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parisienne

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Five books about Paris




 ... that I think you'll love (plus bonus tip!) 


1. Astier de Villatte: Ma Vie à Paris

Now in  its fifth edition, Ivan & Benoit, owners of the emporium that is Astier de Villatte, share their best kept Paris tips in this beauty of a book. True to AdV form, it's printed on letterpress and comes with gilded edges. It's been a treasure in my bookcase since it first came out, and I desperately need an upgrade, as the revised edition has a promised 200 or so additional addresses waiting between its pages.

2. Ernest Hemingway: A Moveable Feast

Hemingway's memoir of his years as a struggling journalist and writer in Paris in the 1920s that was published posthumously in 1964. The book is dotted with references to notable figures during the time, from Shakespeare & Company's Sylvia Beach to F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein, and captures the ambience of 1920s Paris, which, coupled with Hemingway's sharp and  straightforward prose,  makes it a fascinating read on every level. 






3. Muriel Barbery: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Originally published by Gallimard, this novel by Muriel Barbery is set within the walls of a Parisian hôtel particulier. At its heart is Renée Michel, a seemingly unremarkable concierge who carefully conceals her  intellect and deep love of art and philosophy. When she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the precocious daughter of an upper-class family in the building, her guarded world begins to shift. 


4. Julian Green: Paris

Julian Green was born to American parents in Paris in 1900. In this book, he leads the reader on a dreamlike journey through Paris's courtyards, alleys and secret corners. It's atmospheric, evocative and the perfect read when you're longing for a spot of Parisian flânerie.







5. Ruth Reichl: The Paris Novel

My most recent Paris read, this was one of those light-but-not-silly books that sweeps you along to wander through many familiar corners of Paris and dive into restaurants to sample the dishes. Set in 1980s Paris, the novel follows reserved New Yorker Stella, as she's drawn into a world of art, food and culture, discovering a new side of herself. A foodie treat.

And for the bonus tip! (You might have guessed...)


Rebecca Skye Watson: Parisienne – Secrets to Paris-Inspired Living

An invitation to sprinkle some Parisian charm into your everyday, from styling your home with Haussmannian elegance to curating a Parisienne  wardrobe and throwing a soirée. A visual feast filled with inspiration, recipes and  secret addresses – and more reading tips.









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Monday, 6 January 2025

On Creativity




(Image of my favourite model, my daughter, for the Parisienne book.)



Well I was aware that after the post-Christmas bubble, those creative ideas start to surface, but this time round I’ve been quite astounded by the force of the flow – as if some block has been released, unfettered, a feeling of freedom, joy, exhilaration. 

I’ve been staring at the work of some portraiture masters, and somehow ended up revisiting a gallery of dreamy portraits I’d taken some years back. I’m feeling a pull to explore creative portraiture again in the coming year or so – rather than going back to what once was, a curiosity to see what moods, connections and hues start surfacing now, years on, in another state of feeling and being. It’s interesting what an effect revisiting something from the past can have – in addition to the passion for creating, I also suddenly remembered the insecurities I was going through at the time, lurking in the shadows. 
 
Yesterday, as we were putting Christmas away and cleaning up the aftermath, we ended up rearranging the living room furniture back to how it used to be. I was taken aback by the downer that brought on – like suddenly being hijacked back in time instead of going forward. But the layout works better that way, we feel, the room flows and seems more spacious, and it is actually different somehow – because we are in another time, and we leave something out and add some new element in. 
 
The creative life has its pitfalls – the comparison trap, not feeling good enough, feeling like you haven’t really found your thing or stuck with it, getting inspired by one thing, then the opposite. It’s not always pure joy and freedom – we are humans after all, with things we grapple with, limitations. But one thing I’ve become aware of lately is that whatever sparks one’s curiosity is worth exploring. It’s not that serious, quite the opposite. It can be fun, like play. There is no right or wrong when it comes to inspirations, they are shifting by their very nature. And also, it’s perfectly fine to be swept by all things joie de vivre one minute, and soul-searching imagery the next, or vice versa. It’s all part of the human experience. If it touches you, it is bound to touch someone else, too. Our passions, humour, mysteries, sorrows, joys,  idiosyncrasies, lightness and shadow  all make up a whole, reflected in what we churn out into the world, and there’s beauty in it all. When we become more accepting of the different parts of ourselves, we begin to accept what we create – it’s all part of the journey. And, on another note, I also believe that we can create what we yearn for. What you focus on, expands – also in photography. 

And in the flow, you are bound to see some miracles.

"There's no logic in the realm of imagination. It's more about feelings, emotions and love. You can't explain why you fell in love with someone because some emotions cannot be described. It's the same for me with photography." 

- Paolo Roversi



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Thursday, 31 October 2024

Parisienne: Appartement Haussmannien

 





“Timeworn herringbone floors in cognac hues whisper tales from the past as they gently creak underfoot. Autumn light filters through centuries-old hand-blown windows, casting a golden glow on a marble mantlepiece, while a ceiling rose with cascading petals draws the gaze…” – excerpt from my book Parisienne – Secrets to Paris-Inspired Living. 







As someone who loves Paris but doesn’t live there, having the chance to visit the dreamiest Haussmannian apartment imaginable with my camera in tow to be featured in my book had me pinching. I am eternally grateful to the one and only Frank Adrian Barron, aka Cake Boy Paris for giving me such a warm welcome (you can visit his website here and follow him on Instagram: @cakeboyparis ). 


And it was an absolute joy to meet up with him this September in Paris in the quaintest café only he knows how to pick, and hand him a copy of the book in person. 






 

Each visit to the City of Light has felt like peeling another layer. Over the past year, while creating Parisienne, I’ve had one foot and 90% of my head in Paris the whole time. This journey didn’t only result in pages between solid covers but in meeting people I now have the pleasure of calling friends.







I guess with all this I want to say it’s SO worth focusing on what entices you! You never know what unexpected doors might open or how things will grow, often in surprising, beautiful ways. 










x





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Friday, 20 January 2023

Musing: Simone de Beauvoir

 






“On the evenings when my parents held parties, the drawing-room mirrors multiplied to infinity the scintillations of a crystal chandelier. Mama would take her seat at the grand piano to accompany a lady dressed in a cloud of tulle who played the violin and a cousin who performed on a cello. I would crack between my teeth the candied shell of an artificial fruit, and a burst of light would illuminate my palate with a taste of blackcurrant or pineapple: all the colours, all the lights were mine, the gauzy scarves, the diamonds, the laces; I held the whole party in my mouth.”

― Simone de Beauvoir, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter




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