Wardrobe Wednesday- Chanel

One of my big enjoyments in life is fashion.  I also personally think that fashion and travel go hand in hand, and that one doesn't have to get on a plane to go and visit a foreign land.  One of the best (and my favorite) examples of fashion travel would be Chanel.  My favorite Chanel collections tend to be the destination based ones like Paris-Shanghai, Paris-Edimbourg, etc.  I love pieces that take elements of different cities and incorporate them into a wearable bit of whimsy that can make you think for a second that you just might be in the location in question.  Today, I'm going to keep things a little more localized and focus on traveling to Paris via Chanel.  

There are many newer designers that I feel capture the essence of Paris through their clothing, but the most iconic encapsulation for me will always be Chanel.  It is because of the simple jersey dresses that Coco Chanel debuted in the 1920's that the Paris aesthetic of today is so sleek and modern.  Typical Parisian dress is always more relaxed and low-key with a palette that tends to lean towards versatile blacks and neutrals.  This is not the land of heavily layering bracelets or rings or any kind of accessory.  Items are carefully chosen to complement the outfit without complicating things and making them too busy and try hard.  It is because of this simplicity that I feel Chanel is so timeless and Parisian.

My other favorite thing about Chanel would be Coco Chanel herself, someone who understood that great voyages could be made without even leaving the comforts of home.  I am obsessed with Coco's apartment and its incredible mix of styles from Asia, Baroque Europe, and modern times.  Her apartment for me epitomizes just how closely related travel and fashion truly are, and how travel can inspire someone to create ethereal pieces of art that allow the owner to take a voyage for themselves, either back in time, or to another world.  I also just love Baroque or Asian-influenced style in general so for me her apartment is like a dream world!

 The Chanel designs for me always capture the opulence of Paris aside from the simplicity.  The designs themselves remain true to Coco's simpler aesthetic, but when Chanel goes ornate, it is with a capital O.  In these designs I can see the history of Marie Antoinette, the Eiffel Tower, the grand avenues, gold plated wrought iron, opulent hotels, the 20's, the 40's, all the elements that so many people seek out in Paris.  I find that fairytale Paris through fashion, since for me, that is the only place that it truly exists, in the artistic world of interpretation and imagination, and sometimes we must call on oracles like Coco Chanel and now Karl Lagerfeld to pull these places into the realm of reality.

 

Victoire's View: Paris (Neighborhoods)

When I travel, I like to get a feel for the real city that I'm visiting rather than the tourist version of the city.  Recently, I came across a discussion about how some people who have visited Paris were disappointed with what they saw because it didn't live up to the incredible fairytale-like hype that Paris has had for decades.  We've all heard about that Paris, the one where you sit at a cafe eating pastel colored macaroons watching the Eiffel Tower glitter at night and walking through rows of pink cherry blossoms on your way to the Arc de Triomphe.  That's not Paris.  I feel like too many people forget that Paris is a real, functioning city that people inhabit, it isn't Disneyland.  I find Paris very whimsical and magical, but that vibe for me has absolutely nothing to do with the Eiffel Tower or pastries.  

With that being said, I would like to talk about "my" Paris, the one that I fell in love with, and what I believe to be the REAL Paris.  I'll start with neighborhoods.  I know many people who think that the most Parisian parts of Paris are Montmartre and Invalides.  I'm not a fan of either of these areas, I just find them really cheesy and touristy rather than charming.  My substitutes for these are Saint Germain and the Marais.  Both can also be touristy (well all of Paris is touristy, it's a major city) but I find them to be so much more real.  Saint Germain is my favorite area not only because it's my old neighborhood but also because it's a great mix of the different sides that Paris has.  Half of Saint Germain is very chic and flashy, especially being so close to Invalides, but the other half is historic and weird.  Saint Germain is the land of boutiques (rather than large flagship stores), small bookshops, and tiny cafes on streets from the 1600's.  I feel the same way about the Marais but the difference is that Saint Germain has more of a balance between old and new while the Marais is more historic in my opinion. Saint Germain is probably best known for being the capital neighborhood of 60's bohemians and 20th Century bon vivants who put Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots on the map, but to me the area just has a charm to it that makes me prefer it over the other areas.  It's also incredibly central.  My friend asked me recently why I said I barely ever used the Metro while in Paris and the answer is simply because I didn't need to.  You can walk to almost everything from Saint Germain. It's bordered by Invalides (Eiffel Tower, Musée Rodin), Quartier Latin (Sorbonne, le Cluny), and Montparnasse (Catacombs). While a lot of the main sights around Saint Germain are officially in other areas, I consider a lot to still be Saint Germain. The Louvre is right across the river, Notre Dame, Jardin de Luxembourg, Jardin de Tuileries etc.  Saint Germain is an ideal home base for exploration.  

