After a few days in Paris, I wanted to talk to you about this exhibition called "Le Dressing de rêve des Parisiens".
It takes place at the Hôtel de Ville in the very heart of Paris so we can hardly miss it, plus it's free entrance ! (It's better not to go there during weekend to see fewer people and get time).
This exhibition was born from the idea of Régis Pennel (founder of the concept store L'Exception) and Philippe Zorzetto (founder of the eponymous shoes brand) presents 50 young fashion brands and designers from Paris. They went all over Paris, from "Le Marais" to "Saint Germain des Prés" passing by South Pigalle to discover and carefully select those designers and their boutiques.
Copyright Eple & Melk
This small-scale representation of the fashion market offers different styles, identities and inspirations through ready-to-wear, jewellery, shoes and accessories.
It's a real decoding of parisian trends and a great opportunity to know a bit more about those people who work really hard to keep Paris in motion and enrich our inspirations and wardrobes.
Among the designers you can find: - Melindagloss - Andrea Crews - Eple & Melk - No Youth Control - Misericordia ...
Copyright No Youth Control
Copyright Valentine Gauthier
Workshops are organized every saturday for those who'd like to create their own accessories.
My boyfriend made me discover this place. Even though I have to admit I had already noticed its front window that allows us to see an original and trendy decoration with modern light bulbs and flowers.
Now I've been there several times, I can tell you they definitely make the best mojitos ever (with a little preference for the raspberry one) !! Fresh and perfectly dosed.
They also serve wines, beers, other cocktails and softs, and some really tasty "tapas" for those who would feel peckish, and "granizados" during warm days of summer.
The bar has a dual exposure on two streets and its terrace is located on the most peaceful and quiet one of them, with some other bars' terraces a bit further.
You easily feel like home once you're in. The decoration mixes retro with do-it-yourself designs and objects like straw-hats as lampshades, ancient books and old furniture. It's tastefully original and cozy.
Great if you want to enjoy a drink while reading a book when it's quiet during the afternoon,
Perfect if you want a lively typical spanish night around good drinks.
Let's get undressed for the Free the Nipple Campaign
This movement started with a movie of Lina Esco. And then celebrities fought for it, helped by hashtags and pictures on websites and social networks.
But the "showing breast" problem is a very old one. In the early 1900s, lots of men were arrested for not wearing the right bathing suit... And a few 100 years later, same thing happens to women.
Quick reminder, men's bathing suits looked like this:
But women's breasts have always been more "taboo", always hidden or not much unveiled - even if some women dared topless on the beach - certainly because it's related to breast feeding and because they're bigger than men's... The worldwide religions legacy has probably something to do with it too.
Whatever, the thing is: women's breasts are still perceived as something awkward.
But only because that's what we - and by "we" I mean society - were told and raised with this perception, so nobody even tried to think about how absurd it could be. (And we also probably should question a certain amount of our "common perceptions", but that's not today's topic...).
Some people might say it is too excessive to ask for a gender equality regarding breasts, but I don't know what you think about that but to me, it goes way beyond equality. It's a matter of rational thinking and logic.
Women's breasts are prohibited, related to breast feeding and if not, to sexuality (look for the hashtag #FreetheNipple on Instagram, for example, you'll understand what I mean). Most of the time, they do are related to something sexual, something desirable, something that excites.
Although when you're a woman, you just consider it as a part of your body that is indeed practical if you want to feed your own baby. Otherwise you're just like "seriously, it's just breasts, no need to get crazy about it". They are symbols of our feminity, so what ? So are our lashes !
Sorry for this comparison but we tend to have longer lashes than men, as we tend to have more "prominent" boobs ! And nobody makes a big deal out of it !
Well, it can be a silly thing to say but maybe we should consider this way of thinking to change perspectives.
