“No matter how serious life gets, you still gotta have that one person you can be completely stupid with…”
Île de la Cité, Paris June 2012
I was walking in the streets of Paris for hours yesterday with my sister. She came from Tel Aviv and I came from New York to celebrate my Birthday here, in Paris. It was quite a last-minute-plan that worked out very well like a last-minute-plan can work out. My sister hasn’t been to Paris for a while and I am here for a shoot (and I don’t need an excuse to go to Paris) so the timing was perfect for both of us.
Talking about timing. Today I am celebrating my Birthday. And I think the sentence attached to this image, describes very well the essence of an Age. or Aging. or an Attitude towards life. Being able to laugh at yourself from time to time or allowing yourself to be silly or stupid, can be a great thing.
Talking about timing. What makes a photograph to a good one, is timing as well. We were walking in the area of Île de la Cité, right about to cross to the Notre Dame de Paris, when we saw this clown with the aquarium on his head. I wasn’t really impressed or paying attention as I saw him already in my previous visit to Paris but my sister got quite curious so she stood there to look at him.
When I turned my head back to call my sister to join me, I saw this kid. The way these two were interacting was amazingly funny, naive and so….pure. I couldn’t help myself and I took these pictures.
When I first read Lindsey’s blog Lost in Cheeseland I couldn’t help but thinking how exciting her life is. Falling in love with a French guy and living in Paris as an expat can be both exciting and challenging. Nevertheless, living in Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world, is a rewarding experience onto itself. When Lindsey asked me to guest post, obviously I couldn’t say no. I didn’t even have to think twice and already had in mind what I was going to write about. The only thing I didn’t know was that by the time the post would be up, I would be on my way to Paris for the 6th time.
One of my closest friends tends to measure her Birthday and the year that passed by the number of places she has visited and the number of people she fell in love with. In other words, a good year for her will be a year well travelled (to some new destinations) and a year she has experienced love or fell in love at least once. When she shared with me this information, I smiled and paused for a second but just because I had to think about her great idea and evaluate my past year according to her standards; Love and new destinations.
Looking back at where I was and what I did and how I celebrated my previous Birthday and having a check point to where I am at now (few days before my birthday) I must admit I have covered quite much of the plan. Yes, I’ve been traveling quite a lot for work or to catch up with family and friends and I met some interesting people.
Last year on my Birthday I packed my camera bag and another Gemini friend (Sharyn) and we went to Nassau, the Bahamas. We both wanted to escape New York for a while. We didn’t want to deal with velvet ropes or high priced drinks as we did in previous years on our Birthdays. Obviously the Bahamas was a great escape, even though I experienced a semi-Tornado storm on the day of my Birthday for the first time in my life.
On the day of our Birthdays we both wrote our goals for the next coming year (sort of a habit we keep). I think Sharyn wrote hers on a piece of paper and shoved it in a beer bottle and then she threw it to the water. I wrote mine on the back of a Murakami’s book I was reading back then. Whereas I am not sure how much did Sharyn complete her list, I think I covered almost 60% of mine.
*sigh*
It has been an exciting year for sure, and even though 60% of my goals were covered, I’ve managed to achieve some extra new ones I didn’t plan before;
I have traveled to some new destinations and came across different and various cultures. I made some new friends. I might even lost some. I tasted new kinds of food I would never imagine I try, not to mention where I found it. I learned how to translate my thoughts and ideas into pictures and words. I struggled with lighting equipment. I started to like negative space. I met and photographed famous people. I got nervous before doing that. I tried to decide what should be in focus. I took blurry pictures. I probably bad worded something up. I got confused more than once because of a guy. I considered getting off facebook few times. I finally gave in to Twitter. I found my name printed in some global websites and magazines. That was exciting! I got impatient so many times. I fell few times while running. I tried to be courageous. I talked to myself while taking the Subway. I took a 24 hour flight (almost non stop). I took a night train all the way from Hanoi to Sapa just to realize there was too much fog for a shoot. I took the midnight train back at the same day. I left my camera bag in the middle of a Starbucks in Tokyo. I watched a lot of French movies. I searched mostly for natural light. I took pictures of the interiors of other peoples homes and actually kind of liked it. I had some second thoughts regarding my unconventional life. I tried to forgive and forget. I had days based on coffee and dark chocolate. I tend to say YES to opportunities that came across and I freaked out when time was moving too fast.
