Paris Part Two
For the second part of my Paris trip posts, I wanted to show a more in-depth look at the Sunday Farmer’s Market on the Boulevard Raspail and the amazing fashion exhibitions I was so lucky to have seen.
The Marché Raspail was one of the best parts of my trip, as I am a weekly regular at my local farmers market. I really wanted to explore what it would be like to shop at a French market.
It is a one stop shop for seasonal produce with items such as chestnuts, wild mushrooms and blueberries which I have never seen at a California market before. There was a woman making an incredibly delicious smelling, sizzling batch of paella and a long glass refrigerator for beacoup de fromages! If it hadn’t been 9 in the morning, I would have indulged in the oysters being shucked on site and eaten! There were also non-edible goodies to be had such as big beautiful bunches of garden roses, delicate soaps, and even silk scarves.I will whole-heartedly be returning next time I am in Paris.
As it was Paris Fashion week, there was an elevated buzz of all things fashion in the air! It was the opening of the Musee Yves Saint Laurent as well as coinciding with the temporary Dior exhibition at Les Arts Decoratifs.
The Musee Yves Saint Laurent opened to the public when I was there and I went the next day. Luckily, I had bought tickets online which placed you in a special, much shorter line at a specific designated time (amongst important magazines editors no less.) Besides the marvelous exhibition of decades of couture, it was special to see the recreation of Mr. Laurent’s exact studio, his creative space where he designed collection after collection of incredible haute couture gowns. It felt like a personal behind-the-curtain look at what made this man the genius that he was. Another museum dedicated to the designer will be opening in Marrakech this week.
The Musee Yves Saint Laurent felt quite modest in comparison to the grandiose exhibition that was Dior. This was much more crowded as it explored Mr. Dior’s upbringing and history through letters, photograph, as well as his personal art collection.
When you eventually finished the first portion, it opened up to room after room of spectacular dresses on display. It started with a floor to ceiling wall of the original toiles (a test version of a design) and a man actually making a Dior handbag live at a station, with the piece de resistance being the Dior Ballroom showcasing some of Dior's most famous dresses. Inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, it was a breathtaking and majestic display of these towering gowns that have been worn by royalty or on the red carpet.
What I found so intriguing was how timeless all of these gowns truly were lined up with one another. One piece from the 1950’s looked at though it belonged next to a piece created in the 2000’s. One left thinking how iconic and important the brand of Dior is to the history of fashion.
An absolute must-see if you are in Paris from now until January!
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