My other favorite area is Bastille.  I've said it a million times and ill say it again, I love Bastille.  As a nightlife girl, and specifically an NYC nightlife girl, I seek out places like Bastille.  It reminds me a lot of places I go to here at home (mostly I'm in the Meat Packing District) and the bars tend to have a bit of New York flair to them.  I also love the convenience of Bastille, if you get bored of one bar on Rue de Lappe, go to the one next door or across the street until you find one that suits you.  As someone who likes to do multiple bars in a night (that's the Roman in me) it's an ideal street.  I also like that the area means business, it's not filled with cafes for older couples or quiet little restaurants, these are party bars and I love it.  I like quaint restaurants and things during the day but at night I like to go all out and be with other people my age. 

Aside from the bars, Bastille is filled with historic little gems and oddities that you can find by wandering around. I remember a few years ago I found a bunch of space invaders graffitied on a random building, I love things like that!  Bastille just has a vibe that I go for, I know it might not be for everyone but for me it's amazing.  I always remember being on the metro with my Parisian friend who told me "Every time I see someone who's oddly dressed, they get off at Bastille"

Other areas I find charming-

- Canal St Martin (so many great restaurants!)

- Île Saint Louis 

3 Days in Paris

While in London, my friend and I planned a short getaway to Paris.  This was my first time taking the EuroStar and I was surprised by how quick it was!  We were in Paris in about 2 hours and set out to explore Saint Germain, my old neighborhood, the first day.  It was ridiculously hot, as they were experiencing a heatwave at the time, but it was still great to be back in Paris wandering around.  

Le Bon Marché department store hiding behind the trees

I did a bit of shopping at Zara, and then we went to Le Bon Marché, which I love.  It was pretty empty at the time, and air conditioned (I would have been happy to move in there at that moment to be honest, the heat was killing me) and I love to wander around the maze-like boutiques that surround the main floors.  It's just such a different store, it reminds me of being in the 1960's and 80's all at the same time.

Notre Dame

Lunch at Café Buci

Down the Rabbit Hole...

After our day exploring Saint Germain, we decided to stick with that area for nightlife as well since it's the area I know the best aside from Bastille.  We thought Bastille would better be conquered the following day when we had had a proper rest (we had to be up at 5:30am to get the train from London to Paris).  First, we went to Cafe le Petit Pont, across from Notre Dame.  The place is pretty touristy but we went because my friend told me she had gotten flaming mojitos there once (they put some kind of big sparkler in the drink) so we wanted them, but sadly they didn't seem to have them!  We got regular mojitos instead

Afterwards, we headed over to one of my favorite bars, The Long Hop, because that was much more of a party bar.  It was just how I remembered it except that they now have a Foosball table where they used to set up beer pong.  We had a good night there and got a bunch of glow sticks for our drinks so that kind of made up for missing the flaming mojitos!

The following day, we went to Montmartre since it is my friend's favorite area in Paris.  Honestly, I cannot stand Montmartre.  It's out of the way, overloaded with tourists and cheesy tourist shops, and just not the real Paris to me.  I feel like it's like Times Square, it's just not really a representative of the real city.  There's also a lot of sketchy characters who hang out there and we had our own bit of a run in with some, but I'm not going to go into detail on that.  So anyway, Montmartre really isn't my favorite place, but it makes for some great pictures!

Lunch in Pigalle

Sacré Cœur and views of Paris

Back Streets

Down the Rabbit Hole...

For our second night out, we got to do the one thing I had been wanting to do the most in Paris- go out in Bastille.  I've talked before about my love for the area, I just always have such a good, wild time when I go out there,  I love it.  We headed over to Rue de Lappe, which is a street completely filled with bars, and decided on a place called Charlotte Bar.  I was intrigued because my guinea pig is named Charlotte!  and also because the bars on Rue de Lappe change pretty frequently, I had never been to this one.  It reminded me a lot of New York style bars, it had air conditioning (my elation was unmatched when I found this out) and inside the look was very modern red and black decor mixed with massive wall collages of all types of iconic pop culture images.  The music was mostly American hip hop which isn't really my style but we met some great people and had a fun night

 

Jay Z and Kanye above the bar

The ceiling!

