By Cynthia Rose

Photo: Steve Sampson

Paris can transform expatriate artists into entrepreneurs (think Nancy Cunard or Sylvia Beach), and Kumi Ozaki-Charau is one modern example. She moved from Japan as an Air France employee. But Ozaki-Charau now has her own company, Mingouwou, as well as her own label: Rani Mingouwou Paris. Through these, she produces one-off sacs (handbags) and jewelry.

A different passion inspires her concert series, Kumi’s Classiques, a Parisian showcase for young classical musicians. If you’re the sort of girl who’s out every night, Ozaki-Charau’s face may be familiar from openings, expos and concerts.

Tell us a bit about the Japanese community here.
The Paris community is quite large, from people who work for Japanese companies to artists, scholars, students and those, like me, who married a French person. It produces small newspapers, in French and Japanese, such as OVNI, the Association Amicale des Ressortissants Japonais en France or JIPANGO. The Japanese district, so-called, is between Palais Royal and Opéra.

Describe your handbags and rings . . . I love them!
I make my sacs out of cloth I create by knitting together pieces of different fabrics. The result is like an abstract painting where the shades intertwine. My rings use glass and crystal beads; their differences come from the beads’ shapes, sizes and colors. For me, what matters most is the relation between the ring and the personality of the woman who wears it.

© B. Lomont

How did you establish your company?
So many of my designs were selling that I needed legal status, thus I became what the French call an auto-entrepreneur. This is easy to do now, with just a few mouse clicks. My brand name, Rani Mingouwou Paris, mixes Hindi, Japanese and Chinese, but it uses a French spelling. “Rani” means “mon amour,” and Mingouwou is my home city, Nagoya, as it is pronounced in Chinese. Because I now have had many years of la vie parisienne, each of my creations says "Nagoya Mon Amour!"

Where can we find Rani Mingouwou Paris items?
In addition to private orders, I sell sacs and rings in places such as Les Ateliers du Créatur or via BOX or Jhin.

How did you start Kumi’s Classiques?
In Paris you can always hear famous orchestras, conductors and soloists. Anyone can find these via the monthly Cadences, or the weeklies Pariscope and l’Officiel des spectacles. Hearing so much music, I discovered that many young musicians rarely get to play for an audience. I started Kumi’s Classiques to do something about that.

How does it work?
Attendees are notified by email, and anyone can subscribe. Most concerts are free, but audience members give what they want; all money goes toward piano tuning and to the musicians. I feel honored that my artists give me their trust. They rely on me to organize everything.

When you take a day off to enjoy Paris, what do you do?
I go to areas that change my “Paris culture”—Gare de l’Est, La Chapelle, Gare du Nord or Barbès-Rochechouart. I’ll swim in my favorite pool, the Piscine de la Butte-aux-Cailles, whose water comes from hot springs. Or, when it’s fine, I love being in the Jardin du Luxembourg, with a book or my knitting. There I can time-travel back to Impressionism. In the evening I might see a ballet at the Opéra national de Paris or a concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

Courtesy Mingouwou

What quartier would you recommend to a visitor?
I live in the 13th, which has Paris’s biggest Chinatown, but also a very old French side: La Butte-aux-Cailles. It’s like a village with architecture inspired by Alsace and Russia, as well as Art Nouveau. There are artists, boutiques and a fountain with fresh spring water.

What is one favorite thing you do with friends?
Three places I go with friends for a quiet tea or coffee break are Zen Zoo Thesaurus, Thé de Chine (which has superb dim-sum lunches) and Jolly Hotel Lotti.

Where do you go for something new?
I love Paris because it's French but also not only French. For me, the Chinese, African, Pakistani, Tamil, Turkish, Algerian and Jewish parts of town are full of discoveries. If you are daring, try some Chinese or Tamil food. For authentic Chinese cuisine, I recommend Fleurs de Mai or Chez Shen and, for spicy Tamil, Gowri-Villas.

Where would you celebrate a special occasion?
With a concert at the Salle Pleyel, followed by a dinner at La Maison Blanche, with its beautiful view of Paris!

Kumi's Classiques Free Concerts in March

Friday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m.
École de Langues A.A.A. (Association des Amitiés Asiatiques)
21, rue d’Antin, in the 2nd. Metro: Opéra or Pyramides.
Performers: Kenji Nagaki (cello) and Miho Nagata (piano).
Program: Schumann, Fauré, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak
and Debussy.

Monday, March 15, at 8:30 p.m.
Église Réformée de Paris-Luxembourg, St.-Germain
58, rue Madame, in the 6th. Metro: Rennes or St.-Placide.
Performers: Naoko Sakagawa (oboe) and Yoko Nakamoto (piano).
Program: Marcel Bitsch, Jules Massenet, Jean-Michel Damase,
Maurice Ravel, Debussy and Saint-Saëns.

For more information, or to subscribe to Kumi's Classiques, email kumi.charau@hotmail.fr.

INFO

BOX
48, Passage Choiseul, in the 2nd.
(Passage Choiseul runs from 40, rue des Petits Champs to 23, rue St.-Augustin.
Passage hours: Mon–Sat, 7 a.m.–9 p.m.)

Chez Shen
39, rue au Maire, in the 3rd. 01 48 87 88 06.

Gowri-Villas
53, rue Louis Blanc, in the 10th. 01 42 05 72 65.

Jhin
5, rue de Condé, in the 6th.

Mingouwou
18, blvd Arago, in the 13th.

Thé de Chine
20, blvd St.-Germain, in the 5th. 01 40 46 98 89.

By Doni Belau

Susan Shup is an American artist living in Paris. She works at her Marais atelier, the SHUPSHOP, and is represented by the dealer Rabih Hage in London. I visited her recently to explore her world of painting, drawing, books, videos, animation, murals, spoken word pieces, performance art and projects for Hermès and others—this woman can do it all. Plus, she is fun, gorgeous and charming. If you are an art collector or want to become one, make an appointment to visit Susan. Her lithographs sell for $700, and prices for her extraordinary paintings reach $10,000 and beyond. Her art is owned by many important collectors, including the billionaire New York financier Ronald Perelman. Just a visit to her website will give you an idea of how much fun she has making art. In another life, many of us hope to come back as Susan.

You are an American artist living in Paris. What led you to become an artist, and why move to Paris?
I've always been an artist. As long as I can remember I've kept journals that I fill with poems and drawings and, for a period when I was around eight, these strange still-life paintings. In my teens I went through a French bohemian phase—berets, black turtleneck sweaters. Looking back, I think I was acting out my future; I was destined to live in Paris. I don't wear berets anymore—they do nothing for me, but I still wear the black turtlenecks, and I do incorporate still-life imagery into some of my paintings. As far as moving to Paris, my husband and I were living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and we both wanted a change. He had job offers in several places, including Paris. We visited different cities, but once we arrived in Paris the choice was easy!

Who and what has inspired your work?
The great American Expressionist painters of the 1950s were my first masters. My other influences include, of course, Matisse, Cézanne and Kandinsky. Sonia Delaunay is very important to me as someone who was able to work and be appreciated, not only as a painter, but as a designer and a textile artist. Niki de Saint Phalle was one of my favorite Americans in Paris—I think about her a lot. The list goes on and on and on: Dada, Fluxus, Warhol, Rauschenberg. I love Bruce Nauman; I love Edward Ruscha; I'm very inspired by Navajo textiles, Amish quilts, African tribal art . . . Also, I'm a real product of the TV generation, and my work continues to be informed by media and music.

Where did you grow up, and how long have you lived in Paris? What is the major difference between living in Paris and in the US?
I grew up near a small city in northeastern Pennsylvania and also in Madison, Wisconsin. In my early 20s I moved to Boston. Besides the obvious differences of language and culture, Paris is the biggest city I've ever lived in, so that was different for me. Now I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else—25 years! I'm still not French, but I definitely consider myself une parisienne.

How has Paris influenced your work?
About 10 years ago I began a series of paintings about women, Parisians. They were big figurative paintings—mostly nudes, with slogans painted over the women instead of clothes. Formally the slogans were like advertising slogans, but the words weren't there for marketing purposes. They investigated the complex nature of women—how people shouldn't be judged by appearance. My women were empowered; they could be posing like models, but in reality they were much more. They were businesswomen or doctors or poets or artists. Then I started drawing attributes (accessories!) for them—bags, shoes, furniture—which was a lot of fun since I had been doing nonobjective paintings for years. The Parisian fashion world is huge, and there is a lot of interfacing between the worlds of art and fashion, or art and communications. Trend forecasters look very carefully at contemporary art. A lot of my friends work in fashion in Paris, and with these paintings and other video and sound pieces I've explored the world of fashion. (Editor's note: you can see one of Susan's animations here.) I'm not sure my work would have taken this direction had I stayed in Boston. Now I'm working on a graphic novel that takes place in Paris.

Susan Shup, BRIGHT, mixed media on paper, 76 x 57cm (30 x 22.5 in).

What mediums do you work in primarily? Where do most of your collectors come from?
I'm a painter first and foremost, but I've always written stories and found it natural to work in sound and video. For the last couple of years I've developed what I like to call "art products": art-driven objects such as jewelry, T-shirts and books. I've also done site-specific installations (now mostly digital) and have designed textiles for several young designers. I have collectors in France, Belgium and Switzerland as well as the United States. My gallery, Rabih Hage, is located in London, and my work is also in British collections.

