WHEN FLOWERS MEET CANDLES OR … IS IT THE OPPOSITE ?!

 

Fantasy world at DYPTIQUE :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dyptique at 34 boulevard Saint Germain. 75005 – PARIS

PEACEFUL PARIS

 

Cool atmosphere … sitting at a café can take hours ! There is so much to say about life !

 

 

The  clear lines of a simple table.

“May I have the menu ?”

One would expect some “Boeuf Bourguignon” with a powerful Gigondas to make it go down the drain !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, obviously not a 3 tier menu but simple fare is best.

 

 

Reading the newspaper at a café…nothing like it. A pure simple moment of bliss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder what those 2 old cows are brooding over ?

 

 

Wish it were my new address !

This “PARIS” all comes from great “ Brown Dress with White Dots”.

http://browndresswithwhitedots.tumblr.com

STREET ART : George Hendrik BREITNER

 

 

Unknown to us all, let’s be honest, George Hendrik BREITNER wasn’t a photographer to say, but …a PAINTER.

See below but stop there otherwise you will think I don’t know my subject !

 

I agree, he is as good a photographer as a painter.

 

Street life, city life right on the spot. Thats why BREITNER used his own photographs to be able to paint ! Any logic in that ? Not to me, stupid blond that I am !

 

Either blurred, either with great contrasts of light, his photographs took the vivid  pulse of the street, in Berlin, Amsterdam or Paris.

 

 

It is quite hard to believe that he was a contemporary of Bonnard, Vuillard and Toulouse-Lautrec, who all seem like dinosaurs compared to such a modern work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very happy to welcome you in PARIS for your 1st retrospective, Sir !

 

At the INSTITUT NEERLANDAIS

121 rue de Lille – 75007 – PARIS

01 53 59 12 40

Until January 12th, 2012.

http://www.institutneerlandais.com

By the way, all of the exhibits shown at the INSTITUT NEERLANDAIS are always of very high quality and interesting and original subjects.

Keep it in mind, somewhere.

WEIRD INVADERS IN THE STREETS OF PARIS

 

SOPHIE-PHOTOGRAPHE has fun in Paris :

Definitely another way of looking at Paris !

 

 

 

No need for a work-shop , right ?

 

 

 

So whenever you’re wandering around, beware not to fall upon such a lizard !

 

http://www.sophie-photographe.com

PHOTO NEWS - Rain, Ice and Night : chilling cocktail !

 

- Still in love with CHRISTOPHE JACROT and his rain :

 

 

Graine d’eau

 

 

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge

 

“ Life is so beautiful under the rain.” : life according to Christophe JACROT.

Bad weather is Christophe’s happiness.  Weird guy ? No, someone who SEES, who FEELS.

 

 

M comme

This time around, Christophe JACROT went to India, Costa Rica, The US and France.

Take your umbrella to

GALERIE DE L’EUROPE

until January 7th, 2012 for a few raindrops.

55 rue de Seine – PARIS 6éme

 

-  from Christophe JACROT's wet and colored  Paris rain to Patrick BLIN’s freezing icy Siberian cold.

Bois et Velours -

Deers in Yagoutia.

 

 

 

- 60° for a Xmas happy hour.

PATRICK BLIN and his snow flakes until January 1st, 2012 at

Galerie BLIN PLUS BLIN

1bis, rue Amaury

78490 Monfort l’Amaury

http://www.blinplusblin.com

 

- And to Stefano CERIO’s dark of night on the ski slopes.

 

 

at La Galerie Italienne until December 12th, 2011

75 rue de la Fontaine au Roi

PARIS 11éme

http://www.galerieitalienne.com

A GEM IN THE 16éme : “ FAN DU 16e “

 

 

 

Have you ever felt badly in need of all the in-the-know info of your own  arrondissement right there, in the palm of your hand, at all times ? Because you’re so hungry you could eat a camel and you really need a restaurant, FAST , or because suddenly you have to HAVE the address of  the best optician as you can hardly see the prices on the tags anymore  ( who cares about that, tell me ? The least of our problems !) ?

 

Well, now, lucky girls and boys of the 16 éme arrondissement, you have your own website and i-phone application :

http://www.fandu16e.fr

and on your i-phone the free application  :

fan-du-16e

 

You will suddenly see your own 16 éme arrondissement differently, bathed in the beautiful sunlight of the pictures and to the sound of the music on your way to discover La Piscine Molitor, or the Pont de Bir-Hakeim with its romantic Ile aux Cygnes.

Detail of Piscine Molitor

 

You will set a different eye on all the golden fleshy ladies elegantly welcoming you on the Trocadero Piazza .

You will discover the charming VILLA PASSY Restaurant hidden away behind a gate at the far end of a village-like  impasse; you are not in Montmartre, but in the 16 éme, believe it or not. The courtyard is all paved, no cars, no pedestrians, just the hush of gentle and cool conversations ; I told you, “A” village !

 

VILLA PASSY RESTAURANT

 

“ The 16éme arrondissement like you’ve never seen it before, come and discover it once more ! ”

In Style

 

 

 

The only problem with long skirts, is that you never get a moment like this one : is it the red sole which plays magic or the little flesh given away ?

