All posts tagged: field trip

Chateau de Maisons: Paris Field Trip

Here’s the crazy thing about the Chateau de Maisons, a gorgeous 17th-century estate easily reached from Paris by RER and then a quick walk: Louis XIV — whom you may remember him from all the sex on the BBC series Versailles — was here when it opened in 1651, and used it as inspiration for Versailles.

paris mineral expo

Mineral Expo Paris: Paris Field Trip

Destination: Mineral Expo Paris, which I have come to understand is the very popular exposition of minerals, gems, fossils and rocks, as well as a billion crystals shaped like (a) hearts, (b) angels and (c) magic wands. Spot: Espace Charenton, at Porte de Charenton, which might be the least attractive place I’ve ever been in Paris. Report: This was an amazing outing. As I have recently discussed, I am a fan of crystals. Generally, I am happy to go to Minerales do Brasil, which is a very weird, very amazing store in the 8th. This, of course, was a once-a-year opportunity to view thousands of crystals at once. I wondered if I would see enough new stuff to warrant the weird trip to this extremely weird place, and I am happy to say that I absolutely did. (See pictures below.)

the shoe selection at sezane

Sézane: Paris Field Trip

As you consider a trip to Sézane, see our extremely detailed rendering of how much it costs to buy the exact same Sézane pieces in the U.S. versus in France.  Much is made of “French girl” allure. Maybe the reason why it’s so easy to conjure up that term is because — at least in Paris — it’s a real thing. “American girl” — what would that be? We are multitudes, we are that Coachella girl in the fringed poncho in Mitski’s video, we are Mitski in the raspberry pantsuit, we are Mitski in the gold mini-dress, we are myriad and various. Parisian girl style — not so much? I can’t describe it better than a French person, so here’s the situation, straight from a Parisian Instagram star: In France, we have style but the problem is that this style could be so boring. This is the same for every woman: In the upper class in Paris, you have a slim jean, you have ballerinas [flats], you have a simple tee shirt, you have a …