Describe the neighborhood where you live, your atelier and what you love about the area.
I have the incredible luck to live and work in probably the most beautiful neighborhood in Paris, the Marais. My studio is a five- to ten-minute walk from my apartment, and every day I see some of the most incredible architecture in the city—the famous hôtels particuliers of the rue des Francs Bourgeois, museums like the Pompidou Center and the Musée Carnavalet—and breathtakingly beautiful squares and parks, like the Place des Vosges. It's also the contemporary art gallery district and has fabulous cafés with fun people-watching, great shopping, and lately better and better restaurants. You can tell I really like it here. My atelier is on the rue Vieille-du-Temple in what was once a 17th-century palace—though it must be one of the only buildings in the neighborhood not to have been gentrified yet!

What is the concept behind the name SHUPSHOP?
The art world has always been one of my favorite subjects, the art world and the artist. My first video performance piece was called Le Shupping, and it was a series of very pathetic and comic sketches, blatant attempts at self-promotion. Le Shupping was a satirical exploration of that part of the artist's life; in it I developed a SHUP jingle: "SHOP SHUP SHOP SHUP SHOP SHOP SHOP SUSAN SHUP…" There were tons of close-ups of me, the seductive artist, and I repeated the name SHUP every chance I got, dozens of times, hoping to make it a household word, like Coca-Cola. "SHOP SHUP!" became a cheer, a mantra, a dream, a prayer, and eventually it became reversed—SHUPSHOP—and it stuck. About 10 years ago, when I found my rue Vieille-du-Temple studio, it officially became the SHUPSHOP. It's my "factory," workshop, production company, trademark and my favorite subject matter.

Describe your favorite day in Paris.
A perfect day would start with my husband going and getting croissants and the amazing hazelnut rolls from Gérard Mulot's Marais location. I love to cook, so then I would go to the marché—we have a nice Saturday market with great fish and vegetables at the Place Baudoyer. Since this would be a perfect day, I would have the time to make a great meal without rushing and to take in an art show or get to the SHUPSHOP a little before having friends over to share dinner.

What are your favorite haunts in your arrondissement or beyond (restos, shops, cultural experiences)?
I love to cook, but I also LOVE going out to eat. I'm a real foodie, and the food in Paris has never been better. Some of my favorite bistros and restaurants in the Marais are Restaurant Le Hangar, Glou One, Il Prezzemolo (the best pizza I've ever had here!), Au Bourguignon du Marais, Le Gaigne and Monjul. I love Asian food, and near me on the rue Ferdinand Duval there's a nice little Vietnamese-French fusion restaurant called Les Elles, and a good Korean spot, Maison Marais. I also love going for lunch to Issé on the rue de Richelieu. Plus, I'll cross the river anytime to go to Ze Kitchen Galerie, Le Comptoir du Relais, Itinéraires or Le Fogón.

If you had to leave Paris, what would you miss the most?
I would miss the sheer beauty of Paris—it is the most beautiful city in the world. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

Do you have a favorite French quote or word?
Avant-garde.

You are probably discovering new things each week in Paris—what’s your favorite new find?
The wonderful hair salon Rachel Benaich Coiffure. She's one of the very best colorists and coiffeurs in Paris, and she just opened a new facial spa that I have to try!

If Paris were a movie, a song or a piece of art, what would it be?
"C'est si Bon," preferably sung by Yves Montand.

INFO

Restaurant Le Hangar
12, Impasse Berthaud, in the 3rd.
01 42 74 55 44.

Glou One
101, rue Vieille-du-Temple, in the 3rd.
01 42 74 44 32.

Il Prezzemolo
13, rue Commines, in the 3rd.
01 42 77 79 25.

Au Bourguignon du Marais
52, rue François Miron, in the 4th.
01 48 87 15 40.

Les Elles
5, rue Ferdinand Duval, in the 4th.
01 42 71 63 88.

Le Comptoir du Relais
9, Carrefour de l'Odéon, in the 6th.
01 44 27 07 97.

Rachel Benaich Coiffure
51, rue des Francs Bourgeois, in the 4th.
01 42 72 91 68.

By Amy Barnard

An LA girl who has spent more than 10 years in France, where she married and had her children, Debra Ollivier is the author of Entre Nous: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl and What French Women Know: About Love, Sex, and Other Matters of the Heart and Mind. Who better to give us a little sample of Parisian pleasures?

What drove you to write two books on the cultural differences between French and American women?
My first book, Entre Nous, was a commission, so the book remained somewhat general. My most recent book, What French Women Know, however, was not a commission. Curiously enough, it was written partly out of frustration. Having lived so long in France, I got annoyed at the recycled stereotypes about French women. We Americans are drawn to the French for their food, their fashion and what they seem to know about love/sex. I wanted to focus on the latter, but go deeper: If French women seem so sexy, it's not because of their surface glam (the clothes, scarves, high heels, perfume) or because they don't get fat (of course they do). It's because they grow up with a different cultural mindset that's hardwired practically at birth. I wanted to dig deep into this mindset, debunk a few myths and have fun in an ironic, comparative way. I wanted to write the quintessential book that would put the stereotypes to rest—or at least explain them in a brainy but witty way, and provide a lot of good (French) food for thought.

What French precepts do you hope your own daughter will always remember?
I hope my daughter will grow up knowing the fine art of not giving a damn, and learning how to cultivate her inner beauty as an asset.

One French precept my mother taught me is “souci de soi” (care for oneself). Where in Paris do you go for yours?
In Paris I go to any number of places, whether it's the Yves Rocher boutique/salon down the street or a more high-end salon on the other side of the Seine. I don't have an allegiance to any one specific place.

It’s generally accepted that Americans should take pages from a French girl’s book—but what do you think French girls could stand to learn from their American counterparts?
I think French girls could benefit from learning about American-style sisterhood—not in the feminist sense of the word, but in the social sense. French women are generally far more distant than American women and harder to get to know. What they perceive as superficial bonding is often a genuine sense of connection that many American women feel among one another.

We all agree that the specific look of French girls is very personal. Which Parisian boutiques do you yourself visit?
I've lived in the 19th Arrondissement for over 10 years, so I go to local boutiques or to places in the Marais, like Bensimon, and other shops on/around the rue des Francs-Bourgeois. I rarely shop in the left bank; in Paris you discover the best boutiques in the most unlikely places—even in open markets.

Each of us has at least one French foodie weakness (foie gras and tartelette aux framboises in my case). What’s your petit péché mignon (guilty pleasure), and where do you find it?
My foodie weakness is definitely bread. (Though I'm with you on the foie gras—second on my list!) Our apartment is a stone's throw from Boulangerie au 140, which won the Best Baguette award many years ago. Well earned—trust me!

What does your favorite day in Paris consist of?
My favorite day in Paris usually involves a walk through the Marais or the Place des Vosges, a visit to an offbeat museum (like the curious Musée de la Serrure* or some other unusual place) and a stop at either a flea market or a farmer’s market. Of course, part of a “favorite day” in Paris also involves the unexpected: stumbling on a little gallery or shop I’ve never known about, or having a chance encounter with a shopkeeper.

Describe what you love about Paris and what it means to you.
Paris is culture—both high culture and bohemian culture. For me, it is where the intellectual and the aesthetic come together and are truly exalted. It’s also a nexus of sophistication and authenticity. I love this about Paris, but I also love the way the modern lies on top of the ancient, how despite progress there is still the patina of age and history to all things.

What’s your favorite French saying?
“Pourquoi pas?”

If there were one thing in Paris you'd tell your best girlfriend not to miss, what would it be?
Any farmer’s market. Any flea market. Any museum.

*Sadly, we’ve heard that the Musée de la Serrure is closed, and we haven’t been able to find out if it will reopen in the future. If you have news on this subject, please contact us!

By Doni Belau

Maeggie Mailliet is a 30-year resident of Montmartre and a friend. She was born and raised in Switzerland but now considers herself a Parisian (almost). To me, she is the quintessential Parisian woman, an ideal I strive for. Charming, elegant, fashionable and very, very kind—oh, and did I mention generous? I often rent her apartment, Villa Montmartre in Montmartre (bien sûr), and highly recommend it to friends and fans of our site. She is truly one of the loveliest women I’ve met in years. She has spectacular taste, not to mention that unique Parisian quality of always looking chic without having a huge closetful of clothes. She spent her life in the hotel and hospitality field and remains a great source for everything in Paris. She even brought me soup once when I caught a cold (probably from the airplane) while staying at her place. Now that’s pretty sweet. She recently has been delighted by the birth of her first granddaughter.

You were in the hotel and hospitality business for most of your career. Tell us what you loved and what you didn’t like about the business.
I have worked in the hotel and hospitality business in many different areas. I worked for Swissair as a flight attendant during the great time of aviation and felt at home in New York and Chicago—as well as horseback riding with the gauchos in Argentina, surfing and nearly dying in the waves of Copacabana, driving a friend's old American Army Jeep in Senegal’s sands and looking for elephants and rhinos in Kenya. After moving from Switzerland to Paris I worked more than 10 years for Club Med’s president. Next I created, with my husband, a very important sports and hotel complex on the outskirts of Paris, an innovative project. After 10 years that place was taken over by a large company; then I joined the hotel reservation organization for the World Cup in Paris. My job in the last years was the opening and press launch of the Sofitel flagship at the Faubourg St.-Honoré, where I was working with all the international branches of the group and most of the luxury brands of the world.

Can you give us any funny/odd/interesting stories of guests who stayed at your hotel? Any outlandish requests?
When I offered a famous pop star a copy of the original “manuscript” written by Mozart of Don Giovanni and he said to me: “He was great musician . . . ”

Describe where you grew up and how you found your way to Paris.
I was already dreaming as a child to escape Switzerland and left at age 18 for six months to learn better French at the Alliance Française. After traveling all around the world I met a charming French man who gave me the opportunity to come back to Paris, where I got married and had two children.

