Didier Ludot : Fashion Nostalgia

Didier Ludot has 3 not 2 boutiques at the prestigious Montpensier gallery of boutiques at Palais Royal in Paris’ 1st arrondissement. The vintage couture shop sits next to his vintage accessories shop. And if the windows are even the smallest indication of the pleasures you’ll find on the inside, then ladeis (and gentlemen) I do declare, you must darer to step inside. One feels almost as if you were in a museum with so many vintage treasures and retro pieces. Didier Ludot, the king of the “find”!

Didier Ludot
24 Galerie Montpensier
75001 Paris (France)
Tél. : 01 42 96 06 56
Mail : didier.ludot@wanadoo.fr

But, do not simply take him for someone who knows how to recycle the past. His 3rd boutique, called Petite robe Noire (Little Black Dress), just across the garden, attests to his capacity to also stay current. Of course, everything current these days seems to find inspiration in decades past, but nonetheless, Petite Robe Noire boasts his own line of scrumptios cocktail dresses and dainty womens’ wear that both Betty Draper and Carrie Bradshaw would wear in an instant.

La Petite Robe Noire : 125, galerie de Valois 75001 Paris.

Friday en Français : Vouloir le beurre et l’argent du beurre

Le concept : traduire un ancien billet et français, déjà pour pratiquer mon français à l’écrit mais aussi pour faire un geste envers mes lecteurs et lectrices francophones! N’hésitez pas à me corriger mon français.

The concept : translate an old post into French, first in order to practice my written French, but also to be a bit more welcoming to my francophone readers! Don’t hesitate to correct my French.

(Original post in English here)

Originally published November 3rd 2009 / Publication originale le 3 novembre 2009

Oui. Oui je veux. Je voudrais voyager et ne pas être un mouton dans un troupeau à l’aéroport. Pour la première fois depuis des années, j’ai eu un voyage facile, simple et agréable dès le début. Tout a commencé au terminal 2G à l’aéroport Roissy Charles de Gaulle. D’habitude je fais des grimaces quand je dois aller à CDG. Mais ce terminal se définie comme l’opposé du reste de cet aéroport stressant et mal foutu. Il y a moins de vols qui y arrivent et partent, donc forcément il y a moins de gens et moins de confusion. Les avions sont plus petits, donc les destinations ne sont pas à l’autre bout du monde. Le terminal s’est doté d’une espace d’attente spacieux avec un décor qui calme et une lumière douce.

Nous sommes arrivés bien en avance, anticipant des foules et des complications, et nous avons été bien étonnés quand finalement nous avons eu 2 heures d’attente au calme (grâce à l’efficacité de l’expédition de notre enregistrement) dans un café reposant, à lire des magazines que nous avons achetés chez le vendeur de presse qui y est stationné. Même les toilettes étaient propre et confortable! Le terminal 2G est un peu plus en retrait que les autres terminaux. Mais il n’y a pas de long queue-le-le pour prendre un taxi. Et quand les voyageurs arrivants en ont besoin, il y a une personne qui est chargé d’en appeler depuis les autres terminaux si il n’y en a pas en attente au 2G.

Tout roule bien au 2G à CDG.

Keep a clone in Paris

I think Rick Owens really loves Paris. He’s always here! Or at least it looks like he is. LOL!

I was showing a colleague who was in town the Serge Lutens boutique at the Palais Royal galleries, and as we were waiting for the perfume to develope on his arms (he tested several), we strolled around the covered gallery to window-shop (or lèchcer les vitrines si vous voulez). As we pased by the Rick Owens boutique we, looked through the glass and were surprised to see…Rick Owens himself! He was standing up on a shallow podium, and I assumed they were doing some kind of photo shoot…. he was standing really still. Too still. “He’s not blinking” I said to my colleague. We waited a minute. Then decided that it was sure, Rick Owens was made of wax.

I find this rather hilarious, that he has a wax statue of himself in the boutique. I supose it is to show shoppers how to wear the clothing? But what I really want to know is if they add tatoos on the wax statue if Rick gets a new one…? Hahaha!

Costs you a quarter!

A quarter is 25 cents of American change… it used to be that you could purchase things for a quarter or under a quarter. Not anymore really.

Let’s see…

In 1942 you could get a bottle of Coca Cola for 5 cents.

In 1955 you could get fresh roasted penauts at Ebbet’s Field to watch a Dodgers baseball game, for 10 cents!

This guys says that if you have a 25 cent piece minted pre-1965 it’s actually worth 8 bucks! So I guess you can sort of get a couple of gallons of gas for a quarter, as he points out.

In 1978 a 1.2 oz chocolate Hershey’s bar cost 25 cents.