The fact that it's taboo to see women's nipples/breasts has become a great opportunity for maketers. The fact that we suggest nudity, by showing part of breast but not the entire breast heighten its mysterious-desirable side. And it attracts people. Because they are symbols of feminity and especially because we are animals and also because when something is forbidden or prohibited it appeals you even more. How twisted are we ?!
The fact that they are taboo supports the sexualization of women. It's a mean to promote goods and to maintain women as objects of desire.
The world goes upside down ! We are able to see and watch violence and terrible scenes in videos of people being killed: Charlie Hebdo's attack in january 2015, people killed in Pakistan, Iran, mistreated people or animals, and the list can go on and on and on.
But breast feeding and pictures of breast are automatically censured ?! And in Desperate Housewives when Susan Mayer gets wet because of the water jets in her yard, the episode becomes scandalous because we can see her nipples through her shirt because she gets cold ? And then the whole scene has to be touched up !!
We should definitely be able to make a difference between pictures where breast nudity is just natural and pictures where breast nudity is used as a sexual tool !
If we could change our vision of women's breast, I guess even the most obscene picture of breasts wouldn't be noticed. As it sounds completely absurd to imagine a picture of a man showing his nipples in an obscene kind of way...
What do you guys think about it ?!
Anyway, it's 2015 and we still have a lot of work regarding evolution ! But let's fight for it and make part of history like our grandmas did with the right to vote: let's Free the Nipple !
One week ago I was probably the luckiest girlfriend on earth - or at least one of them... I guess... Or let's just say my boyfriend proved me once again I am right to love him [as if we could choose this kinda things]. Anyway, to make a long story short, he invited me to the restaurant for our anniversary dinner to the AURA restaurant in Zaragoza.
It was a tuesday night (there was almost just us in the restaurant), so it was very quiet and cozy; soft lighting and candles, white tableclothes, and a magic view of the Ebro river and the cathedral "Nuestra Señora del Pilar" just next to it, standing out the night with its illuminated roofs and towers.
Copyright Aura
We chose the "Gastro Menu" made by a successful chef and the different wines that came with the Menu. Every dish was delicious and the mix of flavors was very subtle.
I didn't take pictures because I really wanted to enjoy the moment and I thought it was rude to bring out my camera 8 times a meal...
Copyright Aura
We had 8 light dishes (if my memories are good), with original presentations, very tasty products and spanish wines to go with. A good way to discover more about the spanish regions and wine-growing.
Copyright Aura
We had a really great time there, and the waiter took very good care of us, always here if we needed him, and distant enough to let us privacy.
Copyright Aura
The first picture is puff pastry caramelized with foie, the second one tooking on the appearence of a fried egg is actually a fish carpaccio with pumpkin. And the third one is one of the two desserts we had. Very fine and delicious.
To discover more about this great restaurant, find their website here and their Facebook pagethere.
When Unilever is one of the worldwide leaders integrating sustainability into its business strategy, some people are also trying to do something, bringing a small - but nonethless very useful - contribution to the environment, for nature and our lives.
Today, among those "people", I'd like to introduce you a French brand (yes, again !) that's celebrating its 1 year this summer: BAIN.
It's a swimsuit brand created by Cindy and Nicolas, two friends from the oh-so-cool-town of Biarritz, on the west coast of France. Surfers and nature lovers are what describes best the people living there.
Cindy and Nicolas didn't find what they were looking for on the actual market in terms of comfort, style and ethics. That's why they created BAIN.
Copyright Bain
BAIN is for nature lovers: they are locally designed and made with techniques and materials respecting the environment. Materials (from France, Italy and Spain) are made of recycled plastics and fishing nets found in the sea, excluding toxic substances for health or the environment.
Collections are certified by Oeko-Tex® to guarantee the absence of nocive substances in clothes.
Copyright Bain
Bain's swimsuits (for women and men) are colored, mostly with pretty soft colors, plain or printed for a fashionable look, simple but chic, with a pinch of retro style. The definition of "design" : comfort, usefulness and style.
