Samaritaine

March 29, 2013July 1, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

La Samaritaine (French pronunciation: [la samaʁitɛn]) was a large department store in Paris, France, located in the First Arrondissement. It is currently owned by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Henessy), a luxury-goods maker. The store, which had been operating at a loss since the 1970s, was finally closed in 2005 because the building did not meet safety codes. Plans for redeveloping the building involved lengthy complications, as the representatives of the store’s founders argued with new owners LVMH over the building’s future as a department store or a mixed-use development. Samaritaine is decorated in Art Nouveau style and is really beautiful!

Alaia, Kate and Le Marais

March 28, 2013March 28, 2013 | Design & Culture by Ed

A day at Le Marais, the Jewish District, is like a day in other world, but still in Paris! It all began with Rue Moussy 7 where a mind blowing Azzedine Alaia boutique and studio are located. Here Stephanie Seymour and Naomi Campbell come and try out new designs of master of craft and laser cut! It was before a warehouse, now a huge boutique full of clothes and dresses. On second floor there is the studio where magic happens! The “shop” of Alaia is totally decorated with beautiful furnitures and art pieces.

Why is “Kate” in the title of this post? Because of the painting I saw in a gallery today! It shows of course Kate Moss naked holding a big pink teddy bear. She stands in a totally pink toilet looking at the viewer with a sexy look, just in ties and super high heels. A wish it could hung in my house!

Le Marais, as I said, is a Jewish district in Paris. It’s like SoHO in NY but not so great! Today there was really no people so it was quite boring, but still the shops there are amazing! For example L’Eclaireur. It holds labels like Comme des Garcons, Rick Owens, Thom Browne and Dries Van Noten in a big store that is loft like (also a copy of SoHO) and has a great vintage hourse in the middle! And the shoes I bought… Wow I just will sleep with them. They are hand made in England, Brighton and the label is Paul Harnden, Shoemakers. The print on it is cool isn’t it?

What I love insane in Le Marais are… Graffiti’s! They are really crazy! A cherry blossom, press killer, Keith Haring… Just amazing! You can really fell in love with them easily- you walk around and see them on every Marais street!

PAD Paris Design Art

March 28, 2013March 28, 2013 | Design & Culture by Ed

PAD, pioneering event for Art and Design aficionados and collectors, has been reinventing for the past 17 years the Cabinet d’Amateur and the notion of eclecticism, anticipating the esthetic aspirations of its time. Season after season, it offers an intimate cocoon to those who have made decorative arts and design the core of their collection, driven by passion and heritage.
Every edition evolves in aim to create an unprecedented dialogue between modern art, historical and contemporary design and jewelry. This year will give greater room to Primitive Art, and will highlight the vitality of raising such perspectives. The engaging aspect of PAD is its invitation to enter a personal collection, conceived by a selection of local and international art dealers – all of whom are leaders in their fields, eager to address each passionate collector in a unique manner. In this salon, mind is enlivened and imagination is exhilarated, as entering a place where the contemporary taste for 20th and 21st century decorative art is born.
PAD was my biggest highlight of Paris. In reality, I took more photos here, than in whole Paris! The chairs mostly cost more than 20’000€, deorations and sculptures 50’000€ and paintings by Warhol or Picasso? A cosmic price! While walking from one box to another, from giantic fish, to Mendini chairs, to leopard painting and “Feet” chair I was so amazed with everything! But my 100% favourite was the sofa made from mink fur, and had around and on sides real gold crocodiles and lizards! Maybe it wasn’t really comfortable, but it was art!

The exhibition/target is located in Tuilleries garden that is really big and beautiful. After Paris (PAD lasts for about 5 day!) moves to Los Angeles with all other labels. The labels and brands that are here come from France, Belgium, England, Switzerland, Philippines and many, many more! As I said I loved this place insanely, the same as all chairs, crystals and even the Restaurant Roberta that served delicious spaghetti!

Favourite Addresses in Paris

March 25, 2013July 1, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

COLETTE on Rue du Saint Honore
Colette is a highlight for every fashionista in Paris. Labels like Marc Jacobs, Rodarte, Kenzo, Celine and Christopher Kane got their place here together with dozens of great magazines, music and things you need to love! I’m totally a fan of this fantastic place. First you can find here great people, then find great pieces of clothes (I found two great things), Coca-Cola by Marc Jacobs (got it!) or CR Fashion Book and I-D (of course I do have it!).

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CELINE on Avenue Montaigne next to l’Avenue restaurant
A real fur land for this season! These shoes are fantastic even if they are ugly! In various colours, as sandal or heels, they do have their horrible price! As I talked with the Celine person, the most popular are the black fur sandals. The heels are just scarrying because of the price! I truly fell in love with the dresses with net on them- so sexy and modern!

DIOR on Avenue Montaigne
What can I say. The clothes are just a clean elegance and beauty- but the shop? Ok. The shop is also beautiful, but it’s not Raf Simons but still Galliano. The clothes and atmosphere are biting each other. Thanks god they changed the service because it was horrible last time I was in Paris! The dresses are breath taking. So delicate and fragile! But the shoes were unfortunately a disapoinment. Looked kitch and cheap. This rhymes eve

BALENCIAGA on Rue Victor Hugo and Saint Honore
That was a big pleasure to see unfortunately the last time designs by Nicolas Ghesquiere. His designs are so lite and flowless! The shoes with cubic heel are just the hottest thing this season and I loved the bags! Small and practical, looked like boxes! Fromclothes there was only the resort collection… So no ruffled dresses and skirts inspired with ballet Bolero.

LOUIS VUITTON on Avenue Montaigne
The square power! The welcome sign that it’s all LV, were the squares on windows! Inside the first thing I see are the beautiful dresses full of yellow squares. The shoes with a pointy nose are very 60’s and at the same time modern. They were in two types- with md heel and a high heel- but I liked more the mid one.

Parisian Roses are the Best Roses

March 25, 2013July 1, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Sebastian Mengozzi is a one of the best fluorist in Paris. His cozy boutique full of fresh flowers is located close to Balenciaga and Givenchy, on Rue Victor Hugo. The spring in Paris is pretty cold so we thought to come inside the flower shop. And it was like if whole flower power of Summer attacked as in middle of Paris! Roses, orchidee, magnolias, pivons… Colours were so various and the scent! I couldn’t resist any mor an bought two beautiful bouquets of pink roses to our hotel!