Flaneuse en Paris!

Thanks to a fortunate connection through CDG I was able to spend a whirlwind14 hours in Paris. Arriving at 4pm on a Friday afternoon with a hard out of 6am the next morning, I was determined to take in as much of Paris as I physically could. Much to the chagrin of my tired travel companion, we stomped around for hours before our feet finally gave out and we had to stop for a late-night bite and a slug of well-earned wine at Café de Flore.

            I love that feeling you get whenever you arrive in a new place. It always feels like we have a chance to begin again in a new world, one that will let us start over as a better version of our old selves, the person you’ve always secretly wanted to be. In that same vein, I dressed in attempts to master the art of a Parisian ‘flaneur’ (the French word for someone who has perfected the art of nonchalance). Keeping the long walk in mind, I chose a silky blue side-paneled dress from Topshop. So as to not add to the bad rep that American have oversees I paired it with a colorfully striped American Apparel bandeau for extra conservatism (all things considered). 

While sorting through my photos from Paris I realized just how snap happy I was in a single weekend away! Being in Paris came with the refreshing sense of anticipation for the future and excitement for just being alive. Oftentimes with travel there is an unspoken promise that you will return home slightly different, better for having experienced another culture and breathing the air of another land. While I can't say that traveling has made me a new person, I will say that life always seems a little sweeter whenever I get the opportunity to escape into the world. Even if it's just for a little while. 

Pondering in Paris... 

For the first time I worked up the nerve to go on that giant ferris wheel in the Tuileries. I'm slightly terrified of heights, but the view was well worth conquering my fears. From the top you can see everything from the Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre to the Arche de Triomphe. Listening to the soundtrack of 'Midnight in Paris' in one ear and the various street noises in the other, I fell head over heels for the city as the sun set behind Eiffel Tower. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed this trip thanks in a big part to the stunningly sunny Paris weather. It felt so nice to be bare-legged again that I practically danced my wait through the arrondissements! 

You'd be surprised by the number of street crepes I could fit into my mouth within 14 hours. The unforgiving waistline of my dress was certainly not prepared for these kind of indulgences. 

When in Paris... 

When Gaby Aghion originally founded Chloe in the 1950s, she would hold her fashion shows at the Cafe de Flore (among other, similarly styled cafes). In lieu of a catwalk, editors would be seated at breakfast tables as the models sashed around the restaurant in Aghion's newest designs.

I'd never fully understood the concept of saudade until winding through little alfresco brasseries such as this one. Saudade is a Portugese/Galician term for the feeling of being nostalgic for a time you never experienced. Never has it felt more appropriate than to properly express my yearning for the jazz age of Paris. 

Dress: Topshop

Bandeau: American Apparel 

Shoes: Zara