 

Long long long long boots. And So so so so so thin.

 

Oh those French, they always seem to be running, no matter how high the heels.

SUPER SELFISH LOVELY DAY !

Day off for me today . And the motto of the day is : SUPER SELFISH  LOVELY DAY !

To start the engine :
- a jogging in the streets of Paris with energetic dance music blasting like crazy in my ears ( it gives you such a frentic pace)
-  starting point TROCADERO with the Eiffel Tower in a saddish greyish  mood ( don't be influenced, keep on running ) :

I won't complain; there are Himalayas and Everests of snow in the US.

Running down to the bottom tip of the gardens then

back again running up the hill on the other side . The water is so tempting !

Then Avenue Georges Mandel and all it's Haussman noble buildings and "hôtels particuliers".

Then to the JARDINS DU RANELAGH where a few palaces overlook the daffodils

From there, between the Boulevard Lannes and rue de la Faisanderie lies a beautiful and exotic silent garden in place of the old railway tracks : a hidden jewel. You're all alone there with a full garden for yourself.

Who's shelter is this ? For a lost racoon ?

Then AVENUE FOCH which is all up hill and a good for your thighs, no bullshitting there;  you run faster then the cars stuck in incoming traffic at this early hour of the day.

Not an exhausted me ! This is NOT appropriate today !

Down the CHAMPS -ELYSEES

  then turn between the PETIT PALAIS and the GRAND PALAIS

  and back to TROCADERO by the Seine river banks.

A full hour of beautiful Paris !

After about a dozen hours in a steamy bath , back to the road again. 

And today the "PORTRAIT DE RUE" is Rue and Faubourg SAINT HONORE with its smart shops are lined up along this long busy street like the good soldiers of a perfect alphabet.

A - like APOSTROPHE and ALBERTA FERRETTI's  light as a feather mousseline dresses.

Alberta Ferretti New Spring Collection 2011

B- starts with the BRISTOL HOTEL  and it's diplomat clientele, BARBARA BUI, BOTTEGA VENETA,

Bottega Veneta

BURMA and its fake elegant jewellery,

BOUCHERON and its real luxurious fruity jewellery ( they are not one next to the other so there's no possibility to be mistaken if your Dear takes you to Burma instead of Boucheron !) and BROOKS BROTHERS for a spick and span white shirt.

C - stands for CARON  and its delicate boudoir swan powder buffs

CHOPARD and CARTIER for a little more jewellery as by this time you still don't have all fingers covered; but we'll get there !

Cartier New 2011 Collection

COLETTE with the music full blast, the scented candles full sniff, CHANEL with the girls all red haired this week, CAMPER for the ones who still don't know JIMMY CHOO .

Colette's training shoes module

D - for DOLCE & GABBANA who could not be elsewhere for sure.

Dolce and Gabbana

E - ETRO with it's subtle Italian mix of colour and textures.

F- as Italian and silky as SALVATORE FERRAGAMO scarves and FRETTE satin sheets.

G- hangs at every lady's arm under the GOYARD monogram , but is also a strong and omnipresent  oxymoron for GUCCI , another of those Italian seductors and GIANFRANCO FERRE is not far away either. Thank God that

H- for HERMES is well there with its fabulous windows and  extraordinary quality.

Hermes February windows by Leila Menchari.

Still some more HERMES for the pleasure of the eyes.

 TOMMY HILLFIGER has caught sight of the right place to be, next to Brooks Brothers, hand in hand. And PIERRE HARDY is pacing the street with its square toe flats worn by Inès de la Fressange.

I - ILIAS LALAOUNIS is totally solar gold across the COSTES HOTEL.

J- JO MALONE embalms the Faubourg Saint Ho with its blend of basil, lime and mandarin toiletries, while JOSEPH has the best of coats and while JITROIS swallowseach body in the finest of leathers.

JITROIS

K - will always be PAULE KA and Audrey Hepburn feminity.

Paule Ka

L- is as fruity as the LADUREE macarons, as quenching as a LANCOME face cream, as high heeled as LOUBOUTIN and as nude as LA PERLA with a dashing dart of LANVIN.

Lanvin

M- is fighting the breeze and the snowy summits of the world with a MONCLER jacket, and as fluent in Italian as MISSONI and as copper colored as MIU MIU.

Miu Miu resort 2011 collection

N - is lost in a nowhere land.

O- is as serious as an OMEGA watch.

P - is as gold as POIRAY and as colourful as POMELLATO with a "rock" zest of PODIUM. 

Podium jewellery

R- is very RYKIEL while 

S- is fun and cool as PAUL SMITH and its copper coins wall on the top floor, its thin coloured striped scarves and its eclectic library.

T - walks in TOD's and travels with TUMI.

U- is you.

V - walks the runways in ROGER VIVIER and VALENTINO red dresses.

W - is not too far and opened all year round Sundays included and reads like a new fiction novel or a stack of foreign magazines at WHSMITH.

Y - is a legend : YVES SAINT LAURENT for ever !

Yves Saint Laurent

Z - is in every girl's dressing room with its  ZARA label or with its ZADIG et VOLTAIRE tag.