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!

vivienne westwood and melissa

For your own piece of London style at home...these are for you. To correct the heinous crime of rubber clogs known as Crocs, and to move forward from the oh-so-pedestrian Haviana, the Grande Dame of pommy fashion, Vivienne Westwood, and ingenious Brazillian shoe designers Melissa have collaborated to show us how it should have been done all along. No, you won't look like an overgrown toddler in these bubblegum scented peep toes. Be a true Betty and pick up a pair here...and don't forget to check out the previous designer collaborations Melissa has under their belt which helps explain the $175 price tag!

darimeya

Sometimes clothes appeal to you on a hanger. They take your fancy, maybe raise one of your eyebrows. You might lift a silken sleeve or flip the swing tag over to check the price, to see if the elusive item can charm you into a purchase. Other clothes shout at you 'I've been waiting for you to come and find me! We were made for each other! Let's elope!' The second two dresses you see above said exactly those words to me in the basement level of Topshop at Oxford Circus. They now live happily ever after in my wardrobe. The label is Darimeya and their cute illustrated frocks will have you on a fashion honeymoon in no time at all.

beyond the valley

Catalogues are often ugly, floppy, stapled things you throw away. The thick, matt art stock, bold vector illustration and clever folding of the free catalogue you can pick up as you enter London haven Beyond the Valley was as good to me as getting a free book! 

Then you can get your wallet out for ceramics, fashion, jewellery, homewares, the gallery space, bags, books, wallpapers- all crammed into a little corner on Newburgh St, SoHo.

My favourite things were the Cole & Son Falcon mirrors pictured above, and the Robert Archard ceramic custard cream box (also above). Visit the online store for dozens more names in fashion and interiors.

rifle maker gallery, soho

Next time you find yourself wondering if you're losing the plot, also ask yourself if you are peering into the window of a little gallery in SoHo called the Rifelmaker. See above and example of me, losing my mind as I star at the wonders inside. Julie Verhoeven and Marta Marce were on display in the window! 

Searching the gallery  website I was amazed at the talent who has exhibited there- my favourite being New Yorker Jamie Shovlin- check out these amazing book covers he redesigned for Fontana Publishing's series from the 1970's called 'Modern Masters' which were exhibited at the Riflemaker.

back in the saddle

Wow! I'm back...and despite the wondrous trip I've had I still call my gorgeous Sydney home (even though Paris and Tuscany make a good close second!) The next 30 days at Love Illustrated are going to be packed with some serious design goodies! I'll do a week's worth of posts on each city/country and even when I've done that I've got lomo pics coming back from the lab and months and months worth of designers, shops and products to fuel this baby for a long time!!! First stop... LONDON!

LONDON FAVOURITES...Discovering SoHo, high tea at the Victoria and Albert Museum, eating chocolate coated strawberries from Godiva's, choosing a perfume at Penhalligans, pretending to be rich while perusing the luxe goods at Liberty and last but not least, being

 surprised by the sunshine! I WISH I'D... Bought that belt from Ollie & Nic and that bag from Dahlia in SoHo, but it was the first week and I was trying to show restraint for Paris!

First show and tell for you- DO Store, Regent St, Soho. Find modern design in this amazing 2 level store that you haven't seen every where else. Matali Crasset's Wonderland Mirror and table linen and cushions by AK-LH were faves of mine.

Help needed at the races

Well, the Spring Racing Carnival has finally come to an end here in Melbourne. Being new to the city I did loose track of all the significant days... Derby Day, Oaks Day, Ladies Day (or is that the same as Oaks Day?) I don't know! Where i come from its all about Melbourne Cup Day. If you are organised you don a pretty frock, a gorgeous hat and loose some money whilst drinking champagne. If you are like me you race into a TAB 15 minutes before the race starts, put a dollar each way on half the horses, race out again and ask a passer by which horse won half an hour later. I have never won any money! Anyway, without being to harsh about the carnival fashions I will just say that a lot of people failed to achieve the 'pretty dress' criteria of the organised group i mentioned above. As I watched tragic dresses trudge along the street I found myself wishing "if only I could add a little Yeojin Bae here". Yeojin Bae, for those of you who don't know, is an incredible Melbourne fashion designer whose waves both at home and internationally are getting pretty darn big. Since launching her label of feminine, gorgeous and elegant clothing 2 years ago Yeojin Bae is now stocked in Myer and several boutiques around the world. It is, however, her Prahran showroom above Chapel Street that is the best way to experience these clothes. This showroom is the only place that holds her entire collection and looking through it I know that Yeojin Bae will inspire passion in anyone that loves good design, especially great fashion design, though it will set you back a pretty penny. Click here to see for yourselves.