Paris: Wear to be seen
With my prize collection of flashing Eiffel Towers and Nymphéas tote bags, I truly thought I’d exhausted all variations on the Paris souvenir. But no: witness this well-cut, head-turner of a coat, emblazoned with details from the archive of Paris architecture. It’s part of the winter collection from Marais prêt-à-porter designer, Anne Elisabeth, whose third boutique has just opened on place Nathalie Lemel (3e), tucked away behind Place de la Rèpublique. Purists will be relieved to know the “Grand Palais” coat includes gobbets of Gustave, too.
The Temple area has long been one of my favourite quartiers, and it’s fast becoming a magnet for enticing retailers and designers-on-the-rise. In the first camp is Goumanyat (rue Charles-François Dupuis), a mandatory stop for foodies. In the second camp there’s Margo Milin, designer of sublimely understated separates and dresses, and her next-door-neighbour, Maria Vryzakis, whose boutique, Monterey offers luxury vintage clothing alongside her own collection. Originally from Australia, Maria tells me her original Paris stay took an unexpected turn when she met her husband-to-be at the annual Firefighters’ Ball. (Where better to be struck by coup de foudre?) On the interiors front, there’s generous inspiration from Kakeboton, showcasing four designers who work in graphics, zinc, leather and glass.
I love this area for its layers of history, too. Nominally part of the “Haut Marais”, it doesn’t have the chi-chi feel of Tourist Beat Marais – which is appropriate when you consider that nearby rue de la Corderie was the cradle of the International Workers’ Association. But is it really the Marais? Well, arguably, yes, since it was was part of the marshy mire drained by the mediaeval Knights Templar. The painted blue semi-circles outside the 3rd arrondissement Mairie mark the spot where the Templars’ keep stood, and where Marie-Antoinette and family were later incarcerated. (It might have been standing even now if Napoleon hadn’t had it razed to discourage royalist fervour.) Nearby, the Carreau du Temple market (pictured below) was the site of the first Foire de Paris in 1904. Today, half a dozen stallholders or s stamp their feet to keep warm; they’re all that’s left of the teeming leather and garment market that used to be held here. Next year, they’ll pack up for good, as work begins on transforming the structure into a glassy, multi-purpose events venue.
The Marais is changing fast. Want to know more? My latest article is the cover on the December issue of Paris Notes.