But this is 2011, and I live in Paris, one of the most expensive cities in the world… so imagine my utter astoniqhment when I saw something for under 25 €ents! A bottle of water, folks. For 20 cents. I couldn’t believe it. Especially because they cost 2 whole euros when you purchase a bottle of Evian in a vending machine.

I found this at the Galaries Lafayette Gourmet boutique OF ALL PLACES TOO!!! Not a place where you will find lower priced groceries by any means! So hip-hip-hooray for the Gal-Laf for putting something on the shelf that is priced at a cost that is reasonable and accessible to everyone. It’s so accessible that as I was leaving the department store to go grab the bus, I saw a clandestine street vendor with a bucket full of ice water and those very same water bottles… his price? 1€.

I still wasn't convinced it was 20cents until I paid. Photo proof! 🙂

Oh and just for comparisons sake to put things in perspective… at the Galaries Lafayette store, you can also get what looks like a gallon of Nutella…for 39€. It’s a balancing act, right?!? LOL!!!

Oh, and FYI… You don’t have to pay for water in Paris… when you order a meal or a drink at a restaurant or a café, you may ask for a “carafe d’eau” and it’s free. You can also fill up your own water bottle for free at the Wallace fountains that are scattered around the city!

Hidden Paris Haven

Nestled among the residential buildings that pepper the busy shopping area of the 6th-7th arrondissement, I came upon quite by surprise a little square : Square Roger Stéphane, 75007

At the end of rue Camier, past the EDF foundation (a FREE museum by the way where you can see different and interesting expositions)…

All the Parisian charm mixed with nature is here to welcome you.

Benches everywhere for a little in-between shopping rest.

Lucky people who have a vegetation covered balcony lookinng over the garden…it’s a double win!

Bring the little ones to play!

This garden is full of “secret” paths and nooks and crannies… I love nooks and crannies!

Perfect for a quiet tête-à-tête

Or for a game of hide-and-seek…

Sorry, no puppies allowed 😦

Friday en Français : Je suis comblée

Le concept : traduire un ancien billet et français, déjà pour pratiquer mon français à l’écrit mais aussi pour faire un geste envers mes lecteurs et lectrices francophones! N’hésitez pas à me corriger mon français.

The concept : translate an old post into French, first in order to practice my written French, but also to be a bit more welcoming to my francophone readers! Don’t hesitate to correct my French.

(Original post in English here)

Originally posted October 25, 2009 / Publication d’origine le 25 octobre 2009

J’ai reçu beaucoup de bonnes vœux dans le but de célébrer le fait que je vieilli (mais ne grandis pas), ainsi j’aime référer à mon anniversaire. Et j’ai été étonné par le nombre de mes amis français qui m’ont dit : “j’espère que tu as eu tout ce que tu voulais!” (Je me demande si c’est une truc français de dire ça???) Ma réponse à cela : je suis déjà bienheureuse!! Surtout grâce à mes proches qui m’ont entouré avec leur compagnie qui m’est très chère dans mon bar préféré dans le Marais, le Yono, rue de Temple. Nous avons bien rit, bien bu, bien dégusté du gâteau que j’ai fait pour eux. On m’a aussi emmené brunché le lendemain matin… et quel brunch! Au Safran situé dans le Hilton hôtel palace, sous un décor somptueux nous avons eu le grand service bien polis et souriant… de tel service est souvent considéré comme rare à Paris. Le concept du brunch est un buffet, mais ce n’est pas le buffet moyen-mange-tout-ce-que-tu-peux. Il y avait des rangées de langoustines, des plats entiers des dizaines de tranches de foie gras, des bols de salade remplis de poulet au curry et aux amandes, tranche après tranche de thon braisé, des rouleaux et des rouleaux de sushi, plusieurs plats de saumon, des bols des haricots verts sautés au noix pécan et des morceaux de bacon, des étagères de desserts tous en couleurs pastels, chocolat, des paniers de croissants, un sous chef qui découpait le rosbif et le jambon rôti au miel…et des roues et des parts de tant de fromage, assez pour une roi.

Je suis retournée trois fois pour me resservir! Ce n’est pas un lieu où l’on irait toutes les semaines si on prends en compte le prix (et les calories), mais pour un événement heureux c’est parfait. On a un choix devant soi qu’aucun restaurant pourrait proposer en menu, et le service, vraiment est impeccable! Nos verres de vins ne restaient jamais à moitié vide, et notre serveuse ne gênait jamais nos déplacement vers le buffet, mais était toujours disponible quand on avait besoin d’elle. Mes gracieux remerciements à ceux qui ont célébré mon anniversaire avec tant de délice et d’amitié! 🙂

Bottom of the pot

Bistrot du Boursier

88, rue Richelieu 75002

Savoyard restaurant, €€ between 15-30, menu around 18€

Telephone : : 01 42 96 83 59

Great place for fondue

Before

After

After the fondue has been scarfed up by hungry cheese monsters, if left unattended the layer that has stuck to the bottom of the pot starts to cook into a sort of fried cheese pancake. We dug it out and photographed it as we were so enthralled with our discovery. If I could eat cheese, I would definitely have eaten that!