What was it like raising children in Paris?
It was really fabulous to raise children in Montmartre, living in Villa des Platanes with a private garden. The children had a wonderful childhood with lot of friends, completely free to come and go, with the schools nearby.

You now rent out one of your apartments to weekly travelers. Where do most of your clients come from, and what do they enjoy about staying with you? Have you met some interesting visitors?
Most of my guests are from North America and quite a few from Australia. Most are very interesting people (university professors, famous photographers, even an ex-minister), loving and enjoying Paris. Almost all are very surprised when they arrive in the apartment and appreciate very much the decoration and the exceptionally quiet and very private location.

You have lived in Montmartre for a long time. Is it different from other areas of Paris? What do you love about the neighborhood?
Montmartre is still a village. I can never just go and get something without running into two or three neighbors that I know. I live on a private property in the middle of trees and flowers with singing birds, yet I am 10 minutes away from the heart of Paris—it’s a real privilege.

Describe your favorite day in Paris.
Meeting friends in a café or going to the Faubourg St.-Honoré to meet my friend Casoar, who sells the most beautiful costume jewelry. Crossing with my car between the Grand and Petit Palais during the day or night for the absolutely stunning view.

What are your favorite haunts (restos, shops, cultural experiences) in Montmartre?
In Montmartre I love the little bistros and the Italian restaurant around my place and La Mascotte, at rue des Abbesses, for the ambience. I like the Russian designer Tatiana Lebedev, who does absolutely great jackets and coats at rue Houdon.

As you are Swiss and neutral, how would you describe your French friends versus the American or British ones—what’s the most obvious difference?
It is difficult to say. After 30 years I am no longer Swiss and not completely French. I really like the melting pot of big cities and enjoy open-minded people.

If you had to leave Paris, what would you miss the most?
Everything. Montmartre and the church bells ringing.

Editor's Note: Maeggie’s apartment is rated very highly by users on Flip Key (TripAdvisor’s apartment site), but let’s keep it between you and me because I want to be able to stay there now and then!

By Doni Belau

Susan Tabak has everyone’s fantasy job. She has the pleasure of attending the fashion shows in Paris each season and is just back from the most recent one. Susan has a website where she catalogs all of her finds and her interviews with this season’s hottest designers. We do not feel sorry for her. While she may live most of the year in New York, her heart is in Paris. Her most recent visit to the Dior show on February 2 is a must-watch, and we also recommend this YSL video from her fall trip.

When did you start your blog and what inspired you to do it?
I started my blog in January 2007, shortly after my book, Chic in Paris: Style Secrets & Best Addresses, came out. My book was such a big success—I thought writing a blog would be a good way to keep my name out there.

When and how did you get into the world of fashion?
I have loved fashion all my life. I started [my business] Paris Personal Shopper in 2001. I have been shopping in Paris all my life—I thought I could do this for others, and after the success of my book I discontinued the shopping aspect of my business.

Please tell us a bit more about Chic in Paris. And where can we buy it?
My book is eight interviews with eight women who work in Paris, who had given me their personal style philosophies and their favorite addresses. It was written with the intention of promoting my shopping business. But in reality it took on a life of its own. You can buy it on Amazon and in Paris.

Who are your favorite designers—haute couture as well as up-and-coming Parisian designers?
Favorite HC would be Givenchy and Chanel. I love all fashion, but I adore Alexander McQueen, Lanvin, Azzedine Alaïa, Balmain and Pucci.

What does your favorite day consist of in Paris? Where are the places you must go, and what are the things you must do to make it the “perfect” day?
I really love to explore—every day is different, and I never repeat.

What is your current favorite restaurant in Paris, favorite hotel and favorite shop?
I stay at the Bristol. I have many restaurants that I like—Le Voltaire, Le Stresa, L’Avénue and La Société are a few. I have too many shops in Paris that I love, but I always stop at Colette and Lydia Courteille for jewelry.

Describe your current fashion find.
Pucci’s new designer, Peter Dundas, has changed the brand from dowdy to chic.

What is the one item that you must travel with?
I am a terrible packer. I pack a lot of clothes because I have so many different events.

Describe your first trip to Paris and what it meant to you.
My first trip to Paris was when I was 12, and I was instantly seduced.

Where would you guide a girl on a budget? Is there something free that you love to do in Paris?
I love to walk.

Read more of Susan’s chic shopping recommendations here, and check out her tips on hotel and resorts, too.

INFO

Azzedine Alaïa
7, rue de Moussy, in the 4th Arrondissement. 01 42 72 19 19.

Le Voltaire
27, quai Voltaire, in the 7th. 08 99 69 06 62. 

By Amy Barnard

Penelope Bagieu, a 26-year-old Parisian-born illustrator for such clients as Nestle, Crédit Agricole and EDF, has become a Paris name through her blog, which has led to three incredibly successful comic books: Ma Vie Est Toute à Fait Fascinante, Josephine and Josephine 2: Même Pas Mal.

When did you start your Penelope Jolicoeur blog, and why?
In February 2007, to make me draw for myself, outside of my work as an advertising illustrator.

I’ve heard the blog and your first comic book, Ma Vie Est Tout à Fait Fascinante, referred to as the parisienne answer to Bridget Jones. How does that make you feel?
It flattered me a lot, obviously! I adored the two novels by Helen Fielding and saw a lot of myself in them, so it’s great if girls also see themselves in what I write!

What does your favorite day consist of in Paris? Where are the two or three places you must go, and what are the two or three things you must do to make it the "perfect" day?
Drinking my coffee in Le Café de l’Industrie in my neighborhood in the morning with Le Monde newspaper; lunch in one of the little Japanese canteens, like Higuma, on the rue St.-Anne near the Palais Royal; doing a little shopping in the pretty boutiques on rue Charonne, especially French Trotters; a little jump to the Centre Pompidou; and finishing with a mojito at La Fourmi with my friends. That seems a really good "perfect day" to me!

Describe what you love about Paris and what it means to you.
The fact that it is at once both a big cosmopolitan city where you can find everything, and a succession of little districts that each have their own spirit and their regulars.

What is your favorite French saying?
It’s not a proverb, but what I generally respond to everything, because I don’t like losing my head: “On verra bien!”

What are the best free things to do in Paris, in your opinion?
Going tango dancing outside on the Quai St. Bernard in the evening (when it’s not too cold!).

Who is your own female French icon?
I’m not really sure. Probably Simone de Beauvoir.

Your blog depicts you as funky and fashion conscious with a bit of a "mod" angle. Where do you shop for your look?
Like everyone, lots of H&M and Zara, and lots at Asos and Urban Outfitters online! For the rest, I’m a die-hard fan of Sessùn; vintage shops like Adom, on rue de la Roquette, for boots; two or three good cashmeres from Eric Bompard to be really warm; and accessories bought from kids’ stores.

PENELOPE RECOMMENDS

Adom
56, rue de la Roquette, in the 11th Arrondissement.
Metro: Breguet-Sabin. 01 48 07 15 94.
Mon–Sat, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

Le Café de l’Industrie
16, rue St.-Sabin, in the 11th. 01 47 00 13 53.
Mon–Sat, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

La Fourmi
74, rue des Martyrs, in the 18th.
Metro: Pigalle. 01 42 64 70 35.

Higuma
32, rue St.-Anne, in the 1st.
Metro: Pyramides. 01 47 03 38 59.

Quai St. Bernard
Square Tino Rossi, in the 5th.
Metro: Gare d’Austerlitz; Buses: 24, 63, 89.
Every evening from May to September, sunset till midnight.

By Cynthia Rose

Courtesy Mireille Guiliano.

Mireille Guiliano’s life has been devoted to representing both French women and French luxury. Marriage to a US CEO (of the New York Institute of Technology) brought her from Paris to New York. There she helped found Clicquot, Inc., the US importer of Veuve Clicquot champagne; she also became a senior executive at luxury conglomerate LVMH. Her work life has always combined high pressure and continuous travel.

In 2005, however, she found time to write French Women Don't Get Fat, a book that achieved record international sales. When its follow-up, French Women for All Seasons, proved just as popular, Guiliano retired from decades of corporate life and became a full-time author. In October she published Women, Work and the Art of Savoir Faire, and April will see the first French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook. Mme Guiliano splits her time between Paris, Provence and Manhattan.

What inspired your latest book?
In terms of mentoring and shared experience, there is a paucity of business books by women for women—I mean everything from packing a suitcase to making a presentation! Whenever I spoke about other books, many women wanted to know more about my professional life, and they encouraged me to answer with a book. Finally I agreed: a “holistic” book on women and work could reach a broad audience and, hopefully, help some women. All of my books are designed to help people.

Was it easier to understand “home”—Paris, France and Europe—because you began working elsewhere?
Definitely. Only when living in another culture does one appreciate the good and bad parts of any culture. Furthermore, it made me realize the fundamental differences between French and American culture. I became more tolerant and less judgmental of others.

What difference does the Internet make in your work?
Men and women from all over the world contact me every day; I never expected to touch so many different lives! Also, websites give me an opportunity to engage with people daily, to observe both their struggles and accomplishments. This helps pinpoint the type of advice and content people look for to improve their lives. It’s due to overwhelming requests, for instance, that I wrote my upcoming cookbook!

You travel constantly. What helps you cope?
I fly at off-peak hours and, since I’ve seen my share of lost luggage ruin a relaxing trip, I never check luggage. Instead, I will FedEx or DHL clothes to my destination. I love Issey Miyake clothes, which fold into the size of a handkerchief, never wrinkle and can be washed and dried in no time. I always bring a cashmere wrap and my iPod—my husband put my favorite music on it, as well as my Italian lessons. Most important, I never eat on the plane. I bring nuts, dried fruits or a banana and maybe some hard cheese. When I arrive, I reward myself with a nice meal.

