Bonjour, Paris! We are (almost) on our way. This is a trip that we
have excitedly been planning for over a year, and we can’t believe that
it’s just around the corner. In two short weeks, we will be
accompanying a great group of nine women on a shopping expedition,
mostly for the antiques and French objets in all our favorite haunts
around the Paris area. We have a shipper on speed dial and a container
to be filled. So now all we need to do is shop shop shop, til we all
drop! Would you like a taste?
Day 1. We’ll meet up at our favorite pied a terre in Paris in the 7th arrondissement, and then accompany our guests to their gorgeous Paris Perfect apartments,
giving them a little taste of life in the ‘hood, with a walking tour of
some of our local haunts. We’ll have a welcome dinner at a fabulous
local restaurant, and then it’s early to bed, because day 2 is a busy
day!
Our guests will meet up with us at our favorite “Beaumes de Venise” pied a terre on the first morning.
We can’t wait to hear the ooh’s and aah’s from their gorgeous “Merlot” apartment.
And we know they’ll love the spacious Margaux apartment where several more will be staying.
We’ll serve up some bubbly and have a meeting here to go over the nitty
gritties of buying antiques in France. Tough work, n’est ce pas?
Our first night’s dinner will be in an aptly named and wonderful
restaurant, a short walk away. Le Bon Accueil means “The warm welcome”
in French, and that’s exactly what we intend it to be!
Day 2. Now down to serious business! We will hop on
the train and go to an island in the Seine called Chatou, about 40
minutes outside of Paris (and one of Renoir’s favorite places to
visit). We’ll be scouring a fabulous flea market here called “La Foire
aux Jambons,” which is a vestige from the Middle Ages when hundreds of
vendors gathered in Paris to sell their hams during Holy Week. In more
recent years, antique dealers added their wares, and now this fair is
the most wonderful combination of fine antiques, flea market finds and
the best ham you have ever tasted! It’s our favorite market (remember
the blog we wrote about it last year, with Nancy Franke?) and it only happens twice a year. You can be sure we’ll be there all day!
Along with acres of antiques, you’ll see a few pigs at this market. This image from Monika Hofler, the New York Times.
One of the many stalls, from Juliabostonantiques blog
We know some of our shoppers are looking for big train clocks, like this one from Antiques Diva
The piece de resistance? A mouth wateringly delicious lunch with the
most divine ham you’ve ever tasted (thank you to antiquesdiva for her
blog on Chatou)
A familiar sight at every flea market: The French dog!
Day 3. We’ll get up early (again) and head to Porte de
Vanves, where one of our other favorite flea markets is held every
Saturday and Sunday. We love this one for small things, like art,
jewelry, antique silver and other finds that can usually be packed away
in a suitcase. Vanves ends promptly at noon, so then we’ll head to the
St. Germain part of town, for some retail shopping, and possibly duck in
to Paris’ oldest Church, to see if someone is practising the organ for
Sunday’s service. What a treat that would be!
The many faces of Vanves. From gorgeous drippy chandeliers …
… to small accessories that bear the fine signature of time …
To vintage purses and jewelry from a few French designers we all love. (Photos from Pinterest)
Some of us may quench our appetite with a little people watching …
… or have a cafe at one of Paris’ most iconic cafes.
I know we’ll stop in to see Ralph Lauren’s gorgeous new building and store on the Boulevard St. Germain.
And visit one of the city’s most beautiful courtyard restaurants.
We may do more than admire the windows at Laduree …
And for sure, we’ll hope the organist is warming up for his Sunday concert at the oldest Church in Paris, St. Germain des Pres.
Day 4. Just a little rest for the weary. It turns our
the Sunday market at Clignancourt does not start up bright and early,
so we’ll sleep in a little, and then hop on the metro for one of our
biggest treats:
A typical flea market stand, from pinterest
Silver is always one of the favorite purchases …
Along with starburst mirrors …
Mixed with elegant architectural details (from Pinterest).
And a beautiful vignette that epitomizes a wonderful mix of styles.
The “puces” is another great place to find beautiful 19th C. art (image from Scchiller and Bodo)
To top off the day, we’ll have dinner at an authentic French bistrot.
And we will have deserved this, with all the walking and negotiating that we’ll be doing!
Day 5 and 6: It’s been a busy few days, and we promise
to give our guests a little break. So on the last days of the trip
(and not to give everything away!), armed with our top secret Black
book of “Huffington Haunts,” our guests will have the option to venture
out on their own, or tag along with us as we continue to shop at some of
our favorite haunts.
Our Top Secret Little Black Book of favorite Huff Harrington Haunts (never leave home without it!).
We will definitely walk up and down this iconic street, that features
everything from the ever-so-trendy Collette on one end to the ne plus
ultra temples of Hermes, Chanel and Longchamp.
We’ll stop in to Le Grand Colbert restaurant for lunch and hope that
Jack Nicholson (or Keanu Reeves) will be lurking in one of the booths.
We’ll venture to the Marais and hope that we’ll hit the timing right for
a Pop up store (like the one where our dear Allison bought a $2,000 Miu
Miu bag for $300). And if not, no worries … there’s a lot to feast the
eyes in Le Marais.
On the way home, we’ll walk down the beautiful Avenue Montaigne, and
maybe even visit some of the great couturiers along this gorgeous
avenue.
From cpp-luxury.com
And we don’t want to give it all away, but we do have a special treat planned for the last evening.
Cheers, from our private terrace at Margaux
Ta ta,
HH
