Merci is a whimsical wonderland of a concept store that is large, bright, airy and chock full of eclectic and interesting stock. Merci seems to sell almost everything: clothes, furniture, perfume, household items, books, stationery, haberdashery…
Category Archives: Paris
♥ Paris: Lunch at Merci
Filed under Paris, Restaurants/Cafés, Travel
♥ Lost in Paris
I am not at the moment lost in Paris, nor was I lost when I was staying there. What I did lose in Paris was my Cannon SLR camera, which has been my constant travelling companion since I started blogging earlier this year.
♥ Bonjour de Paris
I cannot think of another building or structure that is more symbolic of Paris than the Eiffel Tower: it’s named after its creator the engineer Gustave Eiffel. Built as an entrance archway to the 1889 World Trade Fair and to celebrate the centenary of the 1789 revolution, the original plan was that the tower would be a temporary structure to be demolished when its twenty year building permit expired. Still standing proud in the twenty-first century it’s a magnificent sight especially at night when every hour on the hour the 20,000 light bulbs, attached to it to celebrate the millennium, twinkle magnificently.
♥ Chanel: 31 Rue Cambon
I find it difficult to explain the why and the wherefore of my fascination with Coco Chanel and the brand she created. When I mull over this fascination I sometimes wonder if Chanel is either simply a monumental marketing triumph or more complicatedly a form of Jungian archetype and part of our collective unconscious. That is not to detract from the magic the brand creates or to underestimate how much and how enduringly Coco Chanel, in her time, changed the way women dress. Gone were the restrictive clothes of previous periods and she introduced many style classics: the little black dress, striped Breton tops, long ropes of pearls…
Filed under Chanel, Paris, Shops/Shopping, Travel
♥ London Lunch: Rose Bakery
Whenever I am in Paris, for more than a few days, I try at some point to head to the Rose Bakery for lunch. The Rose Bakery at 46, Rue des Martyrs is a bakery/café/shop which sells and serves uncomplicated, flavoursome and mainly organic food at affordable prices. A throng of hungry and subsequently happy diners have beaten a path to its doors since Anglo-French couple Rose and Jean-Charles Carrarini opened it in 2002. A London outpost opened in 2007.
Filed under London, Paris, Restaurants/Cafés
♥ La Fontaine de Mars
On Monday the President and the First Lady of the United States of America Barack and Michelle Obama will arrive in Ireland on a brief visit. When the couple are at home in Washington they often eat out on a ‘date night’ at one of the capital’s restaurants. As they are in Ireland for a short visit, it is unlikely they will visit one of Dublin’s restaurants. Almost two years ago when they were on a trip to the French capital they ate with friends at a Parisian bistro. This was somewhat controversial at the time, as the US president, had turned down an invitation to dine at the Élysée Palace with President Nicolas Sarkozy while he was in Paris.
Filed under Food/Wine, France, Paris, Restaurants/Cafés, Travel
Burgers at The Ritz: The Hemingway Bar
The prices at The Hemingway Bar at The Ritz Hotel in Paris are staggeringly expensive; cocktails €30, a glass of champagne €27 and a bottle of beer €14. Ouch. In fairness the experience is well worth the money.
♥ Favourite shops//Agnès B
I cannot recall seeing an ad for Agnès B or an editorial features which used her clothes in any of the fashion glossies. I imagine these two things are not unrelated, as editorial coverage can depend on the amount a brand spends on advertising in a given magazine. Despite this Agnès B is hugely successful, with a loyal band followers, moi included.
Filed under Paris, Shops/Shopping, Style
♥ Parisian Chic
As I have visited Paris a lot in recent years, I have accumulated a mini-library of guides to the City of Light. My favourite is one I bought recently. It’s simply called La Parisienne by Ines de la Fressange (with Sophie Gachet). Ines is of course the quintessential Parisienne even though she was born near St Tropez in the South of France.
♥ Hermès Coffee
I wager that even the fashion forward among you don’t know that Hermès do coffee. Well, er, they don’t actually produce coffee. They do however have a café in their bright airy new Parisian Left Bank shop, on the Rue de Sèvres.
Filed under Coffee, Paris, Shops/Shopping
Just Add Attitude
Just Add Attitude 