Courtesy Mireille Guiliano.

When you arrive in Paris, what cultural difference strikes you first?
The change of pace! The time and importance given to greetings and small talk—no matter how busy people are or how long the line is. People walking or biking to work and taking time to go out for lunch and eat at a table. Plus, the importance of conversation and laughter.

Let’s imagine a businesswoman (of any age) is headed to Paris, treating herself to a short vacation. Where do you suggest she stay?
The 6th Arrondissement has the features for my taste—that’s where I chose to live, near St. Sulpice. There are also great small hotels there, like Relais Christine, La Villa, Le Sénat, Le Relais Saint-Sulpice and Millésime.

What things should she be sure to see?
Small museums like the Musée Delacroix or the Musée Zadkine. My favorite bookstore, the Librairie des Femmes. The view from the Pont Neuf and the Luxembourg Gardens—especially near the Fontaine de Médicis or farther up, near rue Vavin.

Where would you tell her to shop?
In the boutiques along rue Jacob, rue Bonaparte and rue de la Cherche-Midi. She should try the treats at patisserie Gérard Mulot or the chocolate at Patrick Roger. There is a great Thai spa on the rue de Vaugirard. There are the great cafés, like Café de Flore and, for restaurants, she has great choices: from Hélène Darroze to La Marlotte, Huîtrerie Régis to Le Bistrot de l’Alycastre to KGB.

What about the day it rains all day?
Go and see a film. There is the Christine, for old movies—or, for current ones, any of the three theatres near Odeon. Or go to the most beautiful bookstore in Paris, Galignani; half of their 50,000 books are in English. Afterward, have tea next door at the splendid Starck-Dali salon of Le Meurice hotel. Plus, of course, it does not rain in department stores, such as Le Bon Marché!

What unique souvenir might a professional woman discover?
Scarves and belts—or interesting vintage and modern jewelry. Rue Bonaparte has nice shops, as does Le Marais. There I particularly like rue du roi de Sicile. Also the small streets around the Place des Vosges and up-and-coming areas on rue Charlot, rue Poitevin and rue de Turenne.

Courtesy Mireille Guiliano.

What gifts might she bring her husband, her sister or a friend?
I recommend ties, necklaces and food (from olive oil to chocolates), as well as leather items from wallets to bags. My foreign friends enjoy going to a smaller department store where the French go—like BHV on rue de Rivoli—more than the huge, touristy brand-carriers such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.

If you designed a day for introducing Paris to a visitor, how would it unfold?
I’d start with a typical breakfast (croissant and a crème) at an outdoor café on a quiet street, reading a paper. Then walk to a garden (after the Luxembourg, those of the Palais Royal and the Tuileries are ones I love). Wander the small streets in a left bank neighborhood, go to la Cour du Murier (the courtyard inside the Beaux-Arts school ENSBA) and to Musée Cluny.

Lunch would be the main meal. I would pick l’Atelier, which to me offers the best value in Paris for a terrific culinary experience. But it’s expensive, so figure $50 to $100 per person. For less, try a small bistro where the French eat home-style meals—the few on rue Lobineau come to mind. In the evening, see a ballet or attend a concert at Sainte Chapelle. Dine light afterward (read: seafood) in a brasserie.

I would not include any touristy shopping or sightseeing; crowds ruin things for me. But definitely include a walk along the Seine—if it’s sunny, in late afternoon, when the light and colors are magical.

If Paris were one film, one piece of music or one image for you, what would it be?
Paris is the city of lights and history, so anything from a biography of Madame Curie or Jeanne d’Arc to a daffy comedy. The music would be Offenbach’s La Vie parisienne and the photo would be Amoureux aux poireaux (Lovers with Leeks), by Robert Doisneau.

You advise drinking as much water as possible, but toilets are hard to find in Paris! Also, is it true one should never ask to use the toilet at a French dinner party?
When I was growing up, both were true. There was no asking for a WC at a party—and too few public toilets! But “an American” would be excused for asking to use the toilet in a home. As for public restrooms, there has always been a tradition of searching department stores, hotels and cafés. France also now has quite a few modern, high-tech sanisettes (public WCs) on the streets. In terms of that convenience, it probably went from last to first in the world!

Find out more about Mireille’s projects, web community and recommendations at her sites: Mireille Guiliano and French Women Don’t Get Fat.

By Cynthia Rose

© Jerry Bauer

Of all the writers trying to decode Parisian women, few succeed with the insight of journalist Agnès Catherine Poirier. Brought up in Paris’s 12th Arrondissement, Poirier studied at the Sorbonne and Sciences-Po as well as at the London School of Economics. Her first book, Les Nouveaux Anglais, caused a sensation—one echoed by the publication, in English, of Touché, a book about how it feels to be a parisienne outside of France. The books earned Poirier her place as UK correspondent for Libération, Le Figaro, Le Nouvel Observateur and Le Monde and made her a prominent media spokesperson for French womankind. Working between London, Paris and Italy, she contributes to many newspapers, including the Guardian (where her blog has become one of the paper’s most popular). Poirier’s website features selections from her writing and broadcasting, along with information on how to order her books.

How did you begin to write professionally?
I wrote my first article at age 22 for Le Monde—after I called the switchboard and asked to talk to the editor. I pitched a story, he liked it and the day after that it was published.

Why are you based in London rather than Paris?
In May 1995, when Chirac was elected president, the romantic student in me claimed I had no choice but political exile. The problem is, he was reelected in 2007, and then came even worse: Nicolas Sarkozy. Am I condemned to life in exile? Even Victor Hugo came back!

How do you explain very different cultures to one another?
You can only understand home once you have left and stayed away long enough. After 14 years, I now know what makes me so French. It’s the reflection of your own image in strangers’ eyes that is the trigger for self-understanding. To explain one’s culture, humor, self-criticism and lightness are all important. But the most important thing is knowledge of what makes us different. For instance, historical facts—the central event of the French Revolution still explains 90 percent of French attitudes today.

When you return to Paris, what is most apparent to you?
I’m struck by the fact that the French don’t realize how happy they are and how easy they have it. Even though Sarkozy is trying to undo the fabric of France and will succeed, little by little, if he’s not stopped.

What are your most treasured Parisian activities and places?
Walking everywhere and cycling. Cafés such as Panis on the quai de Montebello, Le Petit Fer à Cheval on rue Vieille-du-Temple, Le Bûcheron on the rue de Rivoli at St. Paul, Chez Prosper at the Place de la Nation or l'Abribus on rue de Bagnolet. Visiting Père Lachaise. Reading on a reclining chair at the Luxembourg Gardens, or seeing an old film in Latin Quarter cinemas like l’Arlequin, the Action Cinemas or Le Champo. Bread from Kayser on rue Monge and chocolate from Patrick Roger on boulevard St.-Germain. A trip to the Louvre. Really, just flâner (to go for a stroll).

As a native of Paris, what do you value most about the city?
What I like about Paris is its immanence; things change and they don’t. You can still go to bistros Stefan Zweig visited during the 1890s, around places such as Palais Royal, the rue Dauphine or the rue du Pot de Fer in Mouffetard. The alliance of grandeur and the quotidian is at every corner. Adam Gopnik in Paris to the Moon has written beautiful and enlightening pages about it.

What is one thing in Paris that is underpublicized but should not be missed?
The Cimétière de Picpus, where Lafayette is buried. It hasn’t changed since the 1790s.

Much has been written about the fashion preferences of parisiennes versus those of other women. What do you think? Where do you shop?
La parisienne is less adventurous than the Londoner in the sense that she will adopt black rather than a patchwork of odd colors (which can prove sublime or ridiculous). But she knows what suits her; she creates her own style. Londoners and New Yorkers are much more prone to the diktats of women's magazines. I buy my clothes vintage at the Paris flea markets: the marchés aux puces at Vanves, Montreuil and St.-Ouen. Also in Antwerp (designers' prototypes) and Italy.

Do you have a favorite French dictum?
"Quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire" (When the wine is drawn, it must be drunk).

What artists inspired you when you were young?
Off the top of my head, Victor Hugo, Jean Moulin, Françoise Sagan, Graham Greene and Orson Welles—and I have been in love with Gene Kelly since I was six years old.

When you travel so much for work, what tricks help you navigate the change between countries and cultures?
Everywhere I go, I re-create a routine, finding a café where I’ll go every morning, where people will recognize me year after year.

How does your Paris differ from your mother’s Paris? In what ways do you feel they are still the same?
My mother, a wonderful playwright and novelist, arrived in the mid-1950s. Paris was dark and dirty, a traffic inferno—but also an incredible intellectual hub. This has changed. Paris now is cleaner, more subdued and greener, too. We gain some, we lose some. I only wish Parisians would reclaim their revolutionary heritage and get rid of Sarkozy with their bare hands!

By Amy Barnard

Gilles Rammant

Juliette Dragon is the sobriquet of the creative director of the Cabaret des Filles de Joie, an avant-garde burlesque troupe enjoying much popularity in Paris. Not content with straight burlesque, Juliette and her filles incorporate live fire acts and more than just a little soupçon of feisty rock-and-roll attitude. Juliette recently produced the International Paris Burlesque Festival, which took place in October.

When did your begin your current career and who/what was your inspiration?
I started working in the performance industry in 1993 with a queer cabaret collective in the South of France. We organized rave parties in the countryside with huge installations in the trees, and everybody dressed to the nines with glitter, over-the-top makeup and colorful, outrageously dramatic costumes! Sabrina was the eccentric, talented and famous drag queen who was a mentor to us all. She taught me to make up and transform myself. While the men transformed into women, I transformed from girl into “femme.”

