Bringing Paris Home

Aaah, Paris – you can’t take it with you. Or can you? 

Like many of our readers, I cannot be in Paris all the time—certainly not as much as I want. And when I’m in New York, how do I get my Paris fix? I try, in various ways, to bring Paris home. Bringing Paris home, or the spirit of Paris is not that difficult, really. 

An event at the Alliance Française in NYC 

I highly recommend checking out the Alliance Française wherever you live in the USA. They have outposts all over, from Miami to San Francisco, from Alabama to Montana—plus Paris, of course. Our local chapter in New York offers French films on Tuesday nights and an annual Beaujolais Nouveau fête in November. It’s a wonderful place to feed your longing-for-Paris stomach. 

Fringed biker jacket from Mondéfilé

If you didn’t pick up as many Paris looks as you had hoped there are two fabulous websites that I highly recommend that feature up and coming French designers. Mondéfilé actually produces a lot of the designs in house and L’Exception features some names you might recognize and others we are just learning about but both are all about French-made talent and 90% of both of their product lines you won’t find in the states or the UK.

Easter egg colored macarons 

The French macaron craze has moved beyond their shores so much that here in NY we have a plethora of places trying to match the heavenly bites of masters like Pierre Herme. If you don’t happen to live near a bakery who is making these colorful wonders order them online to serve at your next dinner party from. See below for websites. 

photo via the glamourai.com

Finally try doing some of those things at home that you would find yourself doing in Paris. Find a cute café with outdoor tables take a notebook order a cappuccino and do some people watching. Take notes of your observations and feelings but don’t hop on your smart phone! Go out to a two hour formal sit down white table cloth lunch at a French restaurant with wine and have a deep conversation with your friend or partner. While away several hours at a museum on your own and soak in some creative inspiration. Buy a nice bottle of champagne for no special reason tomorrow night and serve it with burgers or take out food. 

sitting on the park bench, luxembourg gardens – photo by Yanidel.com

The idea is this and the French have a term for it; art de vivre, living life to the fullest surrounded by beauty and friends. Its taking time out of our rushed and too busy days to enjoy the wonders of life, the simple things, the little luxuries, art, music and all that inspires.

Links:
Alliance Française
L’Exception
Mondéfilé
Macaron Café ships throughout the USA
Pavillon Ledoyen ships from France throughout EU and USA
gg2p GO-Card members get 10% off all orders at L’Exception