Epic awesome wall

After Charlotte Bar was Balajo (which I believe used to be called Balajo Latino), a place I know but had never actually been to before.  The inside is really hard to describe, they had these weird decorations on the wall that were like things out of one of those Halloween fun houses.  It was such a surreal experience!  I don't have any pics from there as it was really late at night and we were wrapping things up, but it was interesting!

A bit of whimsy at home after a long night

The next day was our last, so we didn't do much, but we grabbed lunch at a cafe at the end of our street called La Barrique, and they literally had the best cheeseburger I have ever had in my life!  Definitely recommend it!

Paris Shopping

One of the things I'm most looking forward to in Paris this summer is the shopping!  In 2013, there really isn't too much that you can't get in your home country anymore (either in stores or online), but what I like about shopping in Paris is the ease of it all.  I love French clothing brands, and many of them are only available online in the US if you want any kind of a good selection.  I love stores like Le Bon Marché where I can find Paul & Joe, Maje, and Isabel Marant all in the same place!  I'm really looking forward to making a stop there soon!  The other thing I love about Paris shopping is the randomness of it all.  Sure, you can find many big fashion houses along Avenue George V, or Montaigne, but you can also find them in really unlikely places.  For example, at the end of the Rue de Lappe in Bastille, a big party block, is an Isabel Marant boutique.  There's a Dries Van Noten along the Rue de Seine that I would never have noticed if it wasn't on my way home every day.  The Marais is filled with great little stores too, I love finding these little gem boutiques in random places, it's like a fashion treasure hunt scattered all throughout the city.  Last time I was in Paris, I needed a new pair of flats (the ones I had brought with me cut up my feet terribly) so I stopped in a shoe store on Bd Saint Germain and was surprised to find Marc Jacobs, Bloch, tons of really nice quality brands!  It didn't look like a designer shoe store so I was shocked!  Again, a great store in a random place.  I bought a beautiful pair of silver Bloch flats that I still wear and love till this day.

I'm not one to stock up on food things like macaroons or wine and bring them home, I'm more of a fashion and beauty girl, so some of the things I'm looking forward to browsing or purchasing are:

- Paul & Joe

- Isabel Marant

- Maje

- L'Oreal Elsève (best hair mask EVER. Sadly it's only available in Europe so I always stock up!)

- Make up from the new beauty section in Le Bon Marché 

...and maybe, if I'm feeling indulgent, some Chanel.  Pictured below is my vintage Mini flap, I'm an avid vintage collector! 

Paris Plans

During my upcoming trip to London, my friend and I will also be taking a short trip to Paris for three days!  I am really excited to get back to Paris, as it is a city that I know and love very well.  As some of you know, I have family and friends in France, and have spoken both English and French for most of my life.  I spent a month in Paris in 2010, and hope to move there in the future, possibly even as soon as next year!  With that said, my Paris plans are a little different than my London ones.  I won't be playing tourist on this trip since I was fortunate enough to see most of the major sights when I was there a few years ago.  My friend has also been there once before and seen the main sights as well, so we decided we would focus on some smaller things.  We will of course be doing some major sights, it is Paris after all, but we want this to be a relaxing exploration trip rather than a rushed tourist type thing.  I love to return to places that I've already been, because you get the chance to see a different version of the place, and perhaps find those little details you may have missed on your initial visit.  I'll be playing the main tour guide in Paris, and so far our small list of sights includes:

-Catacombs (excited, and never actually did these, I could never get there on time!)
-Notre Dame
-Musée Cognacq-Jay
-Dinner or lunch at Verjus
-Lots of shopping! Au Bon Marché, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette
-Wandering around Saint-Germain, my old neighborhood
-Musée Edith Piaf, if we can make a reservation

We've rented an apartment in Bastille, so we will be close to the nightlife, and I've bee craving some Bastille nights lately so I am super excited!  I'll definitely be reviewing a lot of bars and clubs on this short trip!  Until then, 2 of my favorite Parisian bars are-

The Long Hop, Latin Quarter, 25 Rue Frédéric Sauton.  Great for meeting fellow students/younger people.  Really friendly place.  Last time I was there there was a round of beer pong played with actual glasses...yeah the table collapsed and everything broke!

Le Fanfaron, Bastille, 6 Rue de la Main d'Or