So I started as a transformist girl playing all the woman roles. This subject fascinates me still: woman and her power of seduction, the codes of the almighty female (eternel feminin), the embodiment of femininity and, indeed, the gender question—what is femininity?

I appreciate great icons such as Bettie Page, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Poison Ivy and even the Virgin Mary (so sexy!).

What does your favorite day consist of in Paris? Where are the two or three places you must go to make it the perfect day?
My perfect day happens regularly! It starts at 8 a.m. I wake up for a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, go for a run (a gentle half-hour jog), participate in the daily free 9 a.m. qigong class in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, take a quick shower and am fresh and ready to start work in the Cabaret des Filles de Joie production office at 10:30 a.m. I work with the other girls in the company—booking gigs, organizing the next productions and cabarets, planning the École des Filles de Joie, etc. At 2:30 we’re famished, so it’s a trip downstairs to an Asian restaurant, often Le Rouleau de Printemps (The Spring Roll). Belleville, the area where I live and work (in the 19th Arrondissement) is the Chinatown of Paris and also very multicultural—my favorite part of Paris! Over lunch we discuss the new projects and take notes. We then have a quick strong coffee at one of our favorite Kabyle (Algerian) bars—Folies or Zorba. This puts us in form for rehearsal! We learn new choreographies, work on our performances and look at costumes for upcoming shows. A few hours later I leave the girls to it and dash out to a business meeting—and, since we are talking about my favorite day, I sell a huge show or am offered an international tour with great conditions for the cabaret. To celebrate, I hook back up with the girls and we are joined by other friends and our lovers at a bar such as the Cantine de Belleville, where there is a basement with free concerts (often our musician friends); we have drinks, dance and laugh. We stay out and suddenly realize we have had so much fun we have forgotten to eat! Dinner is late—at 1 a.m. at Dalaat, a large Vietnamese-owned restaurant right next to the Belleville metro. We stroll home chatting. It is 2:30 a.m. and the day starts again tomorrow at 8!

Describe what you love about Paris and what it means to you.
I love the architecture of Paris. This city dates back to the Romans, so there are nearly 2,000 years of history beneath our feet and around us. No matter where I go in Paris, I find beauty: the magnificent buildings when crossing the Seine, the panoramic view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower from above the Parc de Belleville, La Tour St. Jacques, Le Marais and its tiny towers (fairy-tale-princess towers!) from the Middle Ages . . . I think beauty is a form of energy, and seeing these beautiful objects gives me energy.

I like to think that with the Cabaret des Filles de Joie I am reviving an important history and tradition of Paris—and not just like a museum, but something that is alive and relevant and vibrant, for both locals and tourists. I love mixing tradition and rock-and-roll and thinking that I am creating a page of Paris for the present and for the future.

What is your favorite French saying?
“Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?” ;)

Who are you listening to and reading right now?
I am listening to the musical bubbles of a thick vegetable soup I am making for myself and the girls at the Palais Mascotte in Geneva, where we have five-week residency (it’s Monday, our night off). I am reading Histoire et sociologie du strip tease, by Jean Charvil. It is brilliant—it was published in the ’60s, and I have been looking for it for 17 years! Ironically, I finally found it at the burlesque bazaar at the Paris Burlesque Festival in October!

JULIETTE RECOMMENDS

Parc des Buttes Chaumont
Rue Botzaris, rue Manin and rue de Crimée, in the 19th.

Aux Folies Belleville
8, rue de Belleville, in the 20th. 01 46 36 65 98.

Zorba
137, blvd Faubourg du Temple, in the 10th.

Cantine de Belleville
108, blvd de Belleville, in the 20th. 01 43 15 99 29.

Parc de Belleville
47, rue des Couronnes, in the 20th.

La Tour St. Jacques
Rue de Rivoli, near blvd de Sébastopol, in the 4th.

For more information on Juliette Dragon and the Cabaret des Filles de Joie, as well as the École des Filles de Joie, click here.

By Doni Belau

Yasmine Tarasewicz has been described to me, by a friend who knows her well, as the quintessential chic Parisian woman—plus, she’s a high-powered attorney and partner at Proskauer in Paris. Oh, and did I mention that her two homes have been profiled in decor magazines? One home is in Paris, the other on the Île de Ré, the Hamptons of France. She is charming, smart, has spectacular taste and is killer in the courtroom. We are terribly impressed.

How long have you been a labor lawyer, and what led you into the field? What has been your most interesting case to date?
I have been a labor lawyer for more than 20 years now (but of course I started very young!) and chose this area of law because it deals with the human component. I have been working on three very difficult cases related to suicides of managers from Renault: the families contend that working conditions and a high level of stress were responsible for their deaths. Finding the right tone in court to respect the families’ pain but to explain that the company was not responsible for the death was one of the most challenging exercises I have ever done. In addition, we had the honor of TV and press presence, which was not making it the easiest case.

When do you find Paris friendliest and most lovable?
No doubt in early spring when the days start to become longer, the temperature higher. The Parisians go back outside to drink a coffee on the terrasses with something shining in their eyes.

In your everyday life in Paris, what do you enjoy most? How do you unwind and relax?
Walking from my apartment to the office—five minutes of pure window shopping, as I live at the corner of rue d'Anjou and Faubourg St. Honoré and work at the corner of rue Cambon . . . from Roger Vivier to Chanel! I am a member of the Payot Spa and go there almost every day for a swim or other cardio training activity. I am also addicted to the massages at Anne Fontaine's shop on the rue St. Honoré (ask for Soraya). And then when the pressure gets too high we escape to our second house in Île de Ré.

What is your favorite area in Paris and why?
I am a right bank person . . . everything between l'Elysée and Palais Royal. Don't ask me why, but it's the most charming place for me, and you can do everything by walking.

For you, what things make up "a perfect Parisian day"?
A (long) walk from home to Le Bon Marché through Le Jardin des Tuileries, past the Musée d'Orsay, down the boulevard St.-Germain, over to the rue du Bac—doing some shopping there, especially in La Grande Épicerie for gourmet groceries. A quick lunch at Le Ruc (especially during Fashion Week or Paris Photo . . . everyone who counts is there, more or less!), a good exhibition at BNF, which is now a center for photo exhibitions, a drink at the Ritz. Dinner at home with some friends and maybe then a good rock concert at the Olympia.

What is your favorite place in Paris for culture?
I have always loved the Musée d'Orsay, even when it was not a museum but an ugly dark big thing in the middle of Paris. My other favorite is Les Jardins du Palais Royal.

Which store would you hate to live without?
Le BHV, for its do-it-yourself floor. I am fond of decoration and could spend easily a whole day there.

What cafés or hangouts are special to you?
I love the terrasse at Café de Marly on a summer night.

Do you have a favorite recipe you can share with us?
You'd better ask our cook—she did a wonderful pot-au-feu for eight on Saturday!

As a parent, what in Paris do you most like to share with your children?
I am a stepmother of two teenagers, and what I like most is sharing Sunday lunch on the terrasse at Georges on the top of Beaubourg.

Do you have a favorite saying?
I am a believer in “Carpe diem.”

In your apartment, which item do you treasure the most?
A bunch of rock-and-roll photos, especially a diptych of Keith Richards and Mick by Mark Seliger.

If a woman visiting Paris asked you to name one thing she must see, what would you say?
La place de la Concorde empty on a Sunday morning.

If Paris were a song, a movie, a painting or a work of art, it would be . . . what?
À bout de souffle, by Jean-Luc Godard, and also the song by Jeanne Moreau in Jules et Jim: "J'ai la mémoire qui flanche.”

By Jill Brooke

When you meet Catherine Deneuve, there is a moment of silence, a stunned awe as you absorb her alluring beauty that simultaneously is so perfect and so mysterious. I was interviewing her for a newspaper and she greeted me with a practiced smile. To shake things up, I offered to speak in French instead of English.

The actress clearly likes surprises. Very few Americans, she said, her eyebrow arching with intrigue, ever speak French. “Mais oui, je parle français,” I replied.

“Non,” she said, flicking her hand nonchalantly, “let’s speak in English.”

Pouring some tea, she offered me a cup along with a biscuit. Observing my hesitation, she said, “When you get older, you have to make a choice. If you lose too much weight, your face gets too thin. You either worry about ze hips or ze face."

Clearly, ze face is très important.

Dressed in Yves St. Laurent, Deneuve sipped her tea as we discussed her films and favorite quotes. Is it true that she thinks love is overrated?

“Love is suffering. One side always loves more.”

Well, what love never disappointed?

“Paris. It’s so special and there is no city like it in the world.”

And what else?

“Nature.”

Hmm. Human nature? Or nature as in the pink sunsets on the Seine or the golden sunrises touching the cerulean St. Tropez sea? Naturellement, Madame Deneuve—who has cryptically pointed out in interviews that her gift is not telling everything, because an actress must “express a lot of things, a lot of action without speaking”—was staying on script. Ah, I thought, mystery leaves you wanting more. The finesse of when to hold on and when to let go, that tug, was permeating the interview. I think she appreciated my restraint, and perhaps this was why she shared some bons mots and advice after I asked her the following question.

What do you think is the difference between American and French women?

“In New York, women feel guilty if they’re not working on some project,” she said, shaking her head with obvious disapproval. “I have never felt guilty for spending an afternoon in my garden with friends having tea.”

In fact, Deneuve, the mother of two adult children, works only a few months a year, something she considers both a privilege and a necessity.

“I’ve always been able to decide what was more important at different points in my life,” she said. “But I never gave up personal things to work, never.”

Quelle bon avis.

