Heidi Ellison
Liza Korn
Fashion’s a Game Liza Korn is something of a rebel in the Paris fashion world. She began her career as an artist rather than a designer and doesn’t hold regular fashion shows to present her seasonal collections, but occasional “happenings” … Read More
Château des Ormeaux
Fairytale Castle
For a weekend escape not too far from Paris but far enough to offer a total change of scenery, it would be hard to find better value for money than the Château des Ormeaux, a small, hillside castle overlooking the … Read More
The Little Things That Count
The Little Things That Count Delerm’s voice is less croaky on his new album. Vincent Delerm, who brought something new to French pop music with his frog-in-the-throat voice, quirky phrasing and lighthearted, often nostalgic lyrics (as in the song “Les … Read More
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Redecorated Home for Decorative Arts
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, located in the Louvre’s 19th-century Marsan Wing, has finally reopened after a 10-year closure, during which both the building and its collection were extensively renovated and restored. The immediate impression is spectacular. Visitors enter the … Read More
La Rentrée Littéraire, Sept. 2006
Seasonal Literature It’s that time of year again. The biannual frenzy of book publishing in France known as the rentrée littéraire is upon us. Pull up an armchair and choose from a stack of over 680 freshly printed novels, around … Read More
The Science of Sleep
Stuck in Dreamworld
The new film, the first Gondry has both scripted and directed, stars that young actor the camera (and the audience) just loves, Gael Garcia Bernal. Oozing charm and boyish good looks as usual, he romps his way through this film … Read More
Nos Jours Heureux
Happy Campers
Nos Jours Heureux, directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, is the quintessential summer feel-good movie, recommended for adolescents and anyone who attended a French colonie de vacances (summer camp) in their youth. The critics were lukewarm on this one, … Read More
Ghosts of Saint-Michel
Saints Meet Sinners in City of Light
In his new thriller/murder mystery, Ghosts of Saint-Michel (St. Martin’s Minotaur), Jake Lamar, an American writer living in Paris, has used the sculptures on the city’s Saint-Michel Fountain, which vividly depict a triumphant Saint Michael vanquishing Satan’s forces, as both … Read More
Bed & breakfasts
Staying Chez l’Habitant The city’s new manual for bed & breakfasts. May 11, 2005; updated July 19, 2006 Paris is rich in hotels (with 75,000 rooms) but poor in bed and breakfasts (only 300 rooms). This isn’t surprising, since the … Read More
Changement d’Adresse
Moving Lovers
Changement d’Adresse literally begins with postcards of Paris as its hero (Emmanuel Mouret), a young French horn player freshly arrived from the provinces, examines racks of postcards depicting his new hometown. Once he meets the film’s heroine, Anne (brilliantly played … Read More