IsabelleOC » paris

Mama Shelter, Paris Perfection

Isabelle — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:31:15 +0000

As part of my trip with Black XS (more on this soon), we stayed at the wonderful Mama Shelter hotel near the Père Lachaise Cemetery where all those famousers are buried. I opted to stay at the hotel for a bit and make the most of their luxurious TV options by watching the French version of Come Dine With Me which is called ‘Un Diner Presque Parfait’. Highly recommended viewing.

I love sleeping in hotels, I always sleep better than at home and this place was no exception. Blackout blinds and a black painted wall all added to the cocoon effect and after a little bit of ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ on their complimentary film channel, I was out like a light. It’s an easygoing place, unexpected touches dotted about the place like the infamous mask-lightshades or the mix of furniture in the restaurant make you feel at home and take away that weird hotel blandness you can sometimes get. It’s also an antidote to the stuffy French obsession with authority and doing things ‘comme il faut’ aka properly. I can say that because I’m French so it’s ok.

Anywhere that serves proper tea is a friend of mine, Palais des Thés or Mariage Frères will do nicely thank you. How is it that the French even do tea better than the UK? Sanderson take note, Twinings tea bags are a joke. Before tea comes cocktails and I had a gorgeous white pepper and basil caipirinha which went down a treat. Mama Shelter also do pizzas, which made a perfect late night snack when we all came in from pretending to be rock stars.

We kept calling this the Jeff Koons, except you’re allowed to touch

All grey, new living room inspiration

Obligatory mirror shot, ilu Sonicare

Never been one for making beds

This ain’t no English Breakfast
Dicking around in the hotel with my Paris friends

Isabelle likes writing in the third person and was a guest of Mama Shelter and Black XS

Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles

Isabelle — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:31:41 +0000

These pictures from 1962 show a side to Paris which you don’t often see anymore, the scruffy everyday chic when people only washed their hair a few times a week and scrubbed at stains rather than chuck it in the washing machine. I love seeing through the nostalgia to the smellier, dirtier times people lived in.

It reminds me of a line from For The City by Stevie Wonder, ‘her clothes are old but never are they dirty’. My grandfather is the KING of stain removal and general damage limitation. I remember him colouring in the soles of my shoes with a felt tip pen so they would match the leather better and rushing me to the bathroom to scrub off any flecks of watermelon juice. I guess that’s the legacy of growing up in an occupied country during the war, you had to be ingenious to look smart. It makes me smile when I think of ultra-expensive Ed Hardy style distressed jeans, my grandparents have never worn trainers, or even jeans.

Having to make do and mend, even during postwar years, is perhaps a reason that the French are so attached to classic looks. It’s one of the things that the French are great at, not replacing something old for something new unless absolutely necessary. I guess that’s why when I go to the Marché Victor Hugo in Toulouse you still see scenes like the mushroom stall pictured bottom right.

These pictures are from Flickr, found through India Knight’s amazing Posterous.

Je suis venue te dire que je m’en vais

Isabelle — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:24:22 +0000

I’m going to France for a few days to see my grandparents in Toulouse and then hang out in Paris with my femibuds, go to Chartier, the brunch place in Jussieu and visit Mariage Freres for tea. Basically I’m gonna be stuffing my face with bloody steak & cheese. Oh and they’ll probably be a few Kir Royales in the mix and I’m not promising I wont buy a copy or two of Voici. Jus sayin.

If everything goes to plan I should also be visiting the Vionnet exhibition, and the YSL museum too, so hopefully should have lots and lots to report back. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got half a stone to gain, ta-ra!

Listen to Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M’en Vais by Serge Gainsbourg and try not to cry.

Lara Stone for Jaeger

Isabelle — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:15:30 +0000

Lara Stone, what a beauty… You can see why Carine Roitfeld devoted a whole issue of French Vogue to her. Here she is modelling for Jaeger’s latest collection, it was shot at Somerset House, the new location for London Fashion Week, but feels so Parisian. Are those panelled leggings in the picture above? Fingers crossed.