Check out this Huffington Post story on the best Catherine Deneuve movies, by our friend John Farr.

By Amy Barnard

Helena Frith Powell is the author of the witty and engaging Two Lipsticks and a Lover (published in the US as How to Be Impossibly French). Powell spent seven years in France observing just what makes French women so, well, French, and shared it with the rest of us via her French Mistress column for the Sunday Times. For more info on Helena, her books and columns, visit her blog.

I’m planning some serious shopping today. Where do I fortify myself first?
Have a coffee at Les Deux Magots. (6, Place St.-Germain des Prés, in the 6th Arrondissement; 01 45 48 55 25). This is where Sartre and de Beauvoir came every day to write and discuss. It was also a favorite of Hemingway’s. Now you’re more likely to spot fashionistas like Karl Lagerfeld among the American tourists. If it is a sunny day, try to grab a seat outside so you can watch all the Parisians wandering about.

Hmm. They do look good. I’d better get started.
If you’re going to shop like a French woman, the first thing you need to think about is underwear. St.-Germain is also home to Sabbia Rosa (73, rue des Sts.-Pères, in the 6th; 01 45 48 88 37). Sabbia opened her shop in the 1970s, when French women were burning bras as opposed to buying them. Her shop is gorgeous, as is her underwear—mainly silk slips and French knickers—but it’s expensive. You’ll pay around 350 euros for a slip.

There are cheaper underwear options in Paris. For example, head just down the road to Princesse Tam Tam (52, blvd St.-Michel; 01 42 34 99 31). Here you can pick up several ensembles for the price of one of Sabbia’s slips. The underwear is good quality and trendy. If it’s choice you’re after, you need to go to the Galeries Lafayette (40, blvd Haussmann, in the 9th; 01 42 82 30 25). This is home to the biggest underwear space in Europe. You’ll find everything from their own brand (very reasonably priced) to designers like Chantal Thomass, where a set of bra and knickers will cost you around 200 euros. While you’re on the boulevard Haussmann, head to one of Paris’s other great department stores, Printemps, at number 64.

Armed with silk self-confidence boosters and suspenders (Et pourquoi pas?), I need some outer layers . . .
If you’re looking to spend some serious dosh, walk over the bridge to the 1st. Even if you’re just going to have a look, you must check out Hermès (24, rue du Faubourg-St.-Honoré, in the 8th; 01 40 17 46 00). It is truly amazing, and just about the most Parisian place you can go. Also a must-see is the new LVMH store on the Champs-Elysées (101, ave des Champs-Elysées, in the 8th). When I went there, about three weeks after it opened, there was a half-hour queue to get in. Once in, you have a choice of horribly overpriced and fairly naff Louis Vuitton [designs], but just the building makes it worth the visit.

Just up the road on the rue Cambon, you can visit the equally hallowed ground of Chanel (29, rue Cambon, in the 1st; 01 42 86 28 00). This is where Coco Chanel—still known as Mademoiselle by the people who work there—started out in 1910. The shop is stunning, and if you can scam a visit to the haute couture showroom, do. But be warned, a suit there starts at 20,000 euros. Downstairs in the prêt-à-porter they are slightly less, but you won’t get much change out of 2,000 euros.

If only! Are there other designers for the more budget-bound?
Staying with French designers, you can head to Agnès B (6, rue du Jour, in the 1st; 01 45 08 56 56). Her clothes won’t cost you a fortune—tops start at around 60 euros and trousers at 90 euros. Her style is classic and wearable; her preferred fabrics, cotton, merino wool and silk. In the same arrondissement, you can go for a bit of vintage style at Didier Ludot (125, Galerie de Valois, in the 1st; 01 40 15 01 04). Not cheap, but some amazing pieces—for example, 1920s Chanel.

Head back to St.-Germain, where there is plenty of choice. For those of you with a baggy jumper fetish, try Blanc Bleu (28, rue Bonaparte, in the 6th). They have lovely sporty but stylish clothes. A jumper will cost around 150 euros and a pair of trousers around 90 euros.

While you’re still in St.-Germain, check out Maje (48, rue du Four). It is trendy, fun and reasonably priced. A top will cost you 45 euros, Bermuda trousers 85 euros, and dresses start at 99 euros. Close by you have Bijoux Burma (26, rue du Four), a great place to stock up on costume jewelry. It’s not cheap, though; bracelets start at 200 euros and rings at 150 euros. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, head to nearby Monoprix (136, rue de Rennes; 01 49 54 30 00), where you can buy great jewels for the price of a coffee.

Any tips for shoe fetishists?
For shoes head to Roger Vivier (29, rue du Faubourg-St.-Honoré, in the 8th; 01 53 43 00 00). You might even catch sight of former supermodel and Lagerfeld muse Inès de la Fressange, who now runs Vivier. The shop sells signature vintage models as well as new designs. If you’ve never heard of Roger Vivier, imagine a Manolo Blahnik from the 1920s. They start at about 250 euros. A cheaper option is Lobato (6, rue Malher, in the 4th; 01 48 87 68 14). This boutique is run by the charming Miguel Lobato and sells accessories by a variety of designers. Here you can stock up on shoes by Rodolphe Menudier and Michel Vivien, bags by Jamin Puech and beaded bracelets by Azuni. It’s not a steal, but the stuff is good quality.

This is hard work. I think I need to unwind.
The trendy place the locals go to for a gorgeous treatment is the Doux Me beauty room at Spa Hôtel Costes (239, rue St.-Honoré, in the 1st; 01 43 26 34 67). Run by the lovely Caroline, Doux Me offers treatments including massages, facials and wraps. She uses all her own natural products, but she’s not the cheapest option. An hour-and-a-half facial will cost you 100 euros, but this includes a full back, arms, neck and scalp massage along with a consultation, tea and relaxation.

If you happen to be in St.-Germain, pop into Les Thermes St.-Germain (5, Passage de la Petite-Boucherie; 01 56 81 31 11). It is even open on Sundays (very unusual for Paris). An hour-and-a-half exfoliating and massage treatment will cost you 65 euros.

For something a little more unusual, head to Liz Hurley’s favorite masseur in Paris, John Odel, at the Ritz Health Club (15, Place Vendôme, in the 1st; 01 43 16 30 60). He offers a Kiradjee massage, inspired by his roots in Australia. It is one of the most luxurious experiences you can have—all rose petals and candles. The masseur works on your stress points to relax your whole body. It costs 150 euros for an hour and a half.

Any other little secrets?
If you want to visit a traditional French pharmacy, you should pop into the Selas Pharmacie de l’Epoque (49, rue du Four, in the 6th; 01 45 48 53 58). This is such a lovely place, with antique wooden counters and lovely staff. Last time I was there I had a streaming cold and they gave me drugs as well as water to wash them down. Old-fashioned service in old-fashioned surroundings.

Every French woman I’ve met has perfect nails. How do they do it?
If you’re a French woman, you will of course need to have perfectly manicured nails (feet and hands) before you go anywhere. In the 15th the place to visit for perfect feet is Isabelle Perruquetti (94, ave Émile Zola; 01 45 78 21 66). A 45-minute pedicure will cost you 28 euros. Another favorite among Parisians is Chez Alexandre (3, ave Matignon, in the 8th, just off the Champs-Elysées; 01 42 25 57 90). A normal manicure will cost you 28 euros and a French manicure 35 euros.

OK, so I’m gorgeous top to toe and dressed to kill—what now?
A great bar to meet people is Le Fumoir (6, rue de l’Amiral de Coligny, in the 1st. 01 42 92 00 24). It is across the road from the Louvre and is famous as a good after-work drinks spot. It also has a good restaurant.

Helena Frith Powell’s Two Lipsticks and a Lover is published by Gibson Square Books and is available from Amazon, along with her other titles, among them, To Hell in High Heels and More France Please, We’re British.

By Cynthia Rose

Fifi Mandirac.

Artist and quintessential Parisian Fifi Mandirac designs everything from origami papers and stationery to cards and cabas (shopping bags). This is one creator whose life was changed by the Internet. When she gave up professional graphic design to focus on papeterie, her website and blog made her a star. Fans across the world now commission wedding and birth announcements, enter her quirky competitions—and even pay virtual visits to her studio. In December Fifi will open an online store; below, she shares her thoughts about la vie parisienne.

When do you find Paris friendliest and most lovable?
On those first sunny days when we don’t know how but, within hours, people have all abandoned their coats and put on their summer clothes, with sandals! We rediscover both our city and the pleasures of wandering aimlessly with no goal other than to laze about on the café terraces.

In your everyday life, what do you enjoy most?
What I love is to take advantage of a rendezvous in any quartier I don’t know well, in order to nose about and make my own discoveries.

What is your favorite area and why?
I love the Marais. I did my studies there. It formed many of my habits, and many places there still draw me back—in particular, the Place du Marché Sainte Catherine.

Designs by Fifi.

Tell us a little about what inspires your designs.
I always loved to draw, create and imagine. What were at first the games of a child are now an adult business, but to me it's still the same. When inspiration grabs me, that’s the time I rouse myself to leave my studio and see the world—the corner of my street as much as the other side of the planet. I come home to the city, breathe its air again, and inspiration always returns.

You create with opposing things: paper and a computer. What has this changed for you?
I never thought it possible, but I am addicted to my computer! I have a Mac laptop that I lug around everywhere. My whole life is in it: my work, of course, but also my personal life (photos) and my hobbies (my music and my movies). Thanks to this, even in my studio I am connected both with my closest friends and with the furthest worlds. But I keep the tactile pleasures of paper. I adore the moment when my computer file comes to life, when it becomes a genuine object or a real card.