Copyright Bain
However, it's very hard for brand designers to find the right materials and techniques, the right colors, to create a sustainable, eco-friendly and/or organic product. Fewer researches are made into those fields, it's something that takes a lot of time to grow.
That's because we are drowned by worldwide brands with worldwide production techniques, and even though people would like to buy consciously to care more about them and about the environment, they cannot always afford this kind of products. It's once again a matter of quality over quantity. It's the same problem with food.
I guess we should buy less, and learn how to deal with it; buy 1 local and ecofriendly swimsuit instead of 3 of a worldwide brand...
Anyway, brands like BAIN really need our support to last in time and diversify their ranges of products, so feel free to discover them online: here and there.
Today I'm introducing an original and oh-so-useful concept...
ELLIOT FOR WATER
Elliot For Water is "the first search engine that gives the possibility to its users to help the people in need of drinkable water".
Its aim is clearly to make our web wanderings/researches U S E F U L.
When I heard about this project I instantly thought "Oh my god, why nobody did it earlier, that's fucking awesome !!". And I installed it on my computer.
We're living in such a way we forget that what we drink, what allows us to cook, to shower/wash our hands/teeth, to pee (and more), to laundry and so on, is something precious and invaluable.
- Copyright The Endorphin Company -
Every year 2,6 million people die because they do not have access to clean water, which is more than 7 thousand people everyday. Half of these victims are less than 15 years old.
They all die because of water-related diseases.
A study made by "Solidarités International" NGO states that 3,5 billion people drink unsafe watereveryday and 1 billion people do not have any toilet. Around 272 million days of school per year are missed (especially by young girls having periods) because of the lack of infrastructures allowing them to go to the bathroom, and it seriously impacts on their education.
In our daily life we tend to forget all the issues that result from unsafe water and lack of water infrastructures, but it goes from health to education.
That's why Elliot For Water is here. To remind us that we can act, even just from behind our screen when we are surfing the Internet.
"Elliot For Water donates 70% of its profits to buy Solwa Technologies*, solar energy based products that purify dirty or polluted water through desalination, the irrigation of arid grounds, and the dehydration of food. [They] will also take care of the primary necessities of the villages in which this technology will be implemented."
*an Italian company working with solar energy
To learn more about this wonderful search engine, help it to grow and start saving lives, let's go to their page, and install it.
It's one thing to realize our planet and people living on it are in trouble, It's another to act consciously and sustainably for it.
Elliot For Wateris therefore a great opportunity for everyone of us. Let's start acting !
I thought it was a good day to try a frozen yogurt recipe.
I'm crazy about frozen yogurts: they're resfreshing, healthy and tasty (only if you use healthy ingredients, of course). And they can easily replace a meal in summer.
1 bottle of fat-free drinkable yogurt (strawberry flavor in this recipe)
2 fat-free plain yogurt
Cookies (gluten free here)
1 mango
1 peach
1 kiwi
1 pineapple
Directions:
Mix drinkable yogurt and plain yogurt until it becomes homogenous
Pour it into the bottom of your glasses
Put them in a freezer
Mash the cookies
Cut all fruits in pieces
Once the yogurt is frozen:
Put the cookies
And the fruits making "floors"
You can eat it right away if you want to or you can put glasses back in the freezer to get frozen fruits too and eat it later.
You can choose any kind of fruits and you can also replace cookies by cereals or nothing at all. At your convenience !
A group of french friends launched its woody woodpecker company: WOOD STUCK.
They're offering wood skins for smartphones.
Original, caring of Mother Nature and easy of use wood skins.
Wood Stucks values are simplicity, quality and respect (of people and nature).
Every product is made in France and certified by the FSC label (Forest Stewardship Council) to respect and maintain natural communities and high conservation value forests, but also to create equitable access to benefits.
To satisfy everyone, they offer different kinds of woods: mahogany, oak, walnut, wenge...
The fact that every tree is unique makes every single wood skin unique too.
And they're sanded by hand.
A very precise work for a high quality product.
