Sous le ciel de Paris

Oh Paris … I love this city! It’s one of those places that you can come back numerous times to and still not have enough. Every time I go I tend to discover new places, new streets, new parks and obviously new shops :) This time was not different. Wine festival in Montmarte, amazing Alaïa exhibition and ... my first Chanel. Continue reading if you are interested to learn more ...


I love Paris in the fall. I think it suits the city most. Leaves falling down, walking with an umbrella and hiding from a pouring rain in one of the small cafes situated all around the city. October is also a time when Vendanges de Montmartre takes place, an annual wine festival in the streets of the arty district (my favorite by the way!). It’s the first time I participated in it and it was a truly great experience. Crowds of people wandering around streets surrounding Sacré-Cœur and tasting wines from different areas of France. Surely the most important thing was to try the festival’s wine. Each year they make only about 700 bottles so it’s truly something special to have a taste! The bottle costs approximately 40 euros but one glass of wine is 7,5 euros. Additionally you will get this cool glass that you can take home with you.

My favorite part of Paris has to be Montmarte. I guess I had no choice since my mom is such an artoholic and I always followed her around visiting places where Picasso drew “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon” or the boheme artists met for a drink like at “Lapin Agile”. Now each time I go to Paris I am booking my favorite place in Montmarte which is ‘Le Village’, a cool hostel close to the Anvers Metro station and Sacré-Cœur. If you are lucky enough you can even get a room with a view of the basilica! Montmarte is such a cool place to go around. I love to get lost in the area and find new places, visit small shops away from the touristy crowds. The places that you NEED to see in the area I’d say are definitely the Sacré-Cœur, Musee de Montmarte, Place du Tertre (where all the artists continue to paint going into steps of Picasso or Utrillo) and you can get a nice glass of wine or a crepe overlooking the place. If you are a fan of “Amélie” you can also visit a place where she worked in a movie - “Le Deux Moulines” at 15 rue Lepic where you can taste a fantastic crème brulée now named after her. Few steps down the road and you are standing eye to eye with infamous “Moulin Rouge”. This is what I love about Paris. Each street holds a story!

If you are planning to come Paris soon you are in luck. There are some fantastic exhibitions going on at the moment. If you are a fashion fan you definitely have to visit is the Alaïa exhibition at Palais Galliera. This recently reopened Museum of Fashion holds some of the most fantastically structured dresses this great designer created. Trust me - 8 euros is so worth it! Frida Kahlo/Diego Rivera. Art in fusion at Musée de l'Orangerie is another exhibition worth seeing - dedicated to the legendary couple Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) shows us how they worked and lived together. Creating hand in hand - their art is so different, yet you can tell they were inspirations to each other their whole lives. If you are a cubism enthusiast you have to check out the Georges Braque exhibition at Grand Palais.  It is a great collection of his work as well as photos and films showing his creating process and collaborations. Those are just few of the exhibits happening at the moment in Paris. It’s truly an artistic place and I am sure you will be able to find something that would suit you best.

And now we get to shopping :). Yes, shopping in Paris is an experience on its own. There are the big department stores, long avenues full of the designers’ boutiques, cool concept stores, continuous list of small eclectic shops. Possibilities are vast and extremely interesting. I don’t know how about you but for me Paris = designers, big fashion houses – Chanel, Dior, YSL. It’s this one place you are sure you really can experience the big fashion world. My favorite places to window shop and hopefully get something beautiful are: of course Champs – Elysees (Louis Vuitton headquarters!), then Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (Christian Louboutin!), Chanel at Rue Cambon or Avenue Montaigne and 2 department stores at Boulevard Haussmann: Galleries Lafayette and Printemps. During my recent trip I’ve finally acquired a pair of ballerinas from Repetto. They are supposedly the most comfortable ones and from what I see it’s the truth! But the biggest surprise I got during my Parisian trip was a gift from my mom. While walking around Avenue Montaigne and window shopping at Dior and Celine we’ve entered Chanel. It was raining like crazy so we stepped in for a moment. I ended up looking at WOCs. They had my favorite model – classic quilted in caviar leather. After few moments I was delirious because it turned out to be mine! My mom got me this bag which I swear I will cherish forever. My first Chanel. A girl doesn’t forget her firsts :) So from that moment on my trip to Paris became even more special. I am in love with my Chanel and I hope to pass it on to my daughter one day.

This post seems incredibly long but as you probably see Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world. With fashion, food (Ladurée!!!), wine and art it has it all.

And what are your favorite places to visit in Paris? Some cool spots for me to check out upon my next visit? Let me know in your comments!

Write you soon!

M.