Paris, A Love Story: Part 1

So the backstory on the impromtu Paris trip goes something like this: A few weeks ago, I got a funny little note amidst all the spam in my inbox (baby slings! eco wine coolers!). It said that I had been chosen as one of a handful of bloggers plucked from around the blogosphere, and would I be interested in flying to Paris for three days, courtesy of Chanel? Thought #1 went something like: "Paris! Paris! Paris! Cheese… omm… Paris!" Thought #2 went something like: "Oooooh, business class. Oooooh, Karl Lagerfeld." Thought #3 was more like: "I wonder if Susie Bubble could possibly be as cool and charming in real life?" (Answer: Yes. Yes, she is.) And so, I packed up all my prettiest dresses in the bag I usually use for two week trips – not, uh, three day trips, but you never know when you're going to need that fifth pair of shoes – and off I went.

I suppose that is goes without saying that Paris is incredible. We (my delightful Singaporean traveling partner K. and I) arrived in the city early Thursday morning and had the whole day free to do as we pleased. After grabbing ham and cheese baguettes from a little café near the Place Vendome (our airport driver claimed it to be among the very best in Paris), we went out separate ways – K. to the Louvre and around the centre of town, and I on a long walk through many of my favorite areas of the city (lesson #1: those Keds aren't made for walking, no matter how spritely Mischa looks prancing about in them. After seven hours traipsing around town, I thought my battered feet were literally going to fall off.)

Still, it was fantastic. I saw an amazing exhibition of slightly wacky and incredibly cool installations from French artist Annette Messager at the Pompidou, hands down one of my favorite museums ever, and not just because it looks like a weird giant pipe factory. Their permanent collection is equally amazing, with snippets of fantastic works from a variety of international artists. I sat at Notre Dame and watched the wide range of tourists come and go and have their picture taken. I ducked in and out of the tiny shops of the Marais, such a fantastic little neighborhood of boutiques and galleries. I visited the charcuteries and the patisseries and the fromageries that line the Rue Mouffetard, one of my favorite streets (at least easting-wise) in Paris. I had an ice cream cone while walking past the Tuileries. I got my H&M fix on the the Rue de Rivoli.

And that was just day one! By mid-afternoon, I was completely exhausted and had to head back to the hotel for a short nap (and a foot soak). The real action was just about to start: Bloggers were beginning to trickle in from all over the world, ready for 24 hours of pure Chanel. Stay tuned…

{Renowned fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky's wonderfully whimsical Paris pictures totally capture how I feel about the city. I found this one here.}

PS) On a completely unrelated note, Imelda and I are totally hoping some of you in Singapore will want to sign up for NAFA's Tuesday night "Print Your Fabric" course. It's 10 weeks, S$400, and by the end, you should be custom-making t-shirts with the best of them. Um, or at least, with them. We need four more people for the class to start on the scheduled date of September 18 (next Tuesday). Imelda's got all the details. Hope to see you there! Hurrah! Sounds like we've got ourselves a full course! Prepare to get artsy and craftsy, starting Sept. 25.