Dreyolle

Whilst strolling through the streets of Paris I visited what can only be described as a bizarre taxidermy zoo.  Deyrolle is a shop cum gallery dedicated to "preserved" animals... which apart from the beautifully coloured beetles and butterflies from around the world, has a collection of animals big and small and has been around since 1831. Not really knowing what to expect but certainly not realising how confronting it would be I  wandered in and up the stairs to the first floor. A 7' bear welcomed me into the space and then suddenly i was surrounded by wild cats, birds in flight, majestic deer and even a giraffe and calf. All dead. The shop itself is in a grand turn of the century building with high ceilings and all manner of period details which whisk you back in time and make you feel like royalty (yes i do have a vivid imagination)  but the animals... Spectacular! I have to say that I am a fairly passionate animal lover, I don't for the most part condone wearing them. Mink coats and fox furs are not morally compatible with my values, though  I do wear leather shoes, so where does that leave a prowling lion frozen forever in motion? Or a display cabinet of glorious butterflies with pins in them? Well, I at the moment my french is not good enough to engage the shop assistants in a discussion of animal rights, so I have decided that to stuff an animal that died naturally is ok. To then put that animal in your lounge room? That's just personal taste. 

This little Parisian gem is a curiosity in the very least. . Click here to have a squiz at what i am talking about ... but for the english version you'll have to use the good old google translate tool. 

I nearly left with a lobster.

paris- christmas

I could start a whole new blog just devoted to amazing little spots in Paris, but we must move on to Barcelona next! In any case, the city had a special impact on me. To say goodbye to Paris I leave you with 1. A little illo I've done to pay homage to the Eiffel Tower which is currently lit up blue with sparkling stars. 2. The address to my favourite secret spot in Paris, a little bar with the friendliest people, intimate atmosphere and cocktails that are almost too pretty to drink: La Famille, 41 Rue des Trois Freres, near Abbesses metro station. 3. The perfect piece of Paris to give as a gift this Christmas, a Memo perfumed candle in Christmas Tree & Snowflake scent.

paris- le bon marche

Ever worked yourself into a state trying to find parking in 7 levels of a Westfield car park? Well, in Paris they do things a little differently. You stroll into any store off the street with your poodle, i kid you not. When the doors of Le Bon Marche were opened to us on Rue Sevres in St Germain, people were shopping inside with their tiny dogs, looking at the gorgeous design products on every floor. There is no horrid food court selling Burger King, but rather 'Le Grande Epicerie de Paris' selling deli delights such as Sonya Rykiel chocolate teddy bears. Here, my favourite design finds from France's most famous department store (all available online in the home and design section)...

Top to bottom: Iris Niewenburg china brooch, Driade Kosmo table centrepiece, Jose Levy perfumed candles.

paris- la cerise sure la gateau "the cherry on the cake"

When the cake gets cut in the office, we all like to eye off the cherry...but only one lucky person gets to eat it. You will feel the same elation as the cherry-eater when you check out this 'gorgoise' home ware label, which is the beloved baby of textiles designer Anne Hubert, found at Think & More on Rue St Honore, Paris. And guess what, they have Australian stockists! Forget about the impending recession, you need an illustrated tea towel now!

paris- american retro

It's not American. It's not retro. It's very French and in the present moment, so go figure! When I visited the boutique at 8 Rue des Abbesses (there are about 4 in Paris), i found lots of lovely black and white with bursts of colour, in a genuinely French interior. You can view the whole collection online here. And to any of you girls who live near this little gem chock full of goodies...please go in and find out the name of the handbag designer who does the multi coloured basket weave clutch bags in there...I am KICKING myself that I can't remember her name, despite repeating it over and over in my mind before leaving the store sadly without one (too exxy!) 

paris-get lost with louis vuitton

They say men don't ask for directions and women can't read maps. Add to this the fact that Paris doesn't have parallel streets but lots of angles and little alleyways that look like 'short cuts'. We were determined to fit in and be mistaken for real Parisiennes (see above for the look i was after!)...alas the combination of above factors meant we were always 'pulling over' in front of a lit shop window to pull out our enormous, betraying tourist map. It was actually while we were lost in St Germain that we stumbled on another gorgeous book shop selling the new 2009 edition of Louis Vuitton city guides. Small, designer, and full of maps and tips for the flailing traveller...can someone send me the box set please!!! So if you can't afford the LV luggage, these will at least have you jet set in every other regard, wherever you are going...just about every city is available here.

cafe de flore

Where coffee arrived in Paris, where French philosophers discussed existentialism during the post war years, where Kate Moss recently shot a Longchamps campaign...I just had to order a cafe creme! Vowing not to be intimidated by the cool crowd of St Germain I had determined to get my little tiny 11 euro cup of the good stuff while on the plane to London, as this is when I spotted Kate sipping from a Cafe de Flore espresso cup in the pages of British Glamour. No word of a lie, it left hubby and I feeling like liquid afterwards, I wanted to air kiss my seasoned old waiter Henri, like the rich old ladies were doing, but resisted. What to do next but wander around a bookstore next door selling French poetry and photography books. Just don't convert to Australian dollars in your head when you visit!

paris- pylones

PARIS FAVOURITES: I think I may have been a little distracted in Paris on the design front by the food and wine front. The cobblestone streets, fabulous skinny boots, mastering the metro, the unforgettable taste of Laduree's hot chocolate and pretending to be Amelie while wandering the steep streets of MonMartre in search of the perfect olive baguette (which we found of course!) had me swooning.

I wish I'd...packed warmer, and not given up on finding the Luxembourg gardens (but my feet were CRYING i tell you!)

Cute design shop: Pylones. These bright and bubbly shops are sprinkled throughout Paris and are the perfect place to pick up something modern and fun for the home, such as an Eiffel Tower shaped cheese grater, ceramic espresso cups that look like crumpled paper, or a wind up toy for someone little. While not what you would describe as distinctly French, Pylones is still all class, with an unexpected splash of colour and a modern twist. A souvenir from here means you can be spared those horrible shops that sell tote bags with the word Paris repeated all over them in Comic Sans font...ew!