Bonjour/hi!
Our little calendar giveaway has returned! The April 2025 downloadable, printable calendar is seen above, which is a mishmash of U.S. and French style (you’ll notice the D/L/M/M/etc setup, but also that the week starts with dimanche, pas lundi), reflective of our chosen franglish space.)
Each calendar is a visual sampler of the month in question — for April, you’ll see the colors of Paris this month, from the pink cherry trees and purple tulips to the lilac wisteria. Download it and print at home, then maybe stick it above a desk! It’s available here — you need password april and it’s only available for 24 hours.
Also: to celebrate 10,000 subscribers(!!) I’m launching two new newsletters: one kicks off today with 30 days of wonderful things from Etsy, a terrible platform that too often obscures its best sellers with absolute/AI garbage — sign up here. (As some of you know, I’ve been an Etsy seller for a zillion years and actually used to work for their marketing department — the whole thing is now such a bummer). As a current subscriber, you get a preview of Piece #1 in 30 days of Etsy: It’s outrageously beautiful, and outrageously expensive, but definitely the kind of work Etsy should be supporting, by Gullah artists. (I want to say that Piece #2, which will go out tomorrow, is only $2.49 — sign up to see it!)
Newsletter #2 will be a simple weekly round-up of French recipes featuring seasonal ingredients — up first is asparagus. (I love it?? Is it not popular?? Everyone I tell I’m starting with asparagus is like ugh, why, etc etc.) Sign up for that one here. Edition #1 goes out on Friday.
Now, the news from France!
1. There’s a lot of/uniquely expensive names in this story about moving to Paris from Northern Ireland, but also a few sharp observations about how Parisians dress: “There are so many women [here] who are just dressed so effortlessly. I hate to use the word chic but sometimes it’s the only one to use. It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s just true. The French are really good at balancing feminine and masculine silhouettes: a tailored trouser with a floaty Chloé silk blouse, or doing a really structured blazer with a tiny silk slip dress. It’s very Saint Laurent.”
2. A new exhibition at the Petit Palais will showcase hundreds of drawings of fine French jewelry — including the truly spectacular Sycamore Pendant, made with diamonds, peridots and a baroque pearl in 1910.
3. There’s a new, high-speed alternative to the TGV for those traveling between Lyon and Paris and don’t mind doing it in the Italian mode: “As we arrived into Paris’ beautiful Gare De Lyon station, I had mixed feelings about Frecciarossa business class.”
4. April 1 is a whole dealio in France (“The April Fools Day tradition has an unusual history dating back to 1564, when King Charles IX made the bold decision to shift the start of the year from April 1st to January 1st!”) — most brands don’t celebrate it, but Sézane is, with $20 off purchases of $50 or more, which is pretty great if you’re getting something right around that price (of course I don’t want anything around that price and just keep coming back to the new raffia bags. Anyway: It’s code VIOLET, today only (April 1).
5. The line-up for the super cool Pitchfork Paris festival in November has been announced — I literally know one of these bands?? Get busy dying, get busy listening to a couple hastily assembled Spotify playlists, I guess.
6. I stopped sharing the “do you prefer X or Y” videos because they were feeling a little same-y, but I’m giving this one a pass because the question is “Qu’est-ce qui est le plus bobo ?” and starts with “Veja baskets” versus a Jimmy Fairly tote bag.
7. Speaking of, this is a cute video comparing some common “français de l’école” phrases versus how they’re said in the French of Benin, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast. C’est zoo! (Saving that one for the next time I am in Ivory Coast.)
8. Just announced yesterday! The new Michelin starred restaurants for France — this means I’ll soon be updating the site’s second-most-popular post, on the least expensive Michelin-starred meals in Paris.
9. You may not guess the country that has been ranked the most romantic in Europe. Spoiler: not France. Also, these criteria are hilarious: “The team evaluated destinations based on their number of romantic and fine dining restaurants, number of restaurants with Michelin stars, number of wine bars rated four stars or above, the number of tours and wine tastings available, and the number of vineyards.”