Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Bear Misses Paris...

Bear of late, has let it be known that New York is not all it's cracked up to be. Bear misses Paris like crazy.
Where are the petit dej' at Angelina, Bear keeps asking?
More to come this Friday...
Bear has not poured over a single elegant menu since setting foot on New York shores and is missing the process terriblement.
Normally neither a coffee drinker nor a wino, Bear got used to going to Paris bistros... Bear browsing became a habit and is much missed in NYC...
Although Bear had serious reservations about this artwork at Art-Paris, it was nice to be represented. More to come on Art-Paris soon...
Playing at 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' became a fav pastime in Paris. i.e. testing various chairs out for comfort and ease, like at Art-Paris...
Bear loved the IKEA sofas in the Paris Metro. Lucky they were nailed down securely - very tempting indeed.
The best chair of all was at the Paris Ritz Hotel, while Bear waited for macaron class to begin...
In fact Bear is fancying himself a wannabe Paris Ritz bell boy...
Not only is the location on rue Cambon near Chanel and D&G, but Fauchon is just a skip away.

As a Ritz bell boy, Bear could have a FAB$$$ apero by Colin Field in The Bar Hemingway just to the right of the front door...

Plus Bear could get an instant shot of inspiration for the Great Paris Novel he's thinking of writing...
Though born and bred in Paris, Bear has Russian ancestors. What bear doesn't? Where are the Russkie buskers in the New York subway Bear asks?
Nary a single macaron has passed Bear's lips since arrival in NYC.
c'est triste non?
Bear would like to change places with this blue bear...
"How soon are we going back?" Bear keeps asking.
BONJOUR PARIS!


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Le Hair

Paris is a very hairy city...
The "Bedhead" look is the norm...
Hair salon windows are full of it -
Hairy hair...
Hairy Parisien dogs too...
I saw an expo of Vinyl record covers and voila - the Queen of Bedhead herself, Patti Smith.
Follow-up bedhead Mom has to be Brit Jane Birkin married to Serge Gainsbourg, born-in-the-wool bedhead.
Together they created au currant bedhead babe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, here posing for the new Balenciaga purf
You simply can't avoid the bedhead in the Metro...
This fringie scarf matches the hair or vice versa...
There is good reason Parisiens adore le Bedhead:
Roughly translated as: subway-work-sleep etc.
Granted a tremendous amount of upkeep goes into le bedhead as I was reminded daily by French Girl...
I was reminded of all those wonderful Degas bather drawings.
And no wonder with all that lush Parisien hair everpresent...

I certainly couldn't resist drawing it any chance I got...

BONJOUR PARIS BEDHEAD!!

Monday, March 29, 2010

J'Adore...

I was browsing in Galeries Lafayette Home, when I overheard someone behind me say, "Moi, j'adore les rayee!" (Me, I adore stripes) with the emphasis on the adore.
Back in the apartment when I told French Girl what I had for lunch, she exclaimed passionately, "J'ADORE LE STEAK-FRITES!!!"
Wha'?
Ask any French Girl about ice cream and she will tell you she ADORES Berthillon
There is no ice cream but Berthillon, particularly caramel au beurre salé.
Kyle adores his Tarte Tatin and kept hinting I should order it at chez Georges (so he could eat mine) I did not - I would be tempted to eat it myself, and fall into a sugar coma...
c'est la vie
Every French Girl on the planet adores her ELLE magazine, which comes out on Fridays, so she can spend the entire week-end devouring all the trends/tendances and tips and tear out important bits for the coming week.
By the way, ELLE adores the Trench.
Maybe the trench is always in for Spring? I saw a loads of them floating around...
Bien sur the French adore their Alice (A-Leece)...

An unbeatable combo held in great esteem is Repetto ballerines . French Girl could not believe that I would leave behind my Repetto be-ribboned bag and take home just the shoes. "But there are so many things you can do with the bag!" she cried.
Moi, j'adore stalking French pastry. Even more than eating it, which is insane. Maybe the camera acts as a protective barrier. I see tartes and petit fours as abstract colors and shapes. Who knows why.
Moi, j'adore les palmiers, but the voices in my head said,
"RUN! VITE VITE VITE!" and I did.Parisiens ADORE New York. It's true.

Even if you're from Kansas City, which undoubtedly some of you are, tell em you're from New York for some instant cachet.
"J'adore New York!!!" you will hear over and over.
Tous les mondes adores les macarons.
It's a fact. Something to dream about....
So what do YOU ADORE about Paris?
BONJOUR J'ADORE!



Friday, March 26, 2010

Bill Cunningham New York

Bill Cunningham-man-on-the street for the Sunday Times now has a new movie out on his shenanigans shooting the fashionistas of the world. "I eat with my eyes," says Bill. Anna Wintour says the fashion world gets dressed in the morning for Bill.
I was thrilled to catch Bill in action at the Paris shows...
Of course there were many other shooters out there - bloggeurs?
Inside I got to stand with the BIG BOYS - the Pros on the podium. It's very crowded and a lot of messy hair that gets in your viewfinder, but there's a great comraderie that makes it tremendous fun.
The Big Boys run to shoot a blond celeb - no way I can get in there edgewise. *Note celeb's old-fashioned Chanel bag with chain -it's back in fashion PB readers - dust yours off svp. ELLE says so. Trying desperately to grab a shot...
But much better than grabbing your numbered seat in the bleachers.
The Wall Street Journal has the whole scoop...
You Are Where You Sit at the Shows
Blogger Parisienne Anne of MesVitrinesNYC covers Paris fashion windows meticulously and with wit.
Peter'sParis captures perfectly Paris monuments of all kinds.
D'arcy of Chicsetera shoots tea here - not a problem...
Me, I shoot backs - also not a problem, like this Printemps esculator rider...
Or dans la rue...
A cobalt blue short skirt caught on rue Saint Honore...
A cobalt blue collar, worn by famous Colette dog belonging to FAB rue Saint Honore boutique.
Colette dog shot inside Colette with matching blue chairs - I was given permission...
Bear gets a smackdown when he attempts to shoot anything else inside Colette though...
In Colette's stunning blue loo Bear gets away with murder :)
Bear has decided he's an eater, not a fashionista shooter.
He will let Bill be the man-in-the-street and stick to what he does best - shooting macarons and pastry shops etc.
BONJOUR BILL CUNNINGHAM!!!
PS