Fancy Tiles and the King’s Virginity
Olivier Mangnez’s showroom Villa Paris presents old-fashion, artisan-made tiles of terracotta, stone, and enamel, including collections of delft, azulejos, marble marquetry, mosaics and others, made à l’ancienne in the countries where the individual styles originated or where bygone traditions of production are maintained.
French Table: J. Barthouil Foie Gras and Smoked Salmon
Foie gras and smoked salmon, staples of the French celebratory and holiday table, are both produced with excellence and tradition by J. Barthouil, a family business located in southwest France with a shop in the Marais in Paris.
Tumbleweed: Playthings for the Whimsical Shopper
Meet Lynn Rovida, the joyful American owner of Tumbleweed, a playful Paris shop with a whimsical selection of handcrafted toys, finely cut puzzles, inlaid puzzle boxes and animated sculptures.
Contraception in France, where the Pill is Queen, and the Condom King
Books tell us how the idealized Parisienne dresses, what she eats, where she strolls, how she flirts and how she raises her children. But they fail to follow our perfect pouty-lipped Parisienne to her doctor’s office, where she discusses birth control and STDs, or to the boutique in the 11th arrondissement where she shops for condoms.
The Bonjour Rule
Along with Beware of Pickpockets and Travel Curiously, the Bonjour Rule is one of the top rules to live by as you visit France.
Luxury Silversmith Maintains Tradition of French Savoir-Faire in the Northern Marais
The formerly workaday neighborhood of the northern Marais has been increasingly gentrified over the past 15 years, but something that hasn’t changed is the discreet presence of one of France’s few remaining creators of luxury silverware, tableware and decorative accessory: Lapparra.
Va-nu-pieds, the Barefoot Photographer, Goes Christmas Shoe Shopping in Paris
Our favorite fetish photographer Va-nu-pieds, The Barefoot Photographer, went out Christmas shoe shopping in Paris and came up empty soled.
Departure of signs and numbers from the heart of Paris
My favorite little shop in Paris, one of the last living vestiges of the historical belly of Paris that was the Les Halles Quarter, closed at the end of July 2009. It had been a long time coming--rather, going. It isn’t easy making a living selling...
Paris Haute Couture for the Birds
Is haute couture for the birds? Absolutely, says fashion follower Corinne LaBalme, who joined the flock at Paris Fashion Week to report on the Spring/Summer 2013 collections. With stylists pushing the envelope, haute couture has always functioned as the canary in the fashion mineshaft.