And even though I feel I was quite slow paced the last couple of months, I can’t wait for the new ones to come.
When I visited Paris few months ago on March, I got into a launch party of a new perfume store, Jovoy. I took some pictures and briefly interviewed François Henin, the owner. You can read about it more in my post. The brief article about Jovoy is now featured in the lifestyle and cosmetic section of Shamenet Magazine in Israel, May Issue.
You set the dates, you purchased flight tickets, maybe you also saved some frequent flyer milages, just in case. You wrote your ‘to do’ lists, your ‘where to eat’ and ‘what to buy’ lists and you told the whole World that you are going to Paris. Paris, in spite of all the cliches, is still the most romantic city in the world. If this is your first time in The City of Lights than this post is not for you (yet) and I suggest you bookmark it and read it for your next time. If this is your second or third time in Paris, then this short Design Scene Guide is for you. This following post is dedicated to those who like design and love to spice up their lives with some style. For those who want to know the City of Light a little bit different. You will not find here the Tour Eiffel, Louvre, Champs Elysees or Montmartre, but you will get a glimpse to some of the stylish stores and places in Paris. This post is for the ‘Advanced Users’ of Paris with a touch of style.
Mama Shelter Hotel, designed and owned by Philippe Starck, is located in the 20th arrondissement. If I didn’t have the exact address, I could easily confuse the facade of the hotel with the cultural center and public library next door. But maybe this is the whole idea of the hotel, which wants to give its guests a homey feeling and a sense of security, or at least a feel of being close to Mama. This is also the reason for the logo of the hotel (mama hen legs) and why the concierge and the staff of the reception are wearing aprons with portraits of Mamas. The hotel was opened three and a half years ago (September 5th, 2008) by the Trigano family who also owns Club Med. The Trigano family has hired Philippe Starck to design the hotel and its concept and later on he became one of the owners himself. The vision was to create a hotel that combines an urban concept with a homey atmosphere, a hotel where the guests come to relax, hence the less central location. There are 172 designed rooms in the hotel, all designed in an urban look with an unfinished grey concrete wall. The highlight of the design is the plastic masks that serve as reading lamps next to the beds. The masks were purchased by Starck as there was no budget left for ‘real’ reading lamps. With time, the masks became very popular among the guests who tend to take pictures of themselves wearing these masks. There are two bars and a Pizza bar by the well known chef Alain Sendernes, an outdoor terrace that serves Brunch and a BBQ on the roof in the summer. The design of the main bar space is eclectic and combines long common tables and colored stripped sofas with the portraits of the mothers.
In the lobby of the hotel you can find a small gift shop to buy some unconventional souvenirs from Paris. The hotel is a great solution for those who already know Paris and want to have a different experience.
Mama Shelter, 109 rue de Bagnolet.
Directions: Get off Alexander Dumas station (line 2) or Gambetta station (line 3)
If you are in the neighborhood, visit Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, which is the largest cemetery of Paris, established in 1804 and look for Oscar Wilde, Honore de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, Camille Pissarro and other well known graves. As the cemetery is located on the high hills of Paris, you can catch a great view of the city, which is highly recommended especially during dusk hours.
Walking on Blvd Beaumarchais, you can find some real Parisian gems. One of them is Merci, a well known chic, ethnical concept store, hidden at the back of a courtyard in number 111 of the Boulevard. At the entrance to the store, there is an old red mini car, which is now serves as the trade mark of the store. It is a three levels store, divided into sections. At the entrance level there is a small cafe with a book store, men clothes collection, perfumes and some little items of decorations, based on a concept the store has in mind. In my latest visit to Merci, the concept was clothes hangers and the entrance level was filled with different kinds of those. In the lower level there is a restaurant with sittings over looking a small flowery patio, selling kitchenware and greenhouse items, and on the second floor you can find women clothing, accessories, vintage and designed furnitures and home accessories. Occasionally, you can find Ives San Lauren’s and Stella McCartney’s items as well as local designers. All the profits of the store go to charity. I highly recommend to dedicate some time and explore every corner of this well designed loft and have a bite of their delicious tart of the day while looking at the greenery outdoors.