For you, what things make up "a perfect Parisian day”?
A perfect day inevitably starts with a good breakfast! After that, for me, everything is an improvisation. That’s actually what I love most about Paris: without even having to organize yourself ahead of time, there’s always something interesting to see or to do. There are so many secret gardens, so many museums, so many exhibits and cinemas.

Designs by Fifi.

Which of your little sins do you consider most Parisian?
The warm croissant that satisfies the munchies I always end up with when I have walked too long!

What is your favorite cultural spot?
The bookstore of the Beaubourg, the Centre Pompidou. I can spend hours there.

What cafés or hangouts are special to you?
I love to settle in on the terrace of Café Etienne Marcel just to watch the people passing by. I treat myself to Japanese at Azabu or superb French at Les Saveurs de Flora.

Which artists have most touched you?
I may be a graphic designer, but I have many more books about photography than about graphics. It’s a talent I don’t have but one I admire very much. I love equally the work of Jacques Henri Lartigue and that of Martin Parr. Also the poetry of the universe of Jacques Tati. Everything is so well constructed in his movies. These are not very avant-garde influences, but they are artists who have moved me for a long time.

As a mother, what in Paris do you most like to share with your daughter?
At almost three, she is still too small to take long walks. But I try to show her all the possibilities of this city. Already I've taken her to the cinema and to exhibitions tailored to her age. When she grows up, I know all the little tricks of Paris to teach her!

Do you have a favorite French proverb you share with her?
I prefer "Do what pleases you," and I hope she will follow that precept.

If a girl visiting Paris asked you to name one thing she must see, what would you say?
I would tell her real Parisians rarely visit the Eiffel Tower! She should lose herself in the streets, soak up the ambience, see beautiful buildings, go to cafés, to markets, to shops. One becomes much better acquainted with Montmartre by nosing around Marché St.-Pierre than by visiting Sacré-Coeur.

If Paris were a song, a movie, a painting or a work of art, what would it be?
A cliché, of course! I think straight away of Robert Doisneau’s photo Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville or of the movie Amélie.

FIFI RECOMMENDS

Centre Pompidou
Place Georges Pompidou, in the 4th Arrondissement. 01 44 78 12 33.
Open Wed–Mon, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed May 1.
Nocturnes, or night openings: Thurs until 11 (certain exhibitions only).

Café Etienne Marcel
34, rue Etienne Marcel, in the 2nd. 01 45 08 01 03.
Mon–Sat, open till midnight; Sun, till 11:15.

Azabu
3, rue André Mazet, in the 6th.
Mon–Sat, 12–2:30 p.m., plus 7:00–10:20 p.m. Tues and Sun. Closed Aug.

Les Saveurs de Flora
36, ave George V, in the 8th. 01 40 70 10 49.
Mon–Fri, lunch and dinner. Sat, dinner only. Closed Aug.

Marché St.-Pierre
2, rue Charles Nodier, in the 18th. 01 46 06 92 25.
Mon, 1:30–6:30 p.m.; Tues–Sat, 10:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m.

By Maggie Suozzi

Chez H'anna.

My favorite day in Paris begins at 5 a.m. on a Saturday morning in August. The city is empty and the weather is warm. As the sun begins to rise, my friends and I emerge from whatever after-hours hideaway we’ve been holed up in until now (maybe Le Tambour in the 2nd Arrondissement or Le Connétable in the Marais). We get on our bikes and begin the long ride home. We own the city—only sharing the wide, empty boulevards with the occasional night bus or taxi. At one point, we all split up and go our separate ways. It’s only about 10 more minutes to my spacious and bright apartment, which is centrally located and close to all convenient metro stops (ahem). I curl up into bed and after a couple of hours of restless sleep, it’s time to wake up and nourish my tired body. So I rally the troops, and off we go on our bikes (I don’t care for the steamy and smelly metro in summer) to the Marais for a delicious, and somewhat nutritious, falafel sandwich (What? It has vegetables) and a fresh lemonade at Chez H’anna. Yes. That was good. And necessary.

Now it's about noon, and this is my fantasy day, so I have disposable income. And I plan to dispose of it. Off we go to visit the nearby boutiques. (Oh, I forgot to mention that in this fantasy all the clothing I like fits me perfectly and looks stunning.) So we make the rounds: Maje, Antik Batik, Erotokritos, Sandro and Bimba & Lola, then to La Terrasse for an aperitif. It's warm out, and I'd like something refreshing, so I order "un perroquet, s'il vous plaît," which in English means “a parrot” and is a combination of Pastis and water with a splash of sirop de menthe. Perfect.

In my fantasy, I also fancy myself a bit cultured, so after our aperitif, my friends and I split up and I plan to head over to the Musée d’Orsay. I place my shopping bags on the handlebars of my Champion Shopper road bike (this part is not fantastical—that's actually the name of my bike) and ride off to the old converted train station to soak in some art. I spend most of my time on the second floor, standing for hours in front of Gustave Caillebotte's Les Raboteurs de parquet, in awe of how he makes the scene look so frightfully realistic. After traveling with the artists through time and space, it’s time to ride home and prepare for what the evening has in store.

And what exactly is my fantasy evening? A quiet dinner at home for two—magically, the table is set, food is prepared and afterward the dishes are washed and put away (à la Mary Poppins). The menu? Roasted chicken and salty potatoes, green salad with a light vinaigrette and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Chilled rosé flows like the Seine, and the shortcake is calorie free.

Then it’s off to La Perle in the Marais for drinks and socializing with locals and expats. Actor Romain Duris happens to be in this evening (he stops by every now and then), and he of course invites us to his table to sip drinks and talk about movies until the sun comes up again.

Suddenly I’m sleeping again. I’m in my tiny and steamy chambre de bonne in Montparnasse. The alarm goes off—it’s 7 a.m. on a Thursday morning in October. I’m hitting the snooze button . . .

INFO
Chez H’anna 54, rue des Rosiers, in the 4th. 01 42 74 74 99.

By Anna Robin

Courtesy Bar Les Cascades

Paris has always been a fairy-tale land for me. I had always imagined it as stuck in the past. I believed that everywhere I turned I would stumble onto chain-smoking radical philosophers drinking red wine with a well-thumbed copy of Sartre lying half open on the table before them.

My favorite day, or evening, was when I did in fact stumble onto left-wing, wine-drinking, philosophy-discussing French youths, a consort that is to my delight alive and well in today’s Paris.

The story of how I met them and the evening that followed is my favorite Parisian tale and one that I have written on postcards and in letters and told with wild exaggeration over the telephone.

Like the best experiences in life, the evening came about through a series of random events. My flatmate and I had gone out in search of a bar that was meant to be playing live music but, as we discovered, was not. Luckily we could hear music coming from down the road and decided to follow our ears. Sound navigation led us to Les Cascades, a small bohemian bar, which had a little Eastern European band playing wonderful Gypsy music.

It was a hot evening and as the few chairs outside were occupied, we took our glasses of wine and perched ourselves on the curb to listen to the music and catch the breeze. A young man approached us, attracted by our English. Looking for help, he was trying to meet a friend and was lost and confused and in need of a phone.

We tried to help, and eventually his friend turned up and gallantly invited us to his apartment, which turned out to be literally across the road, for a glass of wine. This seemed like a pleasant proposition and we followed. I am insatiably curious about other people’s homes and the odd things that people love, and I was not to be disappointed. When we sat, our attention was drawn to a huge dead tree in the corner. It was our host’s most prized possession and had been carried proudly through the streets of Paris during his frequent moves.

They were heading to a soiree in the banlieue (the outskirts of Paris) and invited us. This is how we found ourselves sitting around a table in a lovely garden drinking red wine and discussing philosophy and socialism till the small hours of the morning. I imagined I was Simone de Beauvoir and almost purred with contentment at the joy of life turning out to be like a novel and Paris turning out to be as I had imagined.

By Cynthia Rose

Nothing is more Parisian than une bonne balade—a lovely, lingering stroll. My favorite came during this year’s Parcours St. Germain, when a French friend suggested we explore it together. A public art event, Parcours (literally, “course” or “route”) takes place every spring. Artists create special works in cafés, squares and shops, all paying homage to the quartier’s history and culture.

We meet at rue Bonaparte, outside the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. My friend, always the perfectly poised parisienne, leads me boldly across the private forecourt into the stunning Glass Courtyard. I was last here a year ago, at the height of its renovation. Now I can hardly believe it—every inch sparkles! Light from the soaring glass ceiling illuminates the ornate walls and their delicate frescoes while, before us, there is half an enormous pine tree (pictured above). As long as the court and full of glittering sap, the tree has jaunty, jutting branches that make this artwork look like a monster centipede.

Next door, in the chapel, awe gives way to playfulness. Its black-and-white marble floor has become a giant chessboard and, in front of the copy of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, we discover a backward WELCOME sign in flashing neon. This reminds my friend of another landmark I must see. Why? “Because it was first a brothel—but now it’s incredibly chic!”

She guides me to the rue des Beaux-Arts and its ritzy l’Hôtel. Back in the 1800s, this was a pavillion d’amour with tiny rooms used for illicit activities. Spread over six floors around a stunning circular atrium, the rooms went on to shelter struggling artists. One of these was Oscar Wilde, who died in Room 16. Here, for the Parcours, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac invokes the writer’s restless ghost in sequential Warhol-like portraits of his face. These cover the room, like that wallpaper Wilde famously hated. (“One of us has got to go!” he complained before expiring.)

