Angie Niles - Bright Lights Paris: Shop, Dine & Live.Parisian Style

Chapter Trocadro

Chapter Montorgueil

Chapter Lower Marais

Chapter Montmartre

Chapter Canal Saint-Martin

Chapter Saint-Germain

Chapter Latin Quarter

Contents

viii Introduction

Chapter Upper Marais

Chapter Opera

Chapter Tuileries

Chapter Champ de Mars

Chapter Bastille

Introduction

Paris Is Beautiful. Paris Is Charming. Paris Is Enchanting. Paris Is . . . Magical.

W hen I lived in Paris, I would wake each morning to the bells of Notre Dame reminding me that I wasnt just dreaming about Paris but actually living there. Walking along the cobblestone streets, I discovered so many magical places and experienced all that this special city has to offer: open-air food markets with seasonal fresh vegetables and mounds of Camembert cheese ready to drip out onto your warm, crusty baguette; sensational restaurants delighting taste buds you didnt even know you had; unique boutiques carrying the most intricately detailed baubles; manicured parks perfect for picnicking; and most important, the citys residents, with a Parisian style and character all their own.

My first introduction to the City of Lights, however, was not on rue de Rivoli. Like many others, it started from afar, by first seeing the citys beauty in movies like Breathless , A Little Romance , and Charade , with the ever- so-chic Audrey Hepburn. I was also

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lucky to have grown up near Disney World in Central Florida, with a petite Paris at Epcot. My mom and I had yearly passes from the time I was a kid until I finished college. Whenever we were shopping in Orlando, she would say, Lets go have dessert in Paris, and we would drive to Epcot, stop by Paris for chocolate croissants or a gooey Napoleon pastry, and sit outside at their replica Parisian caf.

This was the closest my mom or I had ever been to Paris. I loved the mini version so much, that I often found myself daydreaming of traveling to the real City of Lights and wondering what a Parisian girls life was likehow she lived, what she wore, who she was.

It wasnt until college that I took my first trip to Paris. And it was while walking around Le Marais that I first encountered her: the Parisian Girl. There were women heading to the market for their weekly groceries, ladies looking impossibly chic as they browsed the modern art galleries and designer boutiques, and young women gathered at outdoor cafs sipping their caf au lait with friends.

With every trip my fascination grew, and it soon became clear there was not just one type of woman in Paris, but more than a dozen . . . that Parisian girls from each arrondissement have their

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own unique sense of style and way of life. I was intrigued and delighted by their lively differences. From girls in Canal Saint-Martin wandering along the canal with a bohemian spirit, to the perfectly put together ladies in Saint-Germain-des-Prs who shop the art galleries and meet up for lunch at Caf de Flore. And lets not forget the eclectic artists in Montmartre and the chic modern styles of the ladies who ride their Vespas through the streets of the Marais.

Now, after living in Paris and many trips there since, Im here to share everything I have learned with you. Join me through the life of Parisian women. Well go shopping with them to eclectic vintage shops, take weekend excursions to nearby vineyards, share their beauty secrets, and learn about the hidden gems only a true Parisian knows how to find. Whether you are planning a trip to Paris, dreaming of one from your living room, or just aspiring to live like a Parisian, Bright Lights Paris will show you the way.

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I n the world that is Trocadro in Pariss 16th arrondissement, wide tree-lined boulevards lead the way for the well-heeled elite to haute couture and haute cuisine. The epitome of French bourgeoisie chic, the Trocadro woman attends designer boutique openings, strolls past elegant couture houses on her way to work, and sips tea at the Htel Plaza Athne, where Carrie Bradshaw stayed with Aleksandr Petrovsky.

With a closet full of high-end luxury labels, her daytime elegance shines in Lanvin and Erdem dresses paired with a Vanessa Bruno tuxedo blazer. When shes in the mood for rock n roll chic, the Trocadro woman slips into her Balmain army jacket and tapered pants, or fitted bias-cut miniskirt by Jay Ahr. For black-tie affairs, only a Saint Laurent draped gown will do.

Red-soled Christian Louboutin stilettos are her wardrobe staple and line the closet of her pied--terre, which is attached to her familys nineteenth-century mansion. For handbags, she has curated a collection of standout luxury pieces in classic colorsred, black, navy, and brownby Givenchy, Cline, and Saint Laurent. When her mom needs new pieces for her wardrobe, they shop at Guy Laroche and Nina Ricci, followed by lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel George V.