I was told by a French person that in order to keep the cheese from sticking to mercilessly to the sides of the pot (and thus making the process of cleaning it interminably difficult) one would traditionally crack an egg in the bottom of the pot once everyone has scraped out all the melted cheese they can eat. The egg will then cook onto the side, and although I am not sure how it does this, keeps the cheese from sticking. Way to go egg! ;-P

Barbizon : a photo journal of a Spring afternoon

Just a short drive out of Paris is the small town of Barbizon. A town epitomized by the pre-impressionist painters that went to to practice the art of painting outdoors, with natural light. Artists like Jean François Millet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot moved there in the 19th century when this place was just inhabited by peasants and farmers. They has *gasp* the “audacity” to paint those peasants doing their daily work, which before that time was considered an unworthy subject for art. A lot has changed since! Barbizon sits on the edge of the forest Fontainbleau, and is a great place to lunch, shop for art, meander, and then stroll in the forest. Although the town has become quite frequented by tourists, it still remains fertile territory for artists, antiquaries and the like.

Sometimes when you peek through the thick gated barriers along the main street, you can catch a glimpse of even more of that French charm.

The queen of England has eaten here :

You can visit the artist workshop of Millet :

We had lunch at the restaurant La Bohème charming French fare with a lovely enclosed terrace for outdoor dining that is canopied by trees and foliage abundant in flowers! There was a tree in full blossom that was losing it’s tiny purple petals and they fell down upon the tables and chairs like the most lovely pink rain I have never seen!

I didn’t even mind that they fell onto my late or in my glass. I found it rather enchanting.

After lunch it is time to head to the woods for a slow ambling walk amongst the trees…

Just along the forest you can oooh and aaah over the amazing housing that are snuggled against the foliage. For the Paris habitant that I am, I am truly amazed by the spacious lawns and gardens that are juxtaposed to these lovely homes. It’s funny, because I did grow up in a place where the lawn was mostly an institution (the USA) and where we had a front lawn and a back lawn (mowing the grass was a chore let me tell you!). But these immaculate, charming manicured lawn made me swoon just a little.

Enjoy Barbizon, it’s free to stroll around town, and it’s a breath of fresh air from Paris!

Friday en Français : à couper le souffle

Le concept : traduire un ancien billet et français, déjà pour pratiquer mon français à l’écrit mais aussi pour faire un geste envers mes lecteurs et lectrices francophones! N’hésitez pas à me corriger mon français.

The concept : translate an old post into French, first in order to practice my written French, but also to be a bit more welcoming to my francophone readers! Don’t hesitate to correct my French.

(Original Post in English)

Originally posted October 8th 2009 / Première publication le 8 octobre 2009.

Vous voulez une view inncroyable sur l’horizon parisien, pour faire des bisous à ton chéri(e) sans les touristes??? STOP! N’allez pas au Sacre Coeur! Là-bas on a affaire avec des pickpockets et autres et des guitaristes de merde chantant “No Woman No Cry” avec des hippies saoules qui s’étale sur les marches qui mènent jusqu’au basilique.

Allez plutôt dans le 20ème arrondissement, et découvrez le parc de Belleville. Le vue d’en du parc est à couper le souffle, surtout au coucher du soleil. Au charmant square A. Luquet, vous trouverez des cafés avec une meilleure vue que la plupart des restaurants surtaxé, où vous pouvez siroter un apéritif rafraîchissant, et regarder la ville se parer d’une nuance rose fumé avec le soleil qui s’en va.

Sweeten up! It’s Spring!

Sweet! It’s Spring! And this is Paris, were the eyes are quenched with stunning scenery and the tastebuds are tempted with treats.

One of my favorite places to find the later of the two is the Sugarplum Cake Shop (68 rue Cardinal Lemoine). And yes I know, I know, we should be thinking about those bathing suits we have to don in a few months, but sometimes I like to replace a meal with a few fun and caloric mouthfuls from the Sugarplum fairies, Laurel, Krista and Taylor. And by the way, they now have terrace space! So you can enjoy your tea and scone in the sunshine too!

Here’s just a tease for you!

And then there is of course, the first ever cake that I ordered from the shop! And man was it INCREDIBLE!!!
For my boyfriend’s mother’s birthday, who also recently retired (from a long career as a dental surgeon) and I wanted to celebrate that as well. SO! I asked the girls if they could make a cake in the shape of a giant tooth, with a couple of mice cleaning it… they went above and boyond my hopes for this special cake. And the expression on the face of chéri’s mom was the confirmation that it was pure success! Merci les Sugarplums!!!!