kate moss at colette

ready...set....mark your calendars for may 2nd, the arrival date of the kate moss for topshop collection at colette. the collection debarks in london on the 1st, and arrives at colette on the 2nd, the only place in paris where you can buy the goods [and at the same price.] about a hundred items are available, from jeans, to jackets, to bags in kate's glam vintage style of the 70s.

deja vu

usually it is the other way around-- americans copying french style/ trends/ fashion in general. this time around, though, it is the french who are the copycats....two recent new french websites are blatant copies of their american cousines....

Sac Deluxe is a site that specializes in renting the most current Parisian "It bags," owing its concept to the American site Bag, Borrow or Steal. great concept, if you feel the need to be up-to-the-minute in everything you are wearing or for a special soiree.

the other copycat site is Creme du Jour, a faux Daily Candy site. while i'm a big fan of the fun and fresh candy site, i'm not so sure that "creme" gets it right-- the illustrations used on the logo just aren't as good as their counterparts, and the info. is just not quite as on... but the concept is still a great one.

designers expose themselves at printemps

more news from department store printemps....they are inviting top designers to create a 'vitrine' [window display] of their choice-- the window is revealed, and the whole process is taped and shown on french chanel paris premiere. the first guest karl lagerfeld [in photo] showed how the book is omnipresent in his life, surronding himself with livres for his window display.

stop by to check out the following windows being filmed ["tournage"] and/or the paris premiere showing ["diffusion"] of the making-of...

- Paul Smith - tournage le mercredi 28 mars et diffusion le samedi 21 avril
- Rodolphe Ménudier - tournage le mercredi 4 avril et diffusion le samedi 28 avril
- Jean-Charles de Castelbajac - tournage le mercredi 11 avril et diffusion le samedi 5 mai
- Chantal Thomass - tournage le mercredi 18 avril et diffusion le samedi 12 mai
- D squared - tournage le mercredi 25 avril et diffusion le samedi 19 mai
- Isabel Marant - tournage le mercredi 4 avril et diffusion le samedi 26 mai
- Albert Elbaz - tournage le mercredi 30 avril et diffusion le samedi 2 juin
- Antonio Marras - tournage le mercredi 6 juin et diffusion le samedi 9 juin

your mug on a french mag

as part of their 'croissette' [red carpet] theme for the cannes film festival, printemps department store is offering us humble mortals the chance to look and feel like glam stars on the cover of gala magazine-- strike a pose, and leave with your very own magazine cover. who knows, your friends back home might just belive you made it to cannes! every saturday in may from 12pm-6pm, in printemps main store on blvd haussman.

new designer sale in montmartre

up-&-coming designer rosalie de montmatre is showing her new collection this weekend, friday and saturday from 3pm to 8pm, at her atelier, 48 rue de Levis, Paris 17th. stop by and check out the fun summer dresses, and go back to the US with a designer creation that no one else has.

pucci does guerlain

what could be more summery than pucci? if you can't afford to deck yourself out in wild pucci duds, check out the new make-up line by guerlain-- 8 products dressed up in pucci prints, summery, fun, bright and oh-so chic.....starting at just 23 euros.

sous le soleil

it must have been my lucky week-- not only has it been sunny in paris for weeks [!?], but [somewhat coincidentally] i got to try out both of the brances of le soleil in one week. first i checked out the new resto at 135 rue de grenelle in paris, and was enchated by the sunny turquoise and terracotta dining room, delcious amuse-bouche, and yummy mediterranean cuisine. [the huge bucket of fresh salted butter they give you with your bread could be a meal in itself!]

next up was the original resto, on a side street near the puces de st. ouen, which has been hailed by critics for years as the only decent place worth eating at the puces. i have to say that it was much more than decent, utterly delicious, and worth every centime of the 28 or 35 euro lunch menu. the welcome is warm and friendly, as is the spacious dining room, littered with antique-y finds. stopping for a nice glass of savignon and a tasty dejeuner is a great way to think over that vuitton valise you had been eyeing at the flea market....right ron & gay? [and merci again for a lovely lunch!]

sephora studio

with sephoras popping up around paris almost as fast as starbucks, it is nice to have one that offers something en plus....the new sephora studio (79 blvd st germain, 6th) offers tons of services, besides their standard beauty bar fare....body scrubs, spray-on tanning, massage, nail bar, etc. all for very reasonable prices [the 1 1/2 hr shangai surprise massage is 85 euros; spray on tanning is 20 euros]. appointments are required, and only taken up to 48 hours in advance, so all you last minute girly girls out there can get your beauty fix at the last minute.

another hat in the ring.....jovovich at mango

just when you thought nothing in paris was affordable.....yet ANOTHER famous designer doing a line for a chain retailer. this time it is super model-cum-designer milla jovovich [with partner/designer carmen hawk], designing a line of 10 dresses for mango's spring collection. the vintage-inspired frocks go on sale april 15th....and are modeled by model-cum-actress lou doillon, my neighbor here in the bastille area....maybe lou would like to drop by a few dresses in advance?

castelbajac exposes himself

....at the musee de la mode in paris. opening today and on expo until july 29th, jean-charles de castelbajac's first retrospective shows off his preferred themes such as camoflauge, cartoon imagery, and rock stars in a neon toile-lined space. over 40 years of creation are on display in this space entitled 'gallierock,' intended to be a performance/exposition. the bright & energetic display is surely something to see.

lolita lempicka for etam

following the lead of competitor h&m, etam is breaking into designers-for-less market. the lolita lempicka line premieres on april 25th, following in the footsteps of the recent madonna collection at h&m. lingerie and 50s & 60s inspired duds & dresses are expected, so check out the bargains [pieces start at 25 euros] later this month.