The Paris Effect
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Press

April in Paris

6/22/2018

8 Comments

 
Picture
APRIL IN PARIS 
As we struggle through the icy hostility of winter and anticipate the
​ dog days of summer, we often dream of experiencing April in Paris.
Paris anytime -- but particularly at the height of spring -- is always a good idea.
  A 1952 Doris Day movie boosted that idea while Frank Sinatra & Ella
Fitzgerald crooned a quintessentially romantic ballad of the same title.
  No wonder April in Paris is the paragon of all armchair traveler's fantasies.

Strangely enough, this Paris fanatic managed to shy away from that mighty month, forever spooked about April showers and unreasonable meteorological conditions.
  It was time to face reality; with climate change botching our 20/20 vision,
the now useless crystal ball of weather forecasting no longer exists.
After careful thought, I decided to throw caution to the wind
and look on the bright side -- packing foul weather gear just in case....   

We visit Paris for many reasons -- its famous cuisine, architecture,
historical relevance, art and culture justifiably leading the pack.
  But a seasonal visit during the month of April offers a different
side to Paris and a new reason to rejoice.
  The city blooms in every possible way, it's beauty on steroids so powerful
it would sweep the competition in the Tour de France. 

The myths are true.  April in Paris is solid gold.
​
"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."

Anthony J. D'Angelo, American Writer
Picture
The Bois de Boulogne is a busy place but acres & acres of green space give you plenty of room to roam.
Picture
Rue des Thermopyles (b)looms large in springtime Paris.
Picture
"Spring is nature's way of saying 'Let's party!'"
Robin Williams, American actor & comedian

Paris has long been celebrated for its brilliant café scene.
  And in April, many of the city favorites overdeliver.
It seems as if every café terrace is filled with smiling people high-fiving
each other with born again energy and springtime jubilation.
  Young stalks of asparagus and rhubarb appear on plat-du-jour menus
and rosé makes its first appearance as wine lovers
swap out their heavier pours of the winter.
Open-air markets trigger each separate sense of the body, a reminder
that the rites of spring burn as brightly as the freshly gathered produce
so artfully displayed by the vendors. 

You can see outright physical exhilaration in every pedestrian's stride.
The elegant streets of Paris transform into a virtual garden of Eden; those of us
lucky enough to be here for the "show" take enormous pleasure in every step.
​
And when we pause to admire a blooming chestnut tree or the circus of color in our neighbor's window box, we owe Mother Nature our sincere thanks for April in Paris.
Picture
Passion and peonies bloom on the Square du Vert-Galant.
Picture
Parc Monceau looks gorgeous in every light but particularly in April.
Picture
Although it's a private street, you get a good dose of spring at the entrance to rue Frochot.
Picture
First steps on the lawn of Luxembourg Gardens is the perfect way to "spring forward" in Paris.
Picture
​Cabin fever now just a sour memory, Parisians turn their attention to picnicking
 in the park and gathering on roof-top bars and in riverside restaurants.
The Seine becomes the place to see and be seen, especially when
​    endorsing the highly respected Parisian tradition of kicking back.

  Dining alfresco offers a sense of well-being that even Michelin stars
 can't cook up behind ornate doors and blue ribbon menus.
Tapas and charcuterie adorn many a plate, replacing
 the heavier fare designed to please old man winter.
​ 
​April in Paris delivers a physical and psychological lift that money just can't buy.

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created spring." 

Bernard Williams, English Philosopher 
Picture
Picture
Time and again, many of the world's most celebrated artists
created masterworks inspired by springtime in Paris.
​Edouard Manet's "Spring" and Camille Pissarro's "Boulevard Montmartre" are
just two examples of artists under the influence, practically punch-drunk
on the adrenaline rush of springtime in the City of Light.
Their intense pleasure transferred to canvas, these gifted
magicians created a timeless ode to the beauty of April in Paris.
  