Between the year 2000 and the year 2005, 73,000 km² of forests have been destroyed and researches have shown that every minute 2,000 trees are cut in the world.
It seems vital, for our planet and our future, to take care of our environment even if it's on a small scale.
Wood Stuck is a way to begin to change our consumption habits, step by step, and to be aware that another way to consume is possible. It means changing our way of thinking and changing our way of spending. But it's definitely worth it !
PS: For each purchased product, a tree will be planted in France with an online follow-up of their reforested park.
And same-sex marriage is now allowed in every state of the United States of America
But it's no reason to take it for granted. Quite the opposite.
37 years after Harvey Milk fought for gay rights in California [and was killed for it and his success], 77 countries still punish homosexuality (gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders) with prison, torture or forced labors and in 11 countries (like Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Yemen...), homosexuality is liable to death penalty.
Who would have thought it would still exist in 2015 ?
When I see the way women are treated in those countries, no wonder why homosexuals are punished or liable to death penalty...
Wasn't there a time where human rights existed ?
To another scale (and in a much more evolved country like France) homosexuals still experience very strict rules to do blood donations. It's been a ban since 1983 because HIV was much more present in this population and given the time to notice the virus' presence... It was safer to proceed this way.
But time has changed. And when you know that in 2011, 42% of european students (attending a study on contraception and sexual relations) had sex without using any mean of contraception, with a new partner, I think we should also be careful about heterosexuals for blood donation too !
Anyway, I'm glad to see that brands such as Adidas bring their support to the LGBTQ community creating a new pair of Stan Smith and Superstar (around 100€), but also flip-flops (50€) to color our summer.
- Copyright Adidas -
Everybody is already wearing the regular Stan Smith so why wouldn't we get a bit more original and much more supportive by buying these ? And for those - like me - who are not afraid to wear flip-flops with any kind of clothes, why not to get the ones below ?
- Copyright Adidas -
Worldwide brands are very powerful, sometimes more than politicians, so let's be part of this powerful reign and use our compulsive fashionistas' desires and purchases wisely. At least, for once !
Last week I was presenting a french fashion brand from the city of Lyon, today I'm going to talk about a street-wear brand I discovered two years ago in Paris [and from Paris]: LES PARISIENS.
You might think every thing is in its name, but let me tell you the story.
LES PARISIENS is actually two friends combining their skills to create a real "Made in France" brand, even more than Made in France: Made in Paris.
One of them, Sylvain Montassut, is a fashion designer [he got his professional experience during interships and jobs in designer houses like Francesco Smalto and Emmanuelle Khanh] and is taking care of the creative part of the brand. The other one, Ousman Bamba, is taking care of the business part of it.
Every piece of the collection is made in Paris, and finishing works are sewn by hand (e.g. hand-stitched leather yokes on hats and beanies). Even if those techniques are expensive, they're the core of the brand and its strengths, and they are proud to say they stick to their values.
They want to offer products inspired from the street so people can identify and afford it.
They target young people from 18 to 30 that may not be able to afford premium or luxury brands, but that don't want to wear what everybody else is wearing (clothes coming from big fashion chains like Zara, H&M and so on).
They put emphasis on quality rather than quantity to produce high quality clothes, with small collections that change quite often. This way they allow their customers to get different products so they are not all dressed the same way.
They also observed that in France, people are not very proud of their country or district (compared to the US), so they wanted to create this "patriotism" and make people realize that they live in a beautiful country with great opportunities, in fashion, but not only.
They both live in Paris and they've always seen people coming from all around the world to visit Paris and do some shopping. But they see tourists with shopping bags coming from worldwide store signs.
To them, it's completely non-sense because if you're going to Paris, you want to bring home something authentic, something that really DOES come from France, not something you can shop anywhere in the world.
That's why they wanted to change it, at their own level, by offering an alternative street-wear brand.
LES PARISIENS is therefore a state of mind, a way of dress and a way of life.
