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

Paris Hair

Paris is a 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 Galeries Lafayette Home, when I heard someone say,
"Moi, j'adore les rayee!"/Me, I adore stripes with the emphasis on the adore.
Back in the appart 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'll tell you she ADORES Berthillon
There is no ice cream but Berthillon, particularly caramel au beurre salĂ©. Kyle adores Tarte Tatin He kept hinting I should order it at chez Georges (so he could eat mine?) I did not. I would be tempted to eat it 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 on the street.
Bien sur the French adore their Alice (A-Leece).
An unbeatable combo held in great esteem - Repetto ballerines .
Fr Girl could not believe that I wanted to leave behind my Repetto ribboned bag and take 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.   
  
"RUN! vite vite vite!" and I did.
Even if you're from Kansas, 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!

Moi, j'adore les palmiers, but the voices in my head said, Parisiens ADORE New York. It's true.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Bill Cunningham NYC, Paris

Bill Cunningham-man-on-the street for the NYTimes has a new movie out on his shenanigans shooting 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
Inside I got to stand with the BIG BOYS - the Pros on the podium. It's crowded and a lot of messy hair that gets in your viewfinder, but there's a great comraderie making it tremendous fun.
The Big Boys run to shoot a blond celeb - no way I can get in there. *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 standing with the pros than grabbing a numbered seat in the bleachers.The Wall Street Journal has the whole scoop.

 Parisienne Anne of MesVitrinesNYC covers Paris fashion windows meticulously with wit.
Peter'sParis captures perfectly Paris monuments of all kinds.
D'arcy of Chicsetera shoots tea - not a problem.
Me, I shoot backs - also not a problem, like a Printemps escalator rider.
Or dans la rue
A short cobalt blue skirt on rue Saint Honore.
Colette's dog shot inside with matching blue chairs - I was given permission.
In Colette's stunning blue loo Bear gets away with murder
Bear has decided he's an eater, not a fashion shooter.
He'll let Bill C. be man-in-the-street and stick to what he does best - shooting macarons and pastry shops etc.
BONJOUR BILL CUNNINGHAM!