Each spring, wherever I am, I'm always amazed, the miraculous
 re-birth of nature somehow surprising me year after year.
Without question, April is a masterpiece of a month.
Magnified tenfold in Paris, the depth of its beauty is astonishing. 
​
  The miracle of spring renewal is the best part of the year --
​ even better if you happen to be in Paris.
Picture
Edouard Manet's "Music in the Tuileries" -- where the locals continue to meet on beautiful spring days.
Picture
Edouard Manet's vision of "Spring" is a portrait of actress Jeanne Demarsy in 1882.
Picture
Restaurant terraces are the place to be on gorgeous April days in Paris.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Even the always dignified Tuileries Garden lets down her hair in spring -- a riot of color and freeform blooms.
Picture
Spring weather is chaotic, for sure, but well worth the occasional
flipflopping temperatures that come your way.
  April in Paris presents a few additional challenges -- transportation strikes
sometimes occur -- not fun! -- and the need to pack more clothes
to manage the varying temperatures. 

But the perils are offset by the enchantments.  
Blossoming paulownia trees, cherry trees, and magnolias show off as if
 they're practicing their strut for the spring collection in the House of Chanel.
  Nature in her glory is where we're reminded that
"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads."*
*Henry David Thoreau

There aren't too many things in life that feel as good as a fresh start -- so when
you get the chance to see Paris in April, you'll be reminded
of all the good things springtime offers.
  Flowers and trees in bloom, spring menus, spring designer collections,
spring break, spring training and a spring in our step all come to mind.
  What are some of your favorite springtime events?
​
"Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment."

Ellis Peters / Edith Pargeter, British author
Picture
Corny and -- quelle horreur, mostly shot in Burbank -- but ooh la la, it's Doris Day in Paris!
Picture
Hmmm, even these ladies can't turn their backs on the springtime blooms in the Tuileries Garden...
Picture
Picture
People watching and sunshine go together like milk and cookies.
  Tout le monde (everyone) wants to be outside.
  Paris seems softer and more generous with its lush green gardens.
It's an injection of vitamin D when we need it the most. 

Springtime won't keep you from visiting the Louvre or any of the city's best
art museums but it will keep you en plein air (literally, in the open air),
much like the nature loving landscape artists you've just admired.
 
Experiencing April in Paris feels a bit like that wondrous feeling
 the first time we sat outside under the stars, feeling both
​ inspired by and at one with the world.
  We realized we were just one small cog in the universe,
 yet felt perfectly at peace.
​ 
Freedom, curiosity, romance and, perhaps most importantly,
RENEWAL are in the air this special time of the year.

Picture
"April in Paris"
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg & Vernon Duke

"I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris, this is a feeling
That no one can ever reprise
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris
Whom can I run to
What have you done to my heart"

Convinced?
  Time to get out the calendar and make a plan to write your own sweet melody.
​April in Paris will make your heart sing and give your feet wings.
 If only we could make it last twelve months a year!
Picture
Jardin Samuel de Champlain is one of my new favorites in Paris - stunning!
8 Comments

Yves Saint Laurent, Heart & Soul

6/2/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Arriving "fashionably late" is so over-rated.
  Emerging at the right time is pure genius.
To be sure, good timing is essential -- be it declaring true love,
telling a joke or refinancing your house....
There's a new museum in town that proves once and for all
that particular school of thought is pure gold.

​Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris opened in late 2017 just in the nick of time. 
It was a year that needed something genuinely good -- not just
agreeable but downright inspirational.
After an endless slog of political brawling, terrorist attacks and a world
generally run amok, France -- and the world at large -- needed a shot in the arm.
  Right time, right place, right person, the city of Paris
lifted itself out of the gloom of a rather wretched year.
They unveiled a thoughtful portrayal of the life and work of Yves Saint Laurent,
a man graced with genius, but perhaps more importantly,
a whole lotta heart & soul. 

