Packaging Paris

 

They were giving away this beautiful bag yesterday. I wish I’d taken one 

At Packaging Paris at Porte de Versailles. Yes, we had light snowflakes ❄️ gone by noon.

I love going to Paris trade shows, but this was my 1st time at the luxury packaging show. It was insightful.

You wanted to go shopping. All those bags 🛍️

But seeing empty boxes 

Of luxury brands you thought you coveted in your dreams like Valentino or Loro Piano, 

Puts it all in a different perspective. How easily we are seduced into wanting things. 

The white camellia and satin ribbon 🎀 on a Chanel shopping bag are part of the lure, as much as the bag or shoe within. 

Like the bright feathers 🪶 a fisherman puts on his line, we are reeled in. 

The perfume bottles section was intriguing 

Prototypes like sculptured works of art

Carved glass perfume bottle tops.

I will never stop collecting perfume cards to put in your Paris Letters. 

Extravagant perfume cards lurk in airport duty-free shops, when bored customers are at their most impulsive.

Perfume touche cards. Those white paper strips salesgirls wave at you. A way to sample perfume without smelling like a tropical hothouse.

Bottle designers taking a different approach, showing their rough sketches

And then giant blowups of the final designs. 

The US with a population of 300,000,000, sells 50,000,000 bottles of perfume annually. France, with a population of 60,000,000, sells 60,000,000 bottles of perfume annually. No wonder Flaconnage is big business.

Speaking of beautiful bottles

And Champagne 🍾 bottle tops

Speaking of Champagne, there were no snacks. Only dishes of hard candies & a Champagne 🥂 bar busy with people making deals. 

 It’s a big fascinating show with food for thought, if nothing to eat, unlike foodie shows I go to. A look behind the curtain at how magic is created to make us buy.

This weekend, at Porte de Versailles, the International Lingerie Salon is on.

The Salon du Marriage.

And Europain where there will be excessive snacking ☺️

Plus the fabulous Maison & Objet is on at Villepinte if I can get out there. *To find out what’s on at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles - check their WEBSITE.

My train home stopped at Sévres-Babylon. I got out for a bite. It was interesting walking through Bon Marché & seeing similar luxury products. I felt less enticed.

Illustrated Chocolate Map of Paris.
I’m Carol Gillott, an artist living in Paris. Every month I send out beautifully illustrated letters that capture the true Parisian experience. Sign up to receive these whimsical treasures in the mail.

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Women are still trying on Borsalino-style hats ‘on sale’ at 20% off 249€ at Bon Marché. No deals yet.