Charm Before The Storm

Fashion Weeks are on the horizon, ready to start rolling in from New York and London to Milan, and finally with resounding fanfare, to the most glamorous of them all, in the City Of Lights. Before Dior, Chanel and Givenchy storm Paris with their fall offerings, here’s how to get the most out of the city and its intimately hidden secrets. Settle down in an atmospheric room, grab a café crème and get set for clandestine discoveries.

It’s time to witness the Fall of the Glamazons. They call it, Semaine des Createurs de Mode, an appropriately ornamental title for the glitziest fashion week in the world; when shoals of fashion editors, assistants, stylists, models and socialites descend upon the French capital, to snag invites to more than 100 shows. Depending on how you look at, it’s the best or the worst time to visit the city. If you aren’t intent on breaking your bank with the latest collections from the big boys of haute couture, there’s (always) plenty more that Paris has to offer.

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Begin with a bohemian ‘70s flashback. Trawl the quieter lanes at Le Marais and the city’s old Jewish quarter, looking for an unmarked door between Moroccan restaurant Le 404 and the Andy Warholinspired bar, Andy Wahloo.

The door leads into a courtyard, and from there into a space that can be best described as a cross between a restaurant and a boho-chic home. At Derrière, you can choose to park (your own derrière) near the ping-pong table in the living room, the den, or the bedroom with a mirrored ceiling. Trained at Michelinstarred restaurants, Chef Lionel Delage serves up modern French cuisine that includes salads for skinny models who hang out here, nibbing on foie gras terrine and a beef cheek bourguignon.

ROOM WITH A VIEW AND A HISTORY

If baby boomer-channelling girls in sequinned tights gossiping between canoodling couples isn’t your scene, there are more classic delights to be enjoyed. Lively and artistic, the 6th arrondissement is one of the jewels of Paris’s Left Bank, the quintessential Parisian neighbourhood where Jean- Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Hemingway and Picasso socialised at iconic cafes. You can spend hours roaming the Jardin du Luxembourg, browse through the world’s most prestigious coffee-table books at the Assouline store and munch on the world’s most beloved macaroons at Laduree.

But to get the best out of Rive Gauche (Left Bank) you need a classic Parisian apartment, a little pied-à-terre to call your own. What’s even better is this historic gem of a 4-star boutique hotel. Hotel Da Vinci, artfully squished between the Louvre and gorgeous Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

All of its 24 rooms work as time-machines, their baroque interiors transporting you to Venice and the works of the legendary master painter. This was where the Mona Lisa stayed for a few days in August 2011, after it was stolen from the Louvre by a gentleman called Vincenzo Peruggia. From all the rooms themed after the master’s works, book the plush La Suite du Voleur, with a wall-to-wall Da Vinci fresco above the bed, Roberto Cavalli toiletries in the bathroom, a delightful vintage telephone (ideal to book a private sauna session at the magical Relaxation Pool in the basement) and a trellised balcony, where you could pen your next bestseller.

Another in-house surprise, to get you in the mood for a shopping spree, is Café Da Vinci, which is inspired by the Venetian legend, Caffè Florian, with exact replicas right from the ceiling, wood panelling and floor motifs to the special percolator that whips up arguably the best espresso in the city. After a strong cuppa, head out to explore the sweet delights of the neighbourhood, unofficially the chocolate district of Paris. Indulge your heart and soul at the most sinful stores-Debauve et Gallais, Pierre Marcolini and Jean- Charles Rochoux. But if you’re on a diet and have to choose just one store, let it be A la Mère de Famille, the oldest sweetshop in Paris, dating back 250 years. Get a bag of butterscotch roudoudous or violet bonbons. It’s the ideal fuel with café crème and croissant breaks to keep exploring into other clandestinely fashionable Parisian secrets. Profitez-en bien!

Top 10 shopping haunts

From luscious luxury creams to jackets, androgynous menswear to organic food, here’s how to shop up a dream in Paris.

