as i wandered my way out of the 1st arrondissement, along the river, it was impossible to miss--and not wonder about--this titanic, abandoned structure--SAMARITAINE--with its disjointed but charming aesthetic (though i was mainly attracted by what it reflected of the sky and structures across the street).
la samaritaine first opened in 1869 as a boutique. a husband and wife team (he, a tie salesman, she, a clothing vendor) took the bon marché model of the luxury department store and over the course of 50 years, developed an 11- story version that was praised as the most "democratic" of the grand magasins. the word was that rich and poor could find anything they needed there -- flowers, bathing suits, hardware, hats, tombstones. yes, tombstones. the rooftop was a tourist attraction for the spectacular views of the paris skyline.
the property was acquired in 2001 by LMVH -- which also purchased bonmarché--and closed in 2005 for safety considerations, with the plan for its redevelopment still unsettled. but it was announced last year that the property would be converted to a shopping, commercial and residential space, with an 80 room luxury hotel anchoring the art deco wing, offering a view of the seine. the target for the grand reopening is 2013-14.
***
the video below offers a glimpse of the interior life of the store from its earliest days. you don't need to speak french to get the gist. the best bits are in the first few minutes (maybe stick around for king kong's cameo)
not much there in the way of sights or monuments, but i'd read that the marché des batignolles would offer a feeling for simple, everyday parisian life, which sounded very good to me. and there were 2 small artisan shops where i hoped to do a little gift shopping.
i got a late jump on the day, though, no thanks to work. and because i'd planned to meet my friend matt in the marais in the afternoon, i had to forego the marché. buti took the 13 line to la fourche to see how much local flavor i could absorb in a couple of hours.
there was something immediately familiar about walking along avenue de clichy.
old trees canopied the blocks, giving a beautiful sun-dappled effect--i thought, the avenue was a living, shining renoir! it was easy to imagine a beautiful architectural history.
i continued my slow stroll...
past...
racks of leather shoes
and dvd stores
and t-shirt shops
and frill-free, neon signs for quick-stop chinese, japanese, middle eastern and eastern european eateries.
even more amazing? the unmistakable, lingering aroma of rotisserie chicken, all along the avenue.
i'd found, in that little swath of the 17th, the fulton mall of paris.
(who knew?)
***
as a tennis fan, i loved seeing this in the front window of a store called "edene star""
yannick noah, and his ex, the lovely heather-stewart whyte.
definitely wouldn't see this in brooklyn...
***
it was an unexpected scene on avenue de clichy, but it reminded me that mine had been a narrow (dreamy) view of parisian life. and i know not to define the whole 17th from what i saw that afternoon. the 17th blends upper, middle and lower classes, there's a big-business district as well as older, historic areas, and former industrial areas in various stages of gentrification. young families move in, other nationalities do, too.
there is real, every day life there, after all.
***
oh, i did find the wonderful french touche, full of delightfully feminine artisan creations.
it was a litle etsy emporium, and in a different way, very "brooklyn."
i hadn't planned to make the trip to paris a shopping trip, but there were definitely several stores on my hit list, a few in the marais. as my luck would have it, my friend matt was living in that neighborhood and he kindly spent a couple of days guiding me through the rues...
at the very top of my list was merci, a concept store that opened in 2009, and named by one of my long-time style icons, ines de la fressange, as one of her favorites. in the 1980s, ms. de la fressange was most famously known as the first model to sign an exclusive contract with chanel. but i have loved her for her non-chanel style: with her short brown hair, slim cut trousers and blazers, sweaters and tees and great shoes, her look was always smart, chic, and unfussy. parisian. she never really left the style pages, but she's enjoying a burst of recent fame with the publication of a parisian style book, a spread in "the selby," and recent catwalk turns for karl lagerfeld and jean-paul gaultier. anyway, i figured if she loved merci, i would too.
and i did--from the minute i entered the courtyard and saw the little red fiat.
merci is a "lofty" space, with abundant natural light to glorify everything inside. flowers greet you on the first floor, and there are different boutiques, upstairs and down. as a concept store, they sell clothing and accessories for men, women and children, and have sections devoted to seemingly every room in your home, as well as the garden, if you have one. it's the one-stop shopping of the highest order--everything is beautiful, a mix of vintage and new, a blend of easy and elegant. even the coffee bar is swank.
i spent most of my time in the gal's apparel section, where the lust factor is high--i ogled slip dresses and buttery leather coats, all manner of garments with interesting lines or special adornments--zippers, ruffles, and beads, some more subtle than others. my budget and i did little more than browse this time 'round, but the terrific thing about merci is that once the store breaks even, the proceeds are distributed to women's and children's charities in madagascar. those with a little extra spending room can feel feel doubly good about the experience.
***
merci's bookstore carries mostly secondhand volumes...this was my second favorite section...would have been first, maybe, if i could read french?
there were times during this vacation when i just wanted to park myself on one street corner and shoot "style."
fantastic french style would come at me all day long, but i was so often moving in the opposite direction...
this isn't really a lament--i love that there's still so much for me to discover in paris. it just means that what i'm posting here now is only one small sample of how the parisians dress for the spring sun....
***
blue-la-la
le bag...
la ring...everything she's got, really
her smile
her belted blue...
***
the color purple
i really liked this shot for the coca cola, too. i drink it rarely myself--when i do, it's also "regular," in a can. i just love to see people enjoying coca-cola all over the world...
