handful ever sold, one of a kind Goyard bags, unique furniture, men’s, women’s, children’s clothes, paintings, exotic jewelry, china, accessories and more… o my! We spend almost the entire day and at the end of it, I look at my Mother and say… I want to move in.
Lesson learned- never underestimate the flea markets, and never go “unchaperoned” you will end up lost and unsatisfied… take it from me…an experienced shopper.
Paris Chocolate
It’s true, Chocolate is better in Paris. Don’t believe me? Plan your next trip to include a stopover in Paris and experience it for yourself!
So I ask again, how is chocolate BETTER in Paris? Well, I will tell you…imagine biting into the most decadent piece of candy you have ever had melt in your mouth. It’s fresh, exotic, seductive, the magical vapor trail of chocolate decadence drawing you in as soon as you walk into the store. You are overwhelmed by the delicate fragrance, the silky texture of each little pristine morsel beckoning you to try one. No, not factory chocolate, but handmade, piece by piece, by artisanal hands, straight to perfection. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate caramel, chocolate pecans, chocolate and coconut, chocolate and bountiful fruits from faraway places, chocolate with chocolate and more chocolate…oh please, I need a little napkin as my mouth has succumbed to the temptation...
And you can’t just have one… they are my latest petits opiacés. Your hand glides toward that box, over and over; Oops, quelle horreur (what a horror)… the package is empty! Where can I get more!!
Of course there are chocolate shops everywhere in Paris…some are better than others, but imagine being able to just stop in and purchase hand made chocolate at places dedicated to selling JUST CHOCOLATE, are they trying to make me huge???
La Maison du chocolat, La Mere de Famille, Le Chat Bleu….Michel Ch….no he is my secret hero. You will have to find him on your own. Take it from me, I turned a non chocolate lover, I know how can this be, into a chocolate guru after just ONE visit… so go ahead, I dare you… try some!
Paris In July
Paris in July! Sales, picnics, lovers strolling hand in hand, people watching, kir royal (my favorite drink!) and fireworks!! We’ll skip past the lovers right now; that's a whole other blog.
Paris in July is so full of life, I could barely wait to drop my suitcase and head for the boulangerie. Diet be damned; I ate my way through croissants, crepes and crème brulee, naming only a few of course. The chocolate opportunities are endless.
Eating in Paris for me is as sensual an experience as shopping: each little morsel to be savored. I don’t know how it happens, whether it is that I walk everywhere or calories really don’t count there but my gustatory splurges don’t seem to do much damage. I can’t say the same for the shopping expeditions.
This time, I focused on accessories. Who knew they could add up so fast and at the flea markets, no less. That little Chanel necklace with her signature camellia and the Hermes ties for all the men in my life…calme toi… no scandalous affairs…that Goyard bag that NO ONE else had but me. It’s all worth it. The sales take a strong constitution, experience, and a plan but armed with that, the possibilities are endless…boutiques, department stores, flea markets and street markets. They all have something unique.
Bastille Day (French National Day!) brought a different kind of excitement. Fireworks! I stayed close enough to the Tour Eiffel to walk to a great vantage point to watch the spectacle…and what a spectacle. From the bridge, I with thousands of others craned our necks, oohed and aahed and ate, of course, while the show began and ended with a magical vibe matched only by the colors and spirit of the crowd. Vive la France! And vive French food and shopping!
A la prochaine…
My First Trip To Paris
I was 11 years old when I first visited Paris. We took the trip during the Holiday season and I was hesitant about being away from home for Christmas. How would Santa find us? How would we get our presents? And most importantly what if they didn’t have the right kind of cookies to leave for the reindeer? I was assured that Santa would find us and Christmas would be just like at home; however I was not fully convinced.
When I stepped off the plane in Paris for the first time I was overwhelmed: the sounds I heard were beautiful but incomprehensible and next to security guards carrying guns the size of me, well it was a lot to behold! What exactly could they be looking for? It was Christmas. Who could they shoot at Christmas! One of the guards winked at me and somehow managed to squeeze a half laugh three quarter smile out of me. I was reassured that everything would be ok. Still not convinced though.
We got our bags, went through customs, and got into a cab. The cab driver drove wildly out of control; where was he taking us and if he didn’t slow down how would we even get there?? I was beginning to regret agreeing to this trip.
Finally we turned onto a tiny side street and stopped in front of a door. The streets were so unique and narrow as were the buildings and the enormous doors! It was freezing cold and drizzling yet everyone was impeccably dressed. Somehow my brother’s batman cape fluttering in the wind even looked less ridiculous. I felt as if I were in a dream. Everyone and everything moved to a different rhythm... I couldn’t help stopping and trying to take it all in. Maybe I would like this place after all...
I was eager to see what could be behind that gargantuan door in front of us, as I wondered ‘is everything in Paris bigger than life?’ We walked in and I was in awe. The kitchen was in the main room with the bathroom off to one side. There were windows as tall as the sky, which I soon learned was Santa’s Parisian entry. A wooden ladder took us upstairs to the bedroom; it was like a tree house inside!
We left the apartment in search of a tiny Christmas tree. We walked across a bridge that looked over the Isle de France. Everything sparkled. We found a tiny tree…tiny compared to what we would have had at home, but I was too distracted by the incredible little treat, a crepe with nutella, to notice.
As we took our little snow-covered tree back to our home away from home for the holidays, the shopkeeper ran after us screaming incomprehensibly in French. I was frozen in my tracks but my mother was smiling so warmly, I couldn’t help but wonder what in the world was going on. He handed her the most precious handmade ornament for our tree! He took my mom by the shoulders and kissed both her cheeks and then the same for me despite my chocolaty face and wished us a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday in Paris.
At that moment I knew… this was my first visit to Paris but by no means would it be my last. I was touched by the magic of Paris and I still am….
The Je Ne Sais Quoi of Shopping in Paris
The Je ne sais quoi of shopping in Paris…how does one define it.
It is something to be savored like fine wine or that little tiny piece of heavenly chocolate from Michel Chaudun that is better than sinful.
It’s the scarf you take home; you know the vintage Dries van Noten you picked up in the chic 7th, the shop just off Rue Cler. You wear it to the little dinner party you’re throwing for a few friends and associates back home. The table you set is, oh so…French…. layered with the tapestry and antique linens you picked up in Cligancourt (Paris Flea Markets!) and positively glowing in the candlelight from the little candles you picked up in, of all places, Monoprix!! Who knew? Shhhh…. your guests don’t know.
You glide past them, trailing that incredible scarf, leaving a vapor trail of silky dark fragrance; you found that perfume in the salons de palais royal, or did it find you. The bell jars of Serge Lutens. The name alone leaves an impression but not quite like that scent. They are whispering about it and you, as you pour another Kir Royal.
You don’t mind; all but one of those little comments floating behind you is whispered with quiet admiration. It’s hard to decide at this moment whether you are having more fun with the appreciative whispers or that other one….the look that is turning greener with each sip of your new favorite little aperitif. You’re having fun, savoring the moment and remembering. Shopping in Paris: try it and create your own little stir.