Merci, 111 Blvd Beaumarchais.
Directions: Get off Saint Sebastien Froissart station (line .8) and walk on the blvd.
A few steps away from Merci, you can find its kids version at the colorful concept store Bon Ton, which sells kids clothes, shoes and toys. The brand has more stores in the city but this one is a three level high, filled with Kids accessories, decors, clothes and toys with little fitting rooms, playing space and photo booth. Everything is so colorful and every detail is carefully planned. Even the friendly sales women wear colorful clothes that match some of the items. It is definitely friendly store both for kids and their parents.
Bon Ton, 5 Blvd des Filles du Calvarie
Directions: Get off at Filles du Calvarie station (line .8)
Talking about kids, Petit Pan is a wonder of its own. This brand also has a few stores in Paris (in fact, in other locations all over Europe) but the one I’ve visited was at tiny store in the heart of the Latin Quarter at rue du Bac. The brand Petit Pan is known by its colorful fabrics and the little toys and decorations made of paper and bamboo. You can find paper lamps in the shape of fish, flowers, dragons and other animals. Beside the cute and colorful clothes for babies and infants, the store holds lively pillows, little blankets, ribbons and a large variety of rolled fabrics with so many interesting and adorable prints which are hard to choose from. Petit Pan is a great alternative if you are looking for a special gift for a baby or the parents. Everything is so cute and tiny that it will be so easy to carry in your suitcase.
Petit Pan, 95 rue du Bac
Directions: Get off at rue du Bac station (line 12)
One of my favorite streets in Paris is the fashion-chici rue Saint-Honoré. There is a great combination of high-end fashion stores, well dressed and good looking people, well designed cafes and bistros and other unique concept stores, such as Colette (which deserves a post of its own) and Astier de Villatte. Astier de Villatte is well known for its light weight white porcelain plates and dishes, all shown in a big wooden closet at the entrance hall of the store, alongside home perfumes, candles and other colored decorative dishes. It serves as a pilgrimage for porcelain dishes lovers. The store itself is simple and its decoration but the cracking wooden floor gives a sense of an old haunted vintage place.
Astier de Vilatte, 173 rue Saint-Honoré
Directions: Get off Madeleine station (line.8) and walk toward rue Saint-Honoré
Paris is filled with magnificently designed concept stores, and sometimes even in a simple store I visited, I could find something very unique. There is an endless number of boutique hotels, restaurants, bistros, cafes and well designed stores in the City of Light, but the most satisfying thing is to find those you like on your own.
There are those who associate the words ‘Japanese Fashion’ with a Kimono. There are those who would associate the words with Issey Miyake or Yohji Yamamoto, the two well known Japanese fashion designers, and there are those who would come up with the Harajuku Girls phenomena. All associations are true and valid
The Japanese women might be the only ones for whom the world’s most prestigious fashion designers have opened stores in Japan and designed special collections to fit their slim figures and their exquisite taste in Fashion. In the last decade, the number of working women in the age group of 35-45 is only growing stronger, due to the increase in employment opportunities for women and the changes in gender perception. These women are working longer hours, earn more and they want to promote and develop not only their career, but also themselves. They worship everything that has to do with luxury brands and their quality, and they invest a lot of effort, time and money in their appearance. A so-called consumer society.
One of the most influential Fashion companies in Japan, which has a great impact on how the Japanese woman will look, is H.P France. Don’t let the French name fool you; The company was originated in Japan and is now one of the major corporations that imports clothing, shoes, jewelry and fashion accessories of designers from Europe, North and Latin America as well as representing some local Japanese designers.
A brief History: The company was founded in Tokyo in 1984 and opened its first boutique, Lamp in Harajuku. Lamp was a combination of a clothing store and a gallery, showing Art works of young Japanese artists. (This combination was actually the beginning of a concept that combines Art and Fashion together and supports Art projects in various galleries. including the Art gallery in New York and Tokyo under the name HPgrp Gallery). In 1989 the company started working with buyers and fashion designers in France and right after opened an office in Paris, dealing mainly with importing clothes by young designers from France to Japan. A few years later, the company expanded its areas of operations to sell fashion accessories and jewelry and was able to create a buzz among Japanese women.
