Paris Fashion Week Part Deux
What I ate, what I wore + where I ran
Part 2 (or seconde partie) of my recap, less about what I thought of PFW + more about what I did. What I ate, what I wore + where I ran. I absolutely love Paris and despite having been many, many times, this was the first time I’ve ever been during the summer1. It’s also the first time I’ve been during a triple digit heat wave. The few 100+ degree days I’ve survived in San Francisco have left me scarred + scared. There is an oppressiveness to heat in a city, locked in by buildings, concrete (+ if in Rome : marble).
If you’re blessed to have A/C it carries its own level of misery, sweating outside only to freeze inside. Luckily our hotel had it, which we greedily kept hovering near frigid; our only respite from the heat as (almost) every store, restaurant + cafe was without. So while the Parisians were dressed as normally as possible I was dressed as if on a beach holiday, the goal to be in as little clothing while still maintaining some shred of dignity + style. (Joke’s on me as I’m sure I screamed American no matter what I wore).
A week before I flew out, Adidas reached out to me, interested if I would do a post featuring one of their newest editions. I don’t stock Adidas however last year I purchased a pair of Evo Sls thinking I’d run in them a bit just to see what they felt like. I did not run in them + returned them, unused. It felt wrong to run in a pair of shoes from a brand I don’t stock, nor have any intention in stocking. Brand damaging in a way, because if it’s so awesome then why isn’t it on my shelf?
I took the meeting to be polite, as the person who reached out is someone I’ve worked with in the past (+ literally one of the coolest women I know), fully intent on hearing them out before politely turning them down. That is, until I saw the pitch deck. This wasn’t just any old Evo Sl they wanted me to wear, this was a special edition based off a pair of 2004 track spikes.2 I am an absolute sucker for a brand archive and as soon as I saw the photos of a white gloved archivist holding the original shoe, I was in.3
At Abercrombie, the closest thing we had to an archive was our basement, where we kept all our samples - purchased retail + production. I never needed to visit this area, bar the one time a tornado touched down near the office + they corralled us there to wait until it passed. Picture a bunch of 20-something designers, already jaded, pre-social media grumbling about how had we left 20 minutes earlier we wouldn’t be stuck in a basement. Never mind the literal tornado that touched down near the office.
At Lululemon we also had an archive space - a repurposed squash court left over from whatever the building used to be before it became our office. Old Navy’s was a room on the first floor of the main Gap office4. During my onboarding week we spent an afternoon there as the archivist took us through all of the Gap’s greatest hits : shrink wrapped Old Navy tees that were sold in coolers like meat, Gap khaki ads, Banana Republic imagery from when it first was acquired. Think of an archivist as a brand librarian, protecting + preserving its history. If I ever were to don a pair of Evo Sl’s, it would be these.
I used to be an excellent planner when I would travel, creating google sheets of agendas, mapping out my days based off where I wanted to eat, what I wanted to see + where (if applicable) I wanted to shop. I’d even schedule in my runs and workouts. This was pre-child, pre-store + now I’m lucky if I can remember what neighborhood our hotel is in, let alone our room number. Since we had a few days to chill, I managed a bit of planning (+ by ‘bit’ I do mean ‘bit’). Armed with a list of restaurants - some new + some repeats - and a list of stores to visit, the respite we had before the onslaught of PFW appointments felt much more relaxed as if we had, dare I say, a tiny bit of a vacation?
What I ate:
Back in January we stayed in the 9th, and while our hotel was adorable, the neighborhood was less our vibe. Martine Trélaün had recommended a slew of restaurants for us, all excellent, all of which were in the 11th + since we had spent most of our time there, this time that’s where we decided to stay. A stone’s throw from the Bastille, ten minutes walking from the Marais. The hotel had a lovely breakfast, which we indulged in every morning, as well as a fully stocked bar (which one of us indulged in every evening). The chai however was mid, and when possible, we’d walk around the corner to visit Kophi, who’s chai I have found unmatched by any in SF. Spicy yet creamy, not too sweet; it was divine. I did not expect to return from Paris experiencing oat milk chai withdrawals.
Paris has no shortage of wine bars, however, the one we visited on repeat was Septime La Cave, sibling to Septime, where reservations were near impossible to acquire. We visited the first night before dinner at Locomal, the Mexican offshoot of Mokonuts, and again on our second night before dinner at Louie Louie, a pizza place around the corner. Eat at Locomal, drink at Septime La Cave, skip Louie Louie. If you’re craving a slice, visit Rori instead.
It appears Parisians prefer their pools for laps + their cafes for spritzes + my search for a large body of water in which to indulge in both came up short. As enticing as it was to book a spa appointment + enjoy the pool at the Molitor Hotel, it was suggested to me that €710 was perhaps a bit too pricey5 + that we should instead enjoy the massages offered by our hotel, in the comfort of an air conditioned room. I obliged + we remained comfortably cool until we ventured out for a very late lunch at Mokonuts. 10/10 one of the best meals we had of the trip + the cocktail bar across the street (which we revisited later) was absolutely delightful.
I eased into my week of appointments by booking only one on the first day, after lunch so I was guaranteed I could run + eat because #priorities. I changed thirteen times before venturing out into the sauna that was the city, debating whether or not a running crop would be inappropriate. Instead I donned a mesh run tank + regretted my life choices for the next eight hours.
I did not, however, regret my culinary choices. Lunch at Kubri, dinner at Pristine, N/A spritzes at Halfdays to celebrate their launch. