Restaurant: Alcazar
Regardless of my whereabouts in the world I long to be chez Alacazar. Pourquoi? For starters, their tartare au boeuf (served Tuesdays) is, in my opinion, the best on the planet...and I have had my share of steak tartare. Not to mention that their frites are delectable and cappuccino, served with chocolate covered orange slices, is my favorite in France. No they don't skimp on the foam and only the real ingredients will do. Nicole Kidman was willing to temporarily forego her skim milk-only policy for the Alcazar experience. Located in an airy, modern space (once the infamous Alcazar Cabaret), and decorated tastefully with fresh flowers, the service is good and everything on the menu is tres magnifique. There is a hip lounge upstairs for in the evenings and a chic club down below.
Shop: Colette
213 rue Saint Honore, 75001, www.colette.fr/
Mecca may be a place of pilgrimage to believers in Islam, but to those who pray to the Gods of Fashion, Colette is the place spiritual worshipers call home. It may take a few visits to appreciate the brilliance of this concept store, with its water bar, book collection and eclectic mix of (0ften rare) high fashion clothing and accessories. Not only is each piece handpicked from the designer showrooms to fit in with the Colette image, the boutique has become so revered that designers frequently design special pieces just for the store. And you never know who you are going to get to see...Monsieur Lagerfeld may be just around the corner.
Culture: Musée Galliera
10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75115, http://www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=5854
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The word Paris is synonymous with style, elegance and luxury, so it comes as no surprise that visitors to the city of lights will want to brush up on their knowledge of la mode - museum style. For other some visitors to the epicentre of fashion, merely meandering through the city's endless stream of boutiques will not suffice. So, in order to preserve Paris's rich textile history, the Musée Galliera was created out of an old palace to store and preserve thousands upon thousands of pieces of clothing.
Its vast collection ranges from Dior's Fall 2007 Haute Couture gown and Katharine Hepburn's trousers to Marie Antoinette's culottes. Although the majority of its gems remain carefully stored away from the eyes of gawking tourists, every year the museum puts on a few special exhibitions, where hundreds of pieces are put on display for the public. All done to perfection, past exhibitions include Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Marlene Dietrich and the history of French fashion. Currently the museum is holding an exhibition about fashion from the roaring twenties that should prove to be a must-see. Aside from a stop at Colette, no fashionista's pilgrimage to the land of fashion is complete without a stop at the Musée Galliera.
Shop: Colette
213 rue Saint Honore, 75001, www.colette.fr/
Mecca may be a place of pilgrimage to believers in Islam, but to those who pray to the Gods of Fashion, Colette is the place spiritual worshipers call home. It may take a few visits to appreciate the brilliance of this concept store, with its water bar, book collection and eclectic mix of (0ften rare) high fashion clothing and accessories. Not only is each piece handpicked from the designer showrooms to fit in with the Colette image, the boutique has become so revered that designers frequently design special pieces just for the store. And you never know who you are going to get to see...Monsieur Lagerfeld may be just around the corner. Culture: Musée Galliera
10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75115, http://www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=5854
.
The word Paris is synonymous with style, elegance and luxury, so it comes as no surprise that visitors to the city of lights will want to brush up on their knowledge of la mode - museum style. For other some visitors to the epicentre of fashion, merely meandering through the city's endless stream of boutiques will not suffice. So, in order to preserve Paris's rich textile history, the Musée Galliera was created out of an old palace to store and preserve thousands upon thousands of pieces of clothing.
Its vast collection ranges from Dior's Fall 2007 Haute Couture gown and Katharine Hepburn's trousers to Marie Antoinette's culottes. Although the majority of its gems remain carefully stored away from the eyes of gawking tourists, every year the museum puts on a few special exhibitions, where hundreds of pieces are put on display for the public. All done to perfection, past exhibitions include Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Marlene Dietrich and the history of French fashion. Currently the museum is holding an exhibition about fashion from the roaring twenties that should prove to be a must-see. Aside from a stop at Colette, no fashionista's pilgrimage to the land of fashion is complete without a stop at the Musée Galliera.