In 2001 a representative office was opened in New York and the company opened a special department of imported jeans. Among other things, the company began to import brands and young designers clothing from Argentina and Brazil and opened a public relations department to manage its own marketing, which focuses on marketing planning, graphic design, store and window design and maintenance of the company’s Web sites.
H.P France is currently employing approximately 600 employees and represents approximately 40 brands from around the world. It has 54 clothing stores only in Tokyo and additional 34 stores in other areas of Japan, Paris and New York
In addition, H.P. France is responsible for the establishment of a professional guide for manufacturers of fashion and exhibition. It is a great supporter of the Arts and has two galleries (New York and Tokyo) and for the last two years has launched and stood behind Shibuya Fashion Festival, which is the equivalent of Fashion Week in New York, Paris and Milan.
There is a big chance that in one of your subsequent visits to Tokyo, you will come across at least once, one of the 54 stores of H.P France, which are spectacular and inviting. Each boutique has its own unique identity and design. Only the words H.P France below the logo of the store, divulge the origin of the store. Beside the clothing, H.P France has a very popular line of accessories and accessories stores spread across the city. There is also a designated store for the Home, called H.P. Deco, which includes furniture, table ware, pillows, lamps, rugs, you name it.
Fashion Trends: While I was having a guided tour at the company’s headquarters and showroom in Harajuku, where I was walking among countless clothing racks, hangers, and shoes, it felt as discovering a magical treasure of the upcoming Spring-Summer collection, and I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the upcoming Fashion trends: There is no doubt. It is going to be a quite colorful season or as described by one of the staff, ‘there will be many surprises in terms of combinations of colors, and it will not be boring, for sure’
Bold Pastels: There will be a great use of pink, yellow and turquoise blue colors, as well as lilac purple, mandarine orange, light peach and mint green.
Romantic- Modern style: A combination of classic elements such as floral lace, floral prints, fabrics with rounded trims with waves and geometric patterns together. The trend is to wear only one item or one print of bright color or floral print to create maximum performance.
Retro prints: Such as large flowers, geometric shapes, bright colors and airy patterns. Relaxed and fit
Pleats and pleated fabrics: Mostly skirts and dresses and the use of airy fabrics like chiffon or silk
High Waist: Pants or skirts will be waist high or above the waist, causing the small Japanese women to look taller
Gloss and shiny: A combination of one shiny color item to upgrade and complete the look
It is definitely going to be an interesting Spring and Summer season in Tokyo and I can’t wait to take more pictures.
Not that Paris is in shortage of any perfumes stores. On the contrary. There are so many. It seems that every other store, including clothing stores, home decor stores and even patisseries, are having their own line of perfumes.
In Rome act like Romans do and in Paris get perfumed as Parisians. Right?
As much as Paris is packed with perfumes stores, there is always a room for one more; Jovoy Paris, which was opened in Paris at the end of March and focuses on rare, exclusive and limited edition perfumes.
The man who stands behind Jovoy Paris, is the charming perfumer, François Henin, who started his way in Vietnam. His mission was to explore the natural olfactive riches of Vietnam and to set up a pilot distillation factory on the Chinese border. He traveled through Asia for four years, selling flavors, fragrances and raw materials to local businesses. On 2010 he returned to Paris with a project in mind: to acquire a forgotten perfume house in order to present beautiful, rare and limited edition fragrances. That was the first Jovoy perfumery he opened in Paris. The success was immediate and the Parisian women ran to the store. After all, who doesn’t want to smell a bit different than others?
It happened that I visited the new Jovoy’s location in rue de Castiglione the day of its grand opening and lucky me, the charming François Henin himself was walking around, explaining about Jovoy’s concept and told me some stories and anecdotes behind some of the perfumes. ‘Rare perfumes are usually small houses run by a perfumer, who is committed to using raw materials that are noble, natural and sometimes exclusive. They don’t have high sales targets but they resonate with consumers who really know and love perfumes, as well as those who are quite disappointed with the ‘muse’- oriented fragrances, that are the product of a too-wide distribution’
Aside from the wide selection, which is both original and quality-minded, I love the way Jovoy features its perfumes. Whereas in traditional shops the saleswoman is spraying the perfume on a smelling paper (and what you smell is actually the alcohol that ‘burns’ the nose), Jovoy uses glass domes to cover the little brown tester bottles, in order to capture the perfume’s true scent. It is actually allowing the customers to get a better idea of the fragrance’s real scent without the inconveniences of the alcohol.
