this weekend-- 'design' flea market

the 16th 'edition' of the puces du design [design flea market] takes place this weekend, june 1st-3rd. this time the sale will take place in a new venue--along the river at the quai de la loire in the 19th. three full days to stop by and browse the vintage furniture and home deco finds, alongside some new vendors that specialize in vintage fashion, from the 40s to the 80s. click here for the map/directions. happy treasure hunting!

atelier de parfum at guerlain

if you have always wanted your own French fragrance-- here is your chance. the guerlain boutique on the champs elysees now offers an upclose look at guerlain perfumes. the so called 'atelier de parfumerie' takes place one friday a month. a 'nose' from the venerable perfume house will talk about the house's perfumes, how perfume is made, etc. you get to leave witha mini bottle of perfume. 180 euros for the day, including lunch. call 01.45.62.52.57 for more info.

i want to ride my bicyclette

Velib, Paris' super cheap new rent-a-bike service, will be up and running [or rolling?] later this summer....read on for the scoop:

- bikes can be rented in any of the 1000 stations scattered throughout the city [with over 14,000 bikes available]; bike stations will be near metros for easy access
- prices start at just 1 euros for a day's rental, to 5 euros for a week and 29 euros for a year; you can simply pay by credit card at one of the bike pick-up stations, or beforehand online on the Velib website
- the 3-speed bikes are equiped with a handy basket, adjustable seats, a locking system with key, and lights

The service seems to be aimed more at locals than at tourists, as the site is only in French....but hopefully they'll expand as the project grows -- by the end of the year, there should be over 20,000 bikes available! A great [and green] way to see Paris.

chic chanel book

famed french publishing house assouline has just published a gorgeous 3-volume book set on legendary fashion house chanel. the leather bound set is made to look like chanel's famous quilted 2 55 bag... and it is the chic-est coffee table book that i've seen in a while. [although at 495 euros, you might pay more for it than you do for your coffee table!] another good excuse to visit the assouline boutique, just to take a peek if nothing else....

parcours st. germain

if you don't know the st. germain area well, this is a great way to become acquainted with the artsy, fashionable left bank. the yearly event parcours saint germain [st. germain contemporary art tour] takes place from may 24 to july 19. this years theme is is "sweet'art," and art is on display in the chic boutiques of the neighborhood (lacroix, paule ka, armani, etc.). sweet treats to see, to eat, to drink are on display-- showing how we use food as a way of expression in other ways than in the kitchen. check out the website, print yourself a map, and let your eyes do the feasting!

treat yourself [or your maman]

just in time for french mother's day [fete des meres, june 3rd], guerlain announces another special treat-- on saturday, june 2nd, they will engrave [for free] your initials or other saying on any perfume purchased. so chic!

seeing red [or just eating it?]

from the souffle resto to fondue to crepes, and everything in between, you can find any sort of cuisine you are looking for in paris. the newest to pique our interest is the rouge saint-honore, a resto that specializes in tomatoes. menu items include a terrine of goat cheese with sundried tomatoes, pasta with green tomato sauce, and a dessert with a liquorice-tomato sauce-- you guessed it, the tomato is incorporated into every dish. vive la tomate!

french lover....buy yours today

ok, just admit it-- you've always wanted one, now here is your chance--well, your chance to have the perfume version, anyway. and who knows, it might just attract the real thing. check out the new fragrance by perfume "editor" frederic malle, the fashionistas secret perfume source, and don't blame me if you have a trail of frenchies sniffing in your wake.

courson- a chic day trip

le domaine de courson, 35km outside of paris, is the home to a lovely chateau and a famous plant show-- this year, the journee des plantes celebrates its 25th year with the architectural plant. stop by from may 18-20th to buy some lovely leaves [if you have somewhere local to plant them!], saveur gardening a la francaise, or pick up some oh-so-chic gardening tools and accessories.

l'art contemporain

magda danysz art gallery, which has been in paris since 1999, has just moved to a bigger, industrial space near the bastille. stop by the check out the 3 levels of work by up-and-coming artists or check out the website for upcoming events and children's workshops.

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.