Always timely, toujours élégant, the House of Saint Laurent was a
creative universe where good taste was served with panache and grace.
​And isn't that what Paris does best?
Picture
Picture
The fashion house museum -- more theatre than archive  -- elicits
heavy breathing and wide eyed wonder at every turn.

Visitors are treated to fashion as fine art, commanding as much attention
as a masterwork from Matisse or Picasso.
  Color, technique, and style made Yves Saint Laurent a champion of world fashion. 

Perhaps best of all, Saint Laurent's personal élan is on exhibit as well,
​his workroom a personal highlight for this fan. 

However you wish to label it, Saint Laurent's success was no mystery.
  He and partner Pierre Berger created magic with a philosophy
that celebrated women and beauty.
​They carefully built a brand, and it's your good luck to witness the
galaxy that helped define Paris fashion and its place in history.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
"We must never confuse elegance with snobbery."
Yves Saint Laurent

​Sketches, photographs -- even a doggie dish -- welcome you to Saint Laurent's personal sanctuary, his work-a-day atelier.
  The people and things he loved surrounded him, a potent mix of art and
pop culture that translated into his designs.

  A photograph of Catherine Deneuve reminds you the designer
didn't just create fashions, he translated style and made it personal.
​
"Fashions fade, style is eternal."
​
Yves Saint Laurent
Picture
Yves' glasses, a few pencils and scattered straight pins -- so eerily unremarkable it's off-the-wall incredible!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The museum's jewelry collection is marvelous. I'll take two please!
Picture
Picture
A collection of YSL jewelry makes this Paris beauty playground complete.
  Saint Laurent's pieces scream luxury even as
 they maintain a certain understated elegance.
It made me realize strategic costuming is much like arranging flowers. 
Just one petal out of place and the "look" can go in the wrong direction.

​Saint Laurent's legacy and influence stemmed from a carefully
cultivated kaleidoscope of color, texture and design.
His greatest hits covered the body top to bottom with bona fide art.
  Even the most celebrated "understated" designs -- like his classic
pea coat and unostentatious trench -- articulated glamour and polish.
  He practically invented the jumpsuit, a blockbuster hit, continues to pop on magazine covers nearly fifty years after its premiere on the runway. 
Sure, his safari jacket may look a bit dated now -- yet still, it spells r-e-f-i-n-e-m-e-n-t.

"Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak."
​
Rachel Zoe, American fashion designer, tv host 
Picture
Luxurious materials and brilliant palettes showcase the designer's process.
Picture
Musée Yves Saint Laurent is a side of Paris we all crave.
  We want Paris to be the capital of fashion.  It's only right.
  Sure, New York, Milan and London have their "thing" going
and we crave a bit of that too -- but Paris is where we define it. 

​The House of Worth led to the rise of fashion, then came Coco Chanel,
Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent.
  And the haute-couture train hasn't stopped.
  Much like "Star Wars" signature opening crawl,
the Paris fashion parade has no end in sight.
  Thank goodness.

 When I think of Paris style, I always "see" Audrey Hepburn.
Though it wasn't Yves Saint Laurent who created her look*,
we had stars in our eyes each time she popped up on the screen.
Films like "Sabrina," "Funny Face" and "Charade" -- just to name a few --
​remind us there's no place like Paris for discovering your personal style.
Even a chauffeur's daughter can come home looking like a million bucks.

"Paris isn't for changing planes, it's for changing your outlook.
For throwing open the windows and letting in ... la vie en rose."
​
​Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) offers sage advice to
all-work-no-play Linus Larrabee (Humphrey Bogart) in 1954's classic "Sabrina"

​*Audrey Hepburn's trademark gowns were designed by a different Paris designer, Hubert de Givenchy.
 
Picture
Picture
Picture
The fabric, the colors, the innovation! Note the Mondrian dress in the background as well.
Picture
Picture
Design evolves as the years go by but one bet worth taking
is that Yves Saint Laurent chic will never go out of style.

