I’ve never been a great fan of frequenting the touristy places to which the camera-bearing hoards flock. I understand that most of these locations do indeed possess charm: discreet, bourgeois or otherwise. However I can’t help but feel as though I’m selling out or giving in if I (shock horror) pay a visit to one of these places or (gasp!) admit to enjoying it. But here it is, I have to confess my quaint little touristy sin – one that I happily indulge in and have very few regrets in doing so.

If it’s a rainy afternoon (as Paris afternoons are want to be), if it’s a little cold outside, or hell, for any other excuse that I can concoct, you’ll find me happily snuggling up to some kind of cream puff pastry on a banquette in the Ladurée tearoom in rue Bonaparte in the 6th. … read more »

Have you been feeling like you’re out of step with the underground art scene? How about experimental fashion publications from all around the world? Read many of those lately? And what about that new Hedi Slimane book on something or other that the fashion world is about to wet their collective pants over because Monsieur Slimane has just pronounced whatever the contents are as the new last word on what is the coolest thing on the globe (at least for the next five minutes)? Or perhaps you are simply on a quest to understand contemporary art? … read more »

How many times have you had a friend or family member return from overseas, proclaiming to have found the perfect gift for your anniversary/significant birthday/other occasion? Naturally, once you get around to opening said mystical gift the level of disappointment on your face is something that you find truly hard to conceal, managing only a weak smile in the face of disappointment.

Fear not: if you happen to be in or know someone coming to Paris, get your order in early and tell them exactly what you want: a bottle of personalised Armagnac from Ryst-Dupeyron. … read more »

Last week I had the joy of experiencing some of the best fresh produce France has to offer. No, neither in a restaurant nor an open country market, but right in the heart of 7th arrondissement of Paris. A gastronomes dream, the place in question is a tiny fruit and vegetable shop unlike one that I have ever seen outside of this fair city.

To even briefly visit La Roseraie de Grenelle is to encounter something of the mythology of the place: I had heard that the most venerated members of French society (everyone from the President down) chose to shop here for groceries, and I can see why. If it is in season or it is a rare product, you will find it adorning the store’s beautiful shelves. … read more »

Many people think of shopping in Paris as a highly glamorised experience. Plush cream carpets, brass doorknobs, kilometres of white walls and a bevy of girls in expensive matching suits with expensive matching haircuts and expensive matching shoes. And yes, it’s true: if you want to find that kind of thing here, there is plenty of it to be had. But personally, I don’t like going into a store where I feel like a lesser citizen because I haven’t had my nails freshly manicured and my pumps don’t match my handbag.

So if you are share this approach and are inclined to view shopping as more of a treasure-hunt that an “outing” where you are looking to be pandered to, I can offer you a small piece of advice: sometimes in Paris it’s the most unassuming of stores that contain the most appealing range of clothes and accessories. That is how I found the Allison boutiques. … read more »