27.4.11

26.4.11

SCAD style / Transformation / Derek Lam

the glitterati have landed





















Just as the caterpillars have been seen crawling their way through the squares on their way
to becoming skittering rainbows, the glitterati who have built careers on transformation and
metamorphosis are alighting in Savannah this week for SCAD style. There is lots of good stuff
going on so check out the schedule here.

I cut out early yesterday to catch Derek Lam and his business partner Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann
speak about their life and times in the fashion world, empire building and what they have been
able to create with their unique partnership. Of course, Mr. Lam spoke more about the creative
aspects of the being a designer, (touching briefly on the spiritual import behind his clothes) and 
Mr. Schlottmann on the business side. It was interesting to see their dynamic.

Creative people of all types, not just artists and designers, are always working in the world of
transformation and metamorphosis, if only because the problems are such that the answer
demands a big jump. But in Fashion, where the expectations to wow and delight each season
are so high, there must be a lot of inherent pressure. So it was delightful that when Mr. Lam 
was asked “What is the most important quality you look for in a new hire?”  His answer was,
“Kindness.” So props to Mr. Derek Lam.

And in undertaking any kind of creative manifestation, just like the caterpillars know,
timing in crucial.  He delayed the start of his own brand for a few years commenting,
“…You have to find your right time, you have to find your right place…”

You can’t rush beauty.

Next stop --> The Sartorialist

Postcards from Paris: {Mosiac Tiles and Mint Tea}






A friend warned me that the terrasse at the Mosque might be jammed-pack with people taking advantage of the good weather. The temperature has been perfect in Paris, even bordering on hot. It is such a liberating feeling being free from puffy-coats and doubled-socks. Though the Mosque had a number of visitors, we were able to find a mosaic-tiled table right in the way of some healthy sunshine. The olive trees offered some shade along with the opened umbrellas. There were sweet-scents coming from a smoked hooka nearby, and the 2 euro sweetened mint tea was the best tasting thing that two coins could buy.
Afternoon at the Mosque felt like holiday.

2 bis Place du Puits de l'Ermite, 75005 Paris

Bisous,

25.4.11

Writer in the Window Update

For those who haven't guessed, I have gone from being The Writer in the Window 
to The Writer in The Paris Market. I'll be blogging here about all the amazing and
creative things that go on here everyday - so many of them behind the scenes!













<<< Follow us to keep up with new finds, creative ideas, or inspiration Parisian style >>>
My other news is that I got a serious upgrade this past weekend. 
Those formidable elves at Paris Market gave me an even more deluxe space and 
I went from having  pretty nice sized chalkboard to post my ramblings to a super 
huge display with some stellar signage to boot. Thanks Paris Market!
























I’ll be here this last week in April (the 25th -29th from 10am - 6pm) for one last encore!  
So come check it out, before I disappear for good.




Ask me esoteric questions, give me topics to write about or make any special 
requests suited for a Paris Market Scribe. 

À bientôt!

22.4.11

Easter Table with Matt

Easter Table with Matt from The Paris Market

Happy Earth Day Tout le Monde!

Don't bite the hand that feeds you! That's what Earth Day is all about. 
We're constantly inspired by the natural world around us. That's why we have buckets of seashells
and starfish, and insects as paperweights. C'est Vrai. We love the time tested classics;
we salvage, we repurpose, we preserve, then we blend and borrow to make it fresh and new.

Here are a few more chic ways you can tread softly on Mother Earth...

Jute wine bags
This is a wine tote, but I would also use these bags to carry fruit
from the grocery store, say limes for the those vodka tonics!



Soap Cube
Divinely scented soap with a super low footprint; zero packaging = happier earth. 
In olive, verveine, rose and orange blossom.




















Lavender Sachet
Why clog up the air with some stinky, phthalate ridden airspray 
when you can get a fresh scoop of lavender and toss the sachet 
wherever you want and breathe easy.




21.4.11

New Arrival! Gorgeous Pillows

We just got in some beautiful new pillows! These cuties are gonna go fast! 
  
Here are some more ideas to kick up the Marrakesh in your life...

20.4.11

Extra! Extra! Savannah Magazine Spring 2011 Cover

Our red nesting tables on the cover of this month's Savannah Magazine!

 

Our umbrellas are featured as well!

19.4.11

Spring Windows


from "The Wind Sings Welcome in Early Spring" by Carl Sandburg:
THE GRIP of the ice is gone now.
The silvers chase purple.
The purples tag silver.
They let out their runners
Here where summer says to the lilies:
“Wish and be wistful, Circle this wind-hunted, wind-sung water.”

18.4.11

Bring down the Bunny!

We’re ready for Easter at The Paris Market!
As a child, we decorated our hall table with painted eggs, jars of candy and an old wooden Easter rabbit figurine (with whiskers) sporting a papier mâché backpack (for eggs of course) that looked like a little haggish from wear. Then my mother would say,  “Okay, its time to get the bunnies down!” My sister and I then gathered up all our stuffed animal bunnies and arranged them around the table to help welcome our guests.

So it is with great pleasure that I bring you the big bunny in our window this year, 
hand sewn with love by Kelsey Garrity-Riley:
 

I seriously love this bunny. What should we name the big honey?

14.4.11

Marrakesh à la Paris Market

If you can’t make it over to the famous Red City...
a slice of Marrakesh is yours for the taking at The Paris Market!

Wake up your space (and your imagination) this spring with spicy oranges and brilliant blues. Let your home blossom in vivid colors, delicate patterns and rambling floral motifs. 
                                           photos above and left courtesy Heincker Design

Good living reaches new heights with soft yellow
and lavender leather poofs and brightly patterned patchwork quilts of which we have a beautiful selection. They’re made from particularly tasty
shades of lilac, magenta, turquoise and turmeric. 


(Besides being gorgeous, they're perfect for picnics in the park or relaxing with a good book in your backyard.)
Toss in some regal purple pillow covers with contrast stitching, a perky tea set & some fancy tumblers.

Create a warm, welcoming space that invigorates as it inspires.   
                                                                             An optimistic, energizing peacefulness awaits you… 

12.4.11

Postcards from Paris: {The Charms from the Suburbs}





Mosiac-tile embellishments. Terra-Cotta pointed roof-tops. Wisteria vines climbing brown-stone homes. Black-iron gates. Strong scents of lilac. A stroll along the river.
A day in the banlieu of Le Perreux seemed like a holiday.
Bisous,

8.4.11

French with Isabelle: "Ménage de Printemps"


“Ménage de Printemps”
(Spring Cleaning)

Open your windows, refresh your house with basil blue sage Home Fragrance (Caldrea), treat your furniture with Lemon Verbena wax (Farmhouse), eliminate odors with the housekeeper scented candle (Price’s), dust a little bit and display a beautiful bouquet freshly cut from your garden.

And now relax!

-Isa

6.4.11

Postcards from Paris: {Le Jardin du Luxembourg}

L'Inspiration




First Spring days must be spent in Le Jardin du Luxembourg. Everything seems alive; from the fresh green grass, with the new buds on the branches, to all of the children pushing minature sail boats with their long, thin baguettes. Button-up cardigans and scarves are still being worn, but the sun is beginning to bronze our skin.
Bisous,

4.4.11

Postcards from Paris: {For the Sake of Art Nouveau}






With Spring coming in, and a new sense of curvelinear and organic arising about, the elements of Art Nouveau found throughout the city are only embellished with the season.
Oh Spring! How much you are welcomed!
Bisous,