   The year was 1965.
Saint Laurent's Mondrian dress*, a hit then,
could likely still walk the runway to great acclaim.  
​Thank goodness for these reminders of a great legacy.
​
​Sure, the city of Paris offers a number of fashion museums -- as they should. 
But this is the one I hope you'll choose next.
Strut your way to #5 avenue Marceau and you'll be reminded
just how lucky you are to be in the fashion capital of the world.  
​Even if you're more T.J. Maxx than YSL,
you'll spend a few glorious hours reliving fashion history.
Truly, it's a fantasy experience, a date with the pinnacle of luxury.

​Walking through the open doors of Musée Yves Saint Laurent is as near as
​ I'll ever get to Paris Fashion Week -- and the best seat in the house.
  Who could turn down an invitation like that?
Picture
1 Comment
    Picture

    AUTHOR
    MICHELLE MOGGIO

    Thanks for visiting  my blog!

    I've been experiencing the joys of Paris since the ripe old age of eleven.
    As a big fan of duck fat, raw oysters and bad French movies, my long career in advertising helped pave the way for drinking at lunch. When not living la vie en rose, my husband Gary and I live in Brentwood, TN, where we stay busy planning our next travel adventure and offering unsolicited advice to our daughter.

    Archives

    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014


    RSS Feed

    Click below to buy
    The Paris Effect 
    book today
    Enter your email address to receive blog updates -
    Subscribe Now
    Buy Now