LE BON MARCHÉ

Unless you’d prefer spending the entire day (or two) at the city’s best department store, head straight to the new 3,000 sq ft beauty section on the first floor, replete with a hairstyling bar, nail bar and eyelash bar and a host of exclusive brands like Patyka, 2Moss, Miss Ferling and Omoye. Worth adding to your beauty haul are the anti-ageing creams and serums from Absolution and the body scrubs and cedarwood scented candles from Swedish eco-luxury brand, Bjork and Berries.

LES FLEURS

A deliciously girly destination in the 12th arrondissement is particularly flowing with new merchandise during the holiday season. Owner Lucie Deniset has handpicked littleknown accessory brands. It’s a great boutique to stock up on delicate chains, charms and statement rings. Noteworthy are Titlee’s collier necklaces and adorable ice-cream and boat charm pendants, and Italian leather handbags from Nat & Nin.

MELINDA GLOSS

If you’re looking to enhance your man’s wardrobe with some distinct French savoir-vivre, head straight to the most atmospheric menswear boutique on Rue de Saintonge. Inspired by fashion, literature and cinema, it offers a wardrobe that’s chic and nonchalant, with natural fabrics and local production. If you’re the couple that shares wardrobes, the brand’s printed silk pyjamas, white shirts and roomy cardigans can easily find their stylish way from his to yours.

MISSONI

Early this year, the Italian giant opened its new flagship store at 219, Rue Saint-Honoré. With parquet floors, colourful marble walls and slatted timber screens, the lush boutique expresses the brand’s spirited, contemporary and luxurious aesthetic as soon as you step in. The fall-winter 2015 collection styles separates in leopard prints, florals, lamé and macramé. Snap up their lust-worthy high heels in polychrome resin paste, and felt-lined wide brim hats, too.

CHEZ MOI

If Derrière is the restaurant-in-apartment concept, this chic store in the 1st arrondissement embodies Paris’s upcoming store-within-an-apartment concept. Replete with bathroom, sitting room, dining room and bedroom, it showcases an edgy selection of artworks homeware, wine, furniture, clothes, accessories and more. Make sure you pick up a few easy-breezy cotton separates by the brand Coperni.

MAISON KITSUNÉ

You can’t be at a world fashion capital and restrict yourself to home-grown (well-deservedly) haute couture. The latest fashionable entrant to the very hot Upper Marais district with their second boutique in Paris is the collaborative brand between Gildas Loaëc, creative director of the band Daft Punk, and the architect Masaya Kuroki, a unique blend of design, music and fashion. Kitsuné’s fall-winter 2015 collection is a youthful mix of checkered sweaters, denim jumpsuits, knits and fleece zip-ups. Inspired by Yin and Yang-a symbol featured on the South Korean flag-Masaya has built this collection on men and women mirroring each other’s movements and actions.

CARRÉ RIVE GAUCHE

To dress up the interiors of your home or working space with the most avant-garde art, head to a Carré Rive Gauche event in summer, where you can avail of a guided trail of art and antique galleries, 111 in all. The area is located between the prestigious streets of Rue du Bac, Rue de l’Université, Rue des Saints Perés and Quai Voltaire.

GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

The Rome-born designer’s brand launched a new accessories boutique at Galerie de la Madeleine, opposite the label’s other Paris outlet, two years ago, a monastic boutique in glass and mirrors, where the Valli Bag continues to hold fort. Always dreamy, ladylike and elegant, both its garments and accessories are favoured by the likes of high-profile, professional women such as Aman Clooney.

MARCHÉ BIOLOGIQUE RASPAIL

A delightful organic market, it is open every Sunday from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m on Boulevard Raspail, between the Rue du Cherche-Midi and Rue de Rennes, spend a blissful half-day here nibbling on onion galettes, Comté cheese, honey and jams with artisanal breads prepared fresh by local vendors.

ALTERNATIVES

Take it from the city’s leggy models, because this designer vintage outlet store in Le Marais is where they shop for excellent bargains on Matsuda, Yamamoto and Michel Klein separates.

From the October 2015 issue of L’Officiel India.