I am leaving on Christmas day to fly to Paris for New Years Eve! For the past two months my dreams have consisted of strolling the Champs Elysees, drinking coffee in adorable cafes, vintage hunting at famous flea markets and touring the Louvre. I’ve never been to Paris (only slept in the airport- don’t ask) so I’m extremely excited to discover all the wonders of a new city and celebrate such a romantic holiday. I think it’s a great time to get away from Toronto and return freshly inspired and energetic about 2012. Bicyclette has a lot of Parisian influence so I’ll be bringing back as many new ideas as I can to incorporate more of their culture into our aesthetic. I’m bringing along some of our buttons and hope to give them to a few stylish Parisians, I’ll have lots to choose from! I’ll be doing a blog post from there to say hello and share some of the things I’ve been doing and seeing. “There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris”- Ernest Hemingway
Au revoir mon ami!
Emily
We’re all aware of my love for jewelry, vintage trinkets and one-of-a-kind pieces, and so when I stumbled upon Les Jumelles Boutique, it was as though I had found my own personal treasure chest.
Coup de Couer Bracelet
Le Carousel Pendant Necklace
Mes Reves Locket Necklace
Alice in Wonderland Inspired Necklace
Promesse Necklace
Fleur de Lys Perfume Bottle Necklace
Mes Souvenirs de Woodstock Necklace
I love the stories and personality that go along with each of these pieces, and the vintage pendants and antique chains add whimsical touches. I picture these layered together and with other necklaces, creating a story and adding a unique, personal touch to any ensemble, an idea that is at the core of what bicyclette stands for. And the Parisian themes are simply perfect.
Curious, which pieces speak to you?
And if you have any other jewelry line recommendations that have a similar feel, I would love to hear about them…
For this edition of Interior Monday, I’ve chosen to spotlight another inspirational boutique that does interior architecture and design extremely well.
One of my friends, Kaitlin from My Vintage Secret, told me about a store in Paris, Merci, that she learned about through a trend presentation that she recently attended. After searching the internet for awhile for more information, I finally found a few articles and blog posts highlighting the shop and raving about its’ unique quality. Simply put, Merci is a charity concept store, with all of the proceeds, minus the costs and salaries, going to children in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries on the planet.
The fairly large, 16 000 sq foot store is split up into three stories offering a multitude of books, clothing, flowers, furniture, and also a café and an elegant canteen. Talk about covering a lot of territory. Merci offers specially designed pieces for the store by Stella McCartney, YSL, and Paul Smith, to name a few, and because the designers have given up their profit margins, the items are 30-40% cheaper. The clothing offerings have been described as “Bobo” (Bourgeois Bohemian), a new term for me, and one that I’m not sure I like the sounds of. I understand the application, but the word “clown” keeps popping into my head first. C’est la vie. Merci also boasts a vintage stand, which has been likened to a 70s photo shoot and is completed with a selection of pieces donated by various actors, models, and singers.
The top level of the loft offers a wide range of furniture, some affordable, some more decadent and in limited editions, along with a multitude of home accessories. “This is a personal mix of rare pieces and daily objects, which illustrates my life philosophy” says owner Marie-France.
Next door is Café Bouquiniste (the Reading Café), which is a New York City inspired space merging a coffee shop and second-hand bookshop.
Merci is a retail store that is truly inspirational in that they have succeeded in creating a hard-to-find, truly unique shopping experience. The merchandise is eclectic and well-curated, they fully embrace and succeed with their high/low pricing strategy, they’ve found the perfect combination of vintage, bespoke and brand, and they’ve created an exciting environment.
This gives me one more item to add to my list of reasons why I need to visit Paris, and a store to look up to as I continue to piece together bicyclette. I knew there was a reason I chose a french name for the store!
I’m curious what everyone thinks of this concept and it’s extremely eclectic orientation?
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