    Categories

    All
    100th Blog
    20th Arrondissement
    Abbaye De Fontfroide
    Absinthe
    Academie De La Grande Chaumière
    Adrian Leeds
    Aix-en-Provence
    Albi
    Aligot
    Alsace
    Ambassade D'Auvergne
    Amboise
    American History
    American Revolution
    Amphitheatre
    Antibes
    Apartments
    Aperitif
    April In Paris
    Arc De Triomphe Du Carrousel
    Architecture
    Arena De Nimes
    Ariége
    Armenian Cathedral Of Paris
    Art
    Art Deco
    Artistic Paris
    Artlover
    Art Museum
    Art Nouveau
    Atonement Chapel
    Auray
    Avenue Foch
    Avenue Frochot
    Avignon
    Baccarat
    Baden-Baden
    Baguette
    Basque
    Bayeux Tapestry
    B&B
    Benjamin Franklin
    Bénodet
    Bercy Village
    Biarritz
    Biot
    Biot France
    Bistros
    Bonbons
    Books Set In France
    Boulangerie
    Brassaï
    Brittany
    Brittany American Cemetery
    Burgundy
    Cagnes-sur-Mer
    Cakes
    Canal Du Midi
    Candy
    Cap D'Antibes
    Caracalla Spa
    Caramels
    Catalan France
    Cathars
    Cathedral
    Cathedrale St-Just
    Cemetière De Passy
    Cemetière Saint-Vincent
    Chantilly
    Chapelle Expiatoire
    Chapelle Saint Vincent De Paul
    #Chapel Of Hospice Saint-Jean
    Charles Aznavour
    Charles Trenet
    Chartreuse Du Val-de-Benediction
    Chateau
    Chateau De Clisson
    Chateau De Foix
    Chateau De Fougeres
    Chateau De Malmaison
    Chateau Grimaldi
    Cheese
    Chinon
    Chocolate
    Choice Vs. Chance
    Christian Constant
    #Church Of Saint-Volusien
    Cimiez
    Cité Des Fleurs
    Cité De Trevise
    Claude Monet
    Clisson
    Cocktail
    Coco Chanel
    Cognac
    Cointreau
    Cole Porter
    Comedie-Francaise
    Cote D'Azur
    Coulon
    Cours Mirabeau
    Cours Saleya
    Coussin De Lyon
    Crêpes
    Dessert
    Dijon
    Dreams
    Duck-confit
    Eating In France
    Ecole Des Beaux-Arts
    Ed Clark
    Edith-piaf
    Eglise Notre Dame De Clisson
    Eglise Sainte-Trinité
    Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés
    Elsa Maxwell
    Entrevaux
    Environmental Challenges
    Eric Kayser
    Eugene Delacroix
    Fabergé Museum
    Falling For Paris
    Famous-faces
    Fashion History
    Fauchon
    Fernand Léger
    Fete De La Transhumance
    Fête De Vendanges
    Fish Specialties
    Foix
    Folies Bergère
    Fontainebleau
    Fontaine Du Palmier
    Food Markets
    Fougeres
    Fragrance
    France
    Francois-premier
    Free Museums
    French Atlantic Coast
    French Bread
    French Cuisine
    French Food
    French-food
    French History
    French-islands
    French Musee D'Art Moderne De La Ville De Paris
    French Music
    French Resistence
    French Revolution
    #FrenchRiviera
    French Riviera
    French Slave Trade
    Friedrichsbad Spa
    Fun Fair Museum
    Genevieve De Gaulle-Anthonioz
    Genièvre
    George Sand
    Germaine Tillion
    Germany
    Gertrude Stein
    Gordes
    Grand Mosque Of Paris
    Grand Palais
    Grasse
    Guerlain
    Gustave Moreau
    Harvest Festival
    Haut-de-Cagnes
    Healthy Travel
    Hediard
    Henri Le Roux
    Henri Matisse
    Holocaust
    Hometown Memories
    Hotel Belles Rives
    Hôtel De Soubise
    Hotel Dieu
    Hotels
    Ile De Bréhat
    Ile De Ré
    Isadora Duncan
    Jacques Genin
    Janet Flanner
    Jardin Samuel-de-Champlain
    Jay Z
    Jazz A Juan
    Jean Seberg
    Jewelry
    Josephine Baker
    Josephine Bonaparte
    Juan-les-Pins
    Keith Haring
    La Campagne A Paris
    La Couveroitade
    Lafayette
    La Jourrnée San Voiture
    Lalique
    Language Skills
    Languedoc
    La Rochelle
    La Verrerie De Biot
    Lavinia Wine Store
    Le Bonbon Au Palais
    Le Bon Georges
    Le Capitole
    Le Carrousel Des Mondes Marins
    Le Clos Lucé
    Le Cochon à L'Oreille
    Le Coq Rico
    Legendary Lovers
    Le Grand Véfour
    Le Musée Montmartre
    Leonardo Da Vinci
    Le Rostand
    Les Cocottes
    Les Fauves
    Les Invalides
    Les Machines De L'Ile
    Les Sept Iles
    Lichtentaler Allee
    Lille
    Little Gourmand
    Loire Atlantique
    Luberon
    Luxembourg Gardens
    Maison Carrée
    Malmaison
    Man Ray
    Marais Poitevin
    Marc Chagall
    Marché Beauvau
    Marché D'Aligre
    Marché President Wilson