Outside, crowds in the streets remind us it is one of those Thursdays (the second and last of every month) when St. Germain’s galleries hold their art openings. At Galerie Albert Loeb, we find Art Shay’s period photos, including his famous nude snap of Simone de Beauvoir. Over at Di Meo, there are maps created from squares of burned toast and, in Pascal Lansberg, a hilarious show by Philippe Geluck, a Belgian master of the bande dessinée, or comic book. Glancing out of that gallery’s window, we spy free seats on the terrasse of nearby La Palette. A colorful hangout since 1903, this convivial café helps us celebrate further. Our two diabolo-menthes (lemonades spiked with mint syrup) are so deliciously sweet, we decide to visit Ladurée. 

Ladurée, of course, is a legend. Not only did they invent the famous double-decker macaroon, but the company’s trademark color (celadon, or sea green) became an enduring contribution to French decorative style. Plus, every season, the maison premieres a new macaroon.

The latest, we discover, is bergamot (pictured above). Eager to smell and taste this bright golden beauty, we join the shop’s long queue. Twenty minutes later, we can face the end of our day, high on the new macaroon’s subtle and smoky scent. The street may be swollen with gallery hoppers, but we are sated. It’s time for quick kisses—and the end of another bonne balade.

By Leora Wien

Photo by Leora Wien.

I wake up to see the playful copper nymphs on Pont Alexandre III grinning at me through my bedroom window. Yes, there is much to smile about this morning: I am living on a houseboat anchored in the Port des Champs-Élysées.

I saunter to the kitchen to put the coffee on. It’s eight o’clock. Good thing, as a true Parisian day is composed of action and tranquilité in equal parts. There is time enough to slowly enjoy the pain aux amandes I bought the day before at the Eric Kayser boulangerie. Their breads contain no additives or preservatives. Miam-miam!

I then get presentable and cross the gangplank to shore. I ride my bike across the river to the open-air market on rue de Buci at Odéon. Ice trays displaying sea urchins and a whole octopus impress me. An array of 20 varieties of mushrooms mesmerizes me. The marché is a pageant and Mother Nature’s the winner. I visit my bio, or organic, grocer for apples, tomatoes and mâche to start off the week.

Next I meet a friend at the Parc Floral in the Bois de Vincennes. There are over 20 greenhouses dedicated to unique ecosystems. We first visit the rare orchid room. Then we stop in the desert house to pinch the rare geranium varietals that release scents of mint and chocolate.

For lunch we head to Hotel du Nord on the Canal St. Martin. I opt for their lunch menu (13.50 euros) of tartare de thon rouge (bluefin tuna tartar), with a rhubarb and cherry tart. My friend orders the brochette de lotte et gambas rotis (skewered monkfish and roasted prawns), with thyme-infused crème brûlée. Super-bon!

We cross the bridge over Canal St. Martin to Artazart Design Bookstore, where I treat myself to a new read, Maisons sur l’Eau (Houses on Water), by Véronique Willemin. My friend buys another book in Willemin’s series, Maisons Vivantes (Lively Houses). It is now l’heure du thé, or teatime, when people take tea and a pastry. Since we have just had a late lunch, we decide to sit by the canal and enjoy a bottle of rosé instead!

A text message appears on my phone: “Toi, moi, La Java?” The answer to this is certainly a oui. La Java is a dance club with infectious electro music, near Métro République on rue du Faubourg du Temple. Edith Piaf sang her first concerts there. Django Reinhardt used to riff with the jazz musicians on the bill. I dance all-out with my friends and complete strangers. It’s that kind of place.

Later we pedal to the Louvre’s Napoleonic Court for sunrise. The first orange light of dawn faintly appears on the eastern side of the Pyramid. It’s an ancient image to behold, and suddenly our bodies feel the weary effects of the day’s activity. I invite everyone over to the houseboat to crash. We drift off to sleep on the Seine.

By Amy Barnard

Every morning for me starts with an hour of dance drill and yoga, followed by a ball-buster cup of coffee (or two) on my tiny balcony in the 11th Arrondissement, should the weather permit. It’s really not worth talking to me in the morning before these things have been achieved!

Then it’s time to head on over either to the Luxembourg Gardens for a stroll or to Galignani or WH Smith at the Concorde for an hour of browsing through art books. Perhaps then I’ll travel up to the Marché aux Puces de St.-Ouen, just off avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt (near the Porte de Clignancourt metro), and spend time salivating over stuff I can’t afford, or Marché de Vanves (near the Porte de Vanves metro), for those, like me, on more of a budget. Perhaps I might pick up some old fringe from a silk piano shawl or random sparkly bits to incorporate into a costume.

After a hard morning shopping, it’s time to head to the hammam at the Grande Mosquée de Paris in the 5th (near the Censier-Daubenton metro) for a siesta. I can easily spend several hours in the grand old Ottoman style, allowing the heat to dissolve tension—much more pleasurably indolent than any meditation class and more effective, as far as I’m concerned. Once I finally emerge, a mint tea and pastry (or three) is obligatory at the hammam café in the gorgeous tiny courtyard.

Depending on how much time I’ve just spent wallowing, perhaps I’m on time for a belly-dance class at Centre Momboye (near the Ménilmontant metro). If not, then dinner with friends at one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, Ave Maria, at 1, rue Jacquard. After I’ve immensely enjoyed the delicious but ”terrifying destiny of Amelie the Chicken” (check out the menu if you don’t believe me), it will be time to take in a gig. Most likely this will be at La Maroquinerie, Point Ephémère or Le Trabendo, depending on who’s playing where. If all else fails, a nightcap at one of the myriad funky bars around the Oberkampf area will finish off this perfect day.

By Sylvia Sabes

It has to be a Sunday. I love Sunday in Paris. Most of the businesses close and it is family time. There is less traffic and people are more relaxed, making for a quiet, peaceful Paris. I like to get up early and head to my “local” café, Le Piquet, where they have excellent breakfasts at reasonable prices, just steps from the Champ de Mars. My teens are welcome, but usually it is just me and my Frenchman for our weekly treat: tartine grillé and café crème.

We then head to the market. If this is my favorite day, I get to go to my favorite market, which is the organic one on boulevard Raspail, just south of rue du Cherche-Midi, in the 6th Arrondissement. I love this market above all others because of the prepared-foods vendors: oyster shuckers, wine sellers, the crêpe girl, the ice cream man and, most important, the latke guy.

The latke guy is young, he is handsome and he is grumpier than Snow White's dwarf. He also happens to speak Japanese, have memorized all of La Fontaine's Fables and make the most exceptional latke I've ever had the pleasure to eat. The potent oniony cheese fragrance draws in crowds as it wafts through the neighborhood. The latkes are wonderfully crispy on the outside and almost dripping with moistness on the inside. Perfect.

But I digress. Back to my day. We've done our marketing, and because it is Sunday, it is already lunchtime. We picnic at nearby Catherine Labouré gardens. This is a neighborhood kind of place, where kids can play on the grass while the locals sit and gossip, enjoying the sunshine and a glass of wine by the kitchen garden.

Well fed and comfortable, we hop on our bikes and pedal to an art event. Perhaps to watch the graffiti artists create at the Cartier Foundation, or to float above the city at ArtHome. There is always something exceptional going on.

Respectably cultured, we make our way home along the banks of the Seine, which are closed to traffic every Sunday. The river laps at the bank just inches from our feet as we coast along, soaking up the last rays of a perfect day.

 

INFO

Le Piquet 67, ave de la Motte-Picquet, in the 15th. 01 47 34 17 76.
Raspail Market blvd Raspail, from rue du Cherche-Midi to rue de Rennes, in the 6th. Sun, 9–2.
Jardin Catherine Labouré next to 31, rue de Babylone, in the 7th.
Cartier Foundation 261, blvd Raspail, in the 14th. 01 42 18 56 50.
ArtHome at the Palais de Tokyo: 13, ave du Président Wilson, in the 16th.

by Doni Belau

I’m not sure this is feasible, but if I could pull it off, this would be my favorite day in Paris. I think it might help if I had a lovely younger French male driver in a Citroën escort me from place to place. I might start with a very long stroll around some undiscovered streets in the Marais after I’d had croissants and a café crème at my apartment overlooking the Place des Vosges. Then I’d stop at the Bastille Market and buy whatever is in season—but I’d definitely pick up some very runny stinky cheese, like a Pont-l’Évêque and an unpasteurized camembert, a mimolette for color (it’s very orange) and a Société Roquefort. I’d be sure to buy some sausage from Auvergne and a whole roasted organic chicken. Fresh greens would be in order, as would some cider from Normandy. I’d toss my basket full of goodies to my driver and ask him to drop it all off at the apartment. (Schlepping stuff home from the market is my least favorite part.) I’d stop for a café at Ma Bourgogne under the eaves of the Place des Vosges and then pick up a fresh baguette for dinner nearby at Gérard Mulot.

I’d meet a friend for lunch at Café des Musées and order the plat du jour. Afterward, I would stroll through the neighborhood and stop into a gallery or two and check to see if there was anything new on at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. Fortunately, a driver makes things easier; late in the afternoon, I’d hop in my Citroën with Philippe (I’ll call him) and run over to the 6th and 7th Arrondissements to see if I can’t find any bargains at some of my favorite shops, such as Autour du Monde, on rue de Seine. I would take a sunset stroll, enjoying the last of this perfect day along the river, taking in the views and the light. I’d rush back to my apartment and begin throwing together a simple meal for friends. We’d enjoy our rosé wine late into the night as new friends met old friends and everyone would comment on how Paris is indeed the most beautiful city on earth! If we had the energy we’d take a midnight stroll over the Pont Neuf and wind up at the Shakespeare & Co. bookshop, which would be open late so that each of us could buy a book we’d been meaning to read. After that we would finish our evening with a café or a digestif at Café Panis, sitting outside to enjoy the view of Notre-Dame and the daring skaters doing tricks on the bridge in front of us.