Versailles

Les Puces

Without a doubt Les Puces, the largest, oldest flea market in Paris, was my favorite thing in the city. It was down right magical. Admittedly, it takes a bit of determination to get there. You have to ride to the end of the line on the metro, wade through rows & rows of stalls selling cheap jeans & knock off handbags, smell shockingly bad smells, & so on, but once you get through that & duck around a little corner: heaven. Literally hundreds of stalls selling everything from 60s cocktail dresses, to tiny vintage toys, to old perfume bottles, to mid-century lamps, to Louis XIV furniture, to taxidermy beavers, to perfect little buttons, I could go on and on and on. On a chilly grey morning it was just about the best thing I could imagine doing. Well, on any morning really. If you ever find yourself in Paris you must, must go. Oh Happy Day shares some fantastic tips on navigating and finding the market. Ack, I miss it already!

Bonjour!

Just a quick hello from Paris! Well, actually I'm in Barcelona now, but we spent our last day in Paris at Versailles and had such a blast. Winding bike rides, petting sheep, lounging in the grass, exploring palaces... le sigh.

Paris Packing

Two weeks abroad and only a 20" carry-on back to hold all my duds - conundrum, big time. With 40 minutes between flights and a mandate to pick up and re-check bags (damn you Canada layovers!) that hefty suitcase was instantly nixed. So I really had to flex (ok, strain) my editing muscles. And unlike Austin, it's still a tad chilly in Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam so some cozy space eating sweaters are a must. Big boxy numbers are kind of my jam, so this J. Crew babe is definitely coming with. A lighter cropped sweater will make for nice layering over gauzy t shirts (double points for sleepwear!). Some beat up boyfriend jeans are obviously a must. I like the idea of them with some polished leopard loafers for a bit of a twist. Those leopard babes will team up with just about everything - how about some power clashing with those floral trousers (granted mine are some Corey Lynn Calter's I snagged on sale at Anthro months ago). Leather jacket, jean jacket, ankle booties, a few more bits .. BAM done! And all crammed into one tiny, tiny suitcase.

These pieces are going to be my true work horses. Heavy lifting required, booties - though sadly mine are not the coveted Dickers, but half price Aldo will do just the same. Something about a white blazer seemed very spring-in-Paris so my vintage one got thrown in last minute (not that Gucci dude up there) along with some magenta suede brogues I finally tracked down at the Gap (seen on Jules here) for a pop of color. Let's hope my duds make it through the abuse.

Paris Practice

Glasses: Lookmatic // Jewelry: vintage // Sweater: Urban Outfitters // Tee: Forever 21 //  Trousers: Target // Boots: Aldo

I can't believe that this time next week I'll be somewhere over the Atlantic en route to Paris! I've never been so when the hubby & I saw cheap tickets we pulled the trigger. I can't wait for a week of impeccable bread, pistachio macaroons, briney oysters, dreamy flea markets, aimless wandering ... you get the picture. Dreams come true.

Ordinarily when prepping for a trip I'd grab all my wildest outfits; brights, platforms, crazy prints, y'know, fun stuff, but Parisian girls have such a restrained perfected look. They have an innate knack for making basics look so chic and edgy. These slouchy khakis grabbed my eye when I was wandering Target this afternoon grabbing tiny Dr. Bronner's, travel toothpaste and the like for the trip. They looked effortless, a bit chic and, to me, very Parisian. Let's hope I'm right.