But beside the little domes, the colorful perfumes bottles and obviously, the heavenly scents, I also love the way the new space is designed; The red walls, the warm colored shelves in the middle of the store, where costumers could pass both sides and the vintage touch of some of the displayed tables, gave Jovoy a very Parisian chic, yet conceptual high-class store.
The French are well known for their delicate baguettes, the rich-with-butter croissants and for the sweet and colorful macaroons. The macaroons or in french ‘le macaron’, are small round meringue like cookies, made of sugar and eggs, stuffed with light cream or crushed almond cream. There are endless bakeries in Paris and so many patisseries that sell and serve macaroons but my favorite one was Ladurée, which became a prestigious brand name for macaroons. The history of the Ladurée brand goes back to 1862, when Louis Ernest Laduree, a miller from the southwest of France opened a bakery at 16 Rue Royale in Paris. At the same time, the area around the Madeleine was gradually becoming a central, cultural and prestigious thanks to the Garnier Opera’s developments. Ernest Ladurée’s wife, Jeanne Souchard, who was the daughter of a well-known hotelier, came up with the idea of combining a Literary salon for women with a Parisian café and pastry shop. The result was the first tea salons in town and “salon de thé” which had a definite advantage over other cafés, as these kinds of salons permitted ladies to gather in freedom. Jeanne Souchard succeeded in combining the turn-of-the-century trend to modernism. The tea room was enlarged in 1930 by a family member of Louis Ernest Ladurée, who gradually made it into a ‘Maison’ and a well known Parisian institution. In 1993 the Ladurée brand was bought by the Holder Group, which extended the business and opened a new prestigious Ladurée (both a restaurant and tea room) on the Champs-Elysées. The mission of the Holder Group was to bring back the great classics, which have contributed to the reputation of this ‘salon de thé’, as well as create an environment for gastronomic creativity in Paris. With time, Ladurée became a tea salon, pastry shop and extended its products to other colorful desserts, home fragrances, candles, stationary products, all are painted in pastel colors as of the macaroons. My most visited Ladurée was the one on 21 Rue Boneparte, a cute cornered patisserie with a colorful magical and tempting gift shop next door.
My first visit to Paris was actually a mad chase after all the touristic attractions and the ‘must-see’, ‘must-go’, ‘must-do’ places: I saw the Tour Eiffel sparkling at night, walked along the Champs-Élysées, all the way to Arc de Triomphe , climbed the steep streets of the Montmartre and sighed when I saw the beauty of the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. I paid a visit to the old cemetery of Montparnasse and looked for Jean Paul Sartre and Samuel Beckett’s graves. I Photographed the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, along with hundreds of people, searched for the old synagogue in Le Marais and drank coffee in the famous Café de Flore in Boulevard Saint-Germain. I visited Centre Pompidou and for shopping I went to Gallery Lafayette. If this was not enough, I also French kissed while looking over the Notre Dame.
All of this happened twelve years ago, when I visited Paris by myself for the first time and indulged myself in the touristic Parisian days and night. I was a student on summer break. What did I know….
But my second and third visits to Paris were completely different. I was already a ‘well-travelled’ person who is more curious about how the locals live than how the tourists spend their days and I did so many other things. I called these visit ‘Paris for the Advanced Users’. Paris for the Advanced Users is for those who had already been to Paris at least once — and for those who prefer discovering a city while taking the side streets and not following the touristic path.
If you are an advance user, or want to be one, here are few places worth checking.
La Butte aux Cailles: A small Parisian neighborhood, located on the hills of the 13th Arrondissement. The neighborhood was originally a fenced village outside Paris that was annexed to the city in 1860. It is characterized by mostly small, low-rise buildings in an Art Nouveau style, similar to the traditional buildings in northern France and Russia.
