Despite the flamboyant vibe the city has to offer almost all year round, Paris has made a change for the better when it comes to getting around town. Skip the traffic jams, grab a bike via the UBER app and off you go.
The new, partially greened quays along the Seine are free of cars and polluted air. You can get from Le Marais to Trocadero in 20 minutes.
We were lucky with the weather and saw more than we expected in just 48 hours, there was plenty of free time between meetings to enjoy a coffee or visit a gallery, and we felt super toned while getting in our daily exercise 😉
ANATOMICA
If you love classic menswear and craftsmanship, this is your shop. At first glance, you may wonder what is so special about it, but at second glance, you will appreciate the high quality, the sense of colour and the style driven by founder Pierre Fournier. It is classic menswear where comfort and function (being ‘anatomical’) work together and where I find knits and jackets for myself that take the chi chi out of a floral dress.
In the beginning only on the web and now also with a brick and mortar gallery in St Germain. If you like artisanal ceramics, this is your place, beautifully staged by founder Rémi Bracquemond.
LES MARCHÉS DES ENFANTS ROUGE
One of my favourite things to do in Paris, shopping for food to take home selected delicacies. One of the oldest markets in the city, in Le Marais, is Les Marchés des enfants rouge. Have your cheeses vacuum sealed and you will be safe when travelling with hand luggage.
Yes, I do not like the well-marketed museum that attracts everyone and leaves no creative thought, but enter 30 avenue Montaigne, where the Dior myth was born 75 years ago! You will be overwhelmed by the discovery of this landmark in the history of fashion. After your journey through the world of Dior, you will be ready for a delicious snack at the museum’s restaurant, Monsieur Dior.
Samuel Mazy, the ceramic artist behind this cabinet of curiosities, draws his creativity from the tradition of the Fleuriste porcelain-makers, who were supported by Madame Pomadour in producing bagatelles in Sévres porcelain for the court at Versailles. Today you can have any flower reproduced in fine porcelain, which becomes a work of art.
As a tribute to Azzedine Alaïa’s love of books and artists, the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation has opened a bookshop in the courtyard of 18 rue de la Verrerie, the house where he lived and worked and where he chose to set up the Foundation. Well curated if you are looking for a unique book on art, fashion and photography.
A family glove factory founded in 1924 in Millau, Aveyron, France. For many generations they have been known for their handmade gloves and leather gods. You will find unusual designs that will make the glove your favourite accessory.
Jitensha means bicycle in Japanese. It’s deeply ingrained in the culture and lifestyle of Tokyo, and now Paris, where the simple, yet elegantly designed bare bikes are truly functional and have a sense of simplicity. You’ll find everything to match your bike, from helmets to cool bike stands.
Star designer and restaurateur Shinichiro Ogata, who has already won plaudits for his Tokyo establishments (including the exceptional Yakumo Saryo), has now set up shop in Paris, at the Hôtel particulier in the heart of the Marais district, which he has transformed into a vast lifestyle temple, meticulously designed with a fantastic atrium (walls whitewashed with shikkui plaster, a boutique selling ceramics and pastries, a secret bar upstairs, and a restaurant with lots of wood and concrete). All details not to be missed if you want to escape to Japan in Paris.
Hermès has a creative workshop in its Paris boutique on the Rue de Sèvres.
Here, artisans and designers are given “carte blanche” to conceive and create new objects using the label’s offcuts, giving them a second life.
Materials such as leather, silk, porcelain, gold, silver, crystal or horsehair are used and transformed into unique pieces without losing their history and heritage.