    Marché Victor Hugo
    Marie Curie
    Market Street
    Marquis De Lafayette
    Matisse
    Maurice Utrillo
    Medieval Festival
    Medieval France
    Memorial De L'Abolition De L'Esclavage
    Memorial De La Shoah
    MFK Fisher
    Minervois Wine
    #ModernArt
    Monolithic Church
    Montmartre
    Montmartre Museum
    Montparnasse
    Montparnasse Cemetery
    Montpellier
    Movies Set In France
    Musee Carnavalet
    Musée De La Chasse Et De La Nature
    Musée Des Arts Decoritifs
    Musée Des Arts Forains
    Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon
    Musee D'Orsay
    Musée D'Orsay
    Musee L'Orangerie
    Musée Marc Chagall
    Musee Marmottan Monet
    Musée Matisse Nice
    Musée Picasso
    Musée Yves Saint Laurent
    Museum
    Museum Of Decorative Arts
    Museum Of Hunting & Nature
    Museum Of Modern Art City Of Paris
    Nancy
    Nantes
    Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon III Apartments
    Narbonne
    Nashville
    Natalie Portman
    Nazi Atrocities
    Nice
    Nice France
    Nimes
    Normandy
    Not-far-from-paris
    Not-far-from-paris
    Notre Dame De Lorette
    Notre Dame De Paris
    Occitanie
    #Occitanie
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Opera-garnier
    Operation Dragoon
    Oradoursurglane
    Our Lady Of Paris
    Palais Lascaris
    Palais Royal
    Paloma Beach
    Pancake
    Pancake Pantry
    Parade
    Parc De Bercy
    Paris
    Paris 1968
    Paris Arrondissements
    Paris Art Museum
    Paris Art Schools
    Paris At Home
    Paris Cafes
    Paris Fashion
    Paris Friend
    Paris Markets
    Paris Metro
    Paris Neighborhoods
    Paris Parks
    Paris Patisseries
    Paris Pets
    Paris Predestination
    Paris Retail Therapy
    Paris Travel
    Parks
    Passage Boudin
    Passerelle Simone De Beauvoir
    Pastis
    Patisserie
    Patricia Wells
    Paul Cezanne
    Perfume
    Pernes-les-Fontaines
    Pet Cemeteries
    Petit Palais
    Photography
    Picpus Cemetery
    Pinching Pennies
    Pink Granite Coast
    Place De Furstenberg
    Place De La Concorde
    Place Des Vosges
    Place Masséna
    Place Stanislaus
    Place Vendome
    Ploumanac'h
    Poilane
    Ponr Alexandre III
    Poster Art
    Promenade Des Anglais
    Provence
    #Provence
    Provence Markets
    Puffins
    Pyrenees-Orientales
    Rambouillet
    Raoul Dufy
    Regional Cooking
    Rennes
    Renoir
    Robert Doisneau
    Robert Wuhl
    Roquefort
    Rue Cler
    Rue Cremieux
    Rue De L'Eole Du Medecine
    Rue De Nil
    Rue Dénoyez
    Rue Des Ecoles
    Rue Des Martyrs
    Rue Irenee Blanc
    Rue Jules Siegfried
    Ruelle Des Chats
    Rue Montorgeuil
    Ruth
    Saintdenis
    Saint-Emilion
    Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
    Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
    Sainteustache
    Saint-Goustan
    Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
    Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
    Saint-Malo
    Saint-Medard Church
    Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
    Saint-Remy-de-Provence
    Saint-Vincent Cemetery
    Sculpture
    Senlis
    Serendipity
    Shopping
    Sliceoflife
    Slice Of Life
    Small Paris Pleasures
    Small Town Saturday Night
    Social Media
    So-Pi
    Springtime In Paris
    Square Des Peupliers
    Square Montsouris
    St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
    Street Food
    Suzanne Valadon
    Suzy Solidor
    Sylvia Beach
    Texas
    The Avignon Papacy
    The-dreyfus-affair
    The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
    The Louvre
    The Moose
    The National Archives
    The Pantheon
    The-paris-effect
    The Pink City
    Toulouse
    Toulouse-Lautrec
    Tourrettes-sur-Loup
    Travel
    Travel Advice
    Travel Planning
    Troyes
    U.N. World Climate Conference
    Urban Art
    Uzès
    Vacation
    Vacation Planning Food
    Vel D'Hiver
    Vichy
    Vieille Bourse
    Vieux Nice
    Villa Eilenroc
    Villefranche-de-Conflent
    Villeneuve-les-Avignon
    Vincent Van Gogh
    Walking
    Walking Paris
    Willi Ronis
    Wine
    Wine Festival
    WWII
    #WWII France
    WWII Paris
    WWII Provence
    Yachts
    Yves Saint Laurent

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.