A pink Miss Dior Christmas

 

Carolyn asked me to paint her fav perfume, Miss Dior and emailed some photos. Intrigued I started sketching. Yesterday for more research I went to Dior’s flagship store at 30, Avenue Montaigne but no pretty Christmas decorations.

Next best thing - head over to Galeries Lafayette and their fabulous perfume counter surrounding the big tree. Don’t they say to feel uplifted, paint your room pink? Don’t we all need this in 2020? 

Wouldn’t it be heaven to have your own drawer of perf samples like this vendeuse? 

Parfum Guerlain is fond of pink.  They had a big range of shades. Lots of perfumes are colored pink. Why? More feminine appeal? To uplift us?

The history of Miss Dior perfume is surprising. It came out exactly when Christian Dior had his first show in December 1947. Not as an afterthought. Dior dedicated it to his dear sister, Catherine, who was a fierce fighter in the resistance and his life-long support. The original bottle shape was amphora-shaped like a woman’s body. 

In 2011 it changed shape and Natalie Portman became the spokesperson. Did you see Christian Dior, couturier du reve, musee des Arts last year? And there was a divine homage to Miss Dior Grand Palais In 2013.

I have a fab collection of Miss Dior perfume cards, even a flip book showing the evolution of a bow dress to the perfume bottle.

 Still thinking pink, Printemps decorated their l’arbre d’Noël in a pinkie theme. 

Take a closer look. Oui o non?

In the entry way you can win a pink flamingo if you’re lucky. What is it about pink?

Also in the entry way you can buy Ladurée’s pink Marie-Antoinette buche de Noël. Every Christmas I dream about owning a Nerides pink ballerina (for pre-teens). Some people never grow up. Thanks for reading parisbreakfast. You can receive Parisbreakfast letters, maps and Miss Dior watercolors in your mailbox📮. 

                    ❤️💋🐻Have a pink Sunday PBers❤️💋🐻 

Le Bon Marche - le Rois des Forêts

 

Last night post-postal 📮 run, I went to see Le Bon Marché fabulous holiday decorations. It’s usually a celebration of the l’arbre de Noël. Last year the trees were green. 

This year they are snow-covered and sparkly. 

Looking up and looking down from the escalator.

                                And at eye-level. 

Bon Marché in a snow globe. 

A fabulous pile of white and gold Guerlain perfume bottles. 

Inside the Grand Epicerie next door, mountains of Italian panettone. The French are mad for it. In New York I never even tasted it. Now I can’t keep my paws off it - the mini single-servings (more like a cupcake) are hard to resist. 

Grand Epicerie‘s macarons have always been superb. These are the big ones. The colors! 

A fir tree gateau to match the store decorations. 

Why are the staff always more chic than the customers? I was looking rag-tag after a day of shipping out Marie-Antoinette 💌 letters...ahem. 

The good news is they left me alone to shoot📸 whatever I liked 😃 Particularly the luxe perfume bottles. 

I’m obsessed with painting perfume!

Outside beautiful, sparkly lights. An even better light show in front of my house by the Seine. A French guy, talking on his phone, waltzed by, completely missing the beauty of the night. He asked if I was OK? Never better❤️ Thank you for keeping Bear in Paris 🐻💋

Astier de Villatte

 

Friday night, after my run to la Poste 📮 in the dark and cold drizzle 

I went uptown to Astier de Villatte for my annual look at the best tree decorations on the planet. 

Usually by this time in December, one has missed the boat. 

Smart Parisians get their tree decor as soon as it arrives at Astier in November. 

But with the recent month-long Lockdown I was in luck 🤸🏾‍♀️👏👏

I’m pleased to report plenty of goodies filled the little room upstairs. 

Just because you don’t have a tree, doesn’t mean you can’t browse tree ornaments. 

It’s the perfect escape into childhood. Today I visited the ‘downtown’ Astier de Villatte for the 1st time, but that’s a tale for another day. 

While we’re in our current mad state of escape and denial of realité, consider a gift for yourself or a friend of a 6-pack of Marie-Antoinette whimsical letters (sent out flat with a bit of pink ribbon and a perfume card or two). What a great source of escape dear M-A provides with a helping hand from Sophia. Ladurée is certainly one big Marie-Antoinette time-machine. Look, even the Paris Metro is decked out in tree ornaments. Please be good PBers. I have more Paris shops for you ❤️! 

🐻 sends a hug 💋

Mélodies Graphiques

Yesterday I ran to marché Baudoyer on rue Saint Antoine to buy a wreathe. I want my studio to smell like a pine forest. 

For some reason French Noël trees do not smell piney. Why? Meredith Mullens bought a wreathe and said her place was a veritable forest. But no luck at the marché. I’ll keep looking. 

On the way home a stop in Merveille de Fred. Remember when there were only meringues in Paris and NO macarons? I still love meringues and got two(1,50€ each). Munch, munch. 

I continued down to 10, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, a street loaded with treasure shops. 

None more delightful than papeterie Melodies Graphiques 

An Aladin’s cave of treasures. 

I don’t know... 

If they ship internationally.

But you can try. Bonne chance 🙏

I peeked inside. 

What if I could put a wax stamp on your Paris Letters 💌? How divine, but I don’t think my envelopes are sturdy enough..are they? 

Meet adorable Osia. She went shopping today at Chanel. Dogs and cats are flocking. Are the Winter Sales on? The Paris grey day view from bus 72 coming home. Is there a Parisian shop you’d like me to visit if I can? Please be good and stay safe dear PBers 🙏🐻❤️

 

La Petite Epicerie de la Tour

 

This morning I ran out to get some scallops and thought I’d pick up a few madeleines on the way... 

But the line looked too long. I went on my way and et voila! 

A week-old new epicerie  just a few steps along the quai de la Tournelle. I had to go inside and investigate, right? 

Lots of petit things to adore like breakfast jars of apricot jam (3,50€) and other fait maison (house-made) flavors, sitting in copper cauldrons.

Mini French blue tins of La Tour d’Argent signature tea (6€). 

Awfully nice kitchen things, but note they* do not yet ship outside France so far. 

Boxes of fresh farm produce (15€) covered in good French terroir (dirt). The French require it for authenticity IMHO. 

Of course there are wines and a lovely cave area. 

Tour d’Argent is renown for its famous wine collection so their selections must be good. 

I went back to Boulanger de la Tour for the madeleines to complete my still life. 

I didn’t mind waiting a bit 😃🐻❤️