Some of the buildings have small courtyards, which are open to the public during daylight hours and locked after dark. The uniqueness of this neighborhood is characterized by its narrow streets and cobblestone roads around small squares, which once served as a central meeting place in the village. In Place Paul Verlaine you can find an active and natural spring water source; you can even drink from it and it also serves as a natural source of water to the other fountains in the neighborhood’s courtyards. The neighborhood that once was inhabited by working-class people, has now become extremely popular among young artists, and it attracts wealthy residents who appreciate the charm and the artistic non-metropolitan atmosphere of the place. If you are not looking for touristic attractions, then this is the place for you.
You should visit the neighborhood in the afternoon, walk around the galleries and the courtyards and end your evening at a local restaurant bustling with Parisians of all ages, and where waiters don’t know a word of English.
Directions: Get off the Metro line 6 at Corvisart and go up the Rue des Cinq Diamants until getting to the heart of the neighborhood at Rue de la Butte aux Cailles.
BNF: Bibliothèque Nationale de France: The National Library of France is located in Tolbiac area in the 13th Arrondissement as well. It is considered the largest and most important library in France. The original location was in Rue de Richelie in the 2nd Arrondissement from 1720 until it was moved to the current site, (also called the Francois Mitterrand site) in 1996. Mitterrand gave the library a legal status of public institution in 1988 and turned it into one of the most important and advanced libraries in the world.
The site consists of four towers; Tower School, Tower Court, Wind Tower and Tower Time, and its architecture resembles a book holder and — when seen from above — it resembles an open book. The quantity of the books is immense; 10 million documents and writings, spread over an area of over 420 miles of bookshelves. Visiting the library is both an architectural and intellectual experience. It is worth paying the fee to get into the reading rooms and see the interior of the building. The site is even more spectacular and impressive in the evening, when the buildings are lit up.
Directions: Get off the Metro line 14 at Bibliotheque Fr . Mitterrand.
Place de la Nation: A square, situated on the border between the 11th and the 12 Arrondissements, has a great monument of Marion, one of the national symbols of the French Republic, as she stands on the globe in a carriage drawn by lions. The monument, which symbolizes the triumph of the Republic, was established to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The adjacent streets will lead you to a colorful area with walls covered in frequently changing graffiti.
Directions: Get off the Metro line 6 at Nation.
Ecole Nationale supérieure des Beaux Arts: The National Superior School of Art, also called ‘The Bazar of Paris’, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious schools for art. It is located on rue Bonaparte, in the middle of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, which is filled with art galleries, furniture stores and interior design studios. There is no better place for the school to be located; if the students ever need an inspiration, they can always cross the Seine and head straight to the Louvre.
The school was established in 1648 and includes a complex of four buildings around a courtyard patio dotted with sculptures. Although the school entrance is reserved for students and faculty members only, you can get an organized tour with a guide from the school on Mondays. It is a great and fascinating way to absorb art that’s a little bit different than going to a museum.
Directions: Get off the Metro line 12 at Rue du Bac and continue until you get to Rue de L’ Universite. Turn right until you reach the intersection of Rue Bonaparte. Entrance is at number 14.
Canal Saint Martin: Canal Saint Martin is a combination of the old Paris and the new one. There are many little cafe’s along the canal next to small boutiques and local galleries. In sunny days you can find the local Parisians rolling up their sleeves or pants and getting a sun tan on the sidewalks while having lunch outdoors. The canal was carved out between 1822 and 1825 at the request of Napoleon the first, to provide the people of Paris with drinking water. With time, this canal has become one of the most romantic spots in the city, with planted banks and narrow foot bridges that might remind you how Paris used to be. Don’t miss Pâtisserie de l’Eglise Demoncy, an old pâtisserie opened in 1887, which served few Parisians generations with chocolates, Éclairs and tartlets.
Directions: Get off the Metro line 5, 9, 11 at Republique or 4, 5, 7 at Gare de Lest.
More places worth visiting:
Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation: A must for those who love photography. Apart from Cartier-Bresson’s exhibit, there are three different changing exhibits throughout the year.
Museum Nissim de Komondo: One of the most luxurious private houses of the early 20th century, it belonged to a Parisian banker who was an avid collector of furniture and artifacts from the 19th century.
Cite Internationale Universitaire: Residence of foreign students, who come to study in Paris, from over 140 countries. Sometimes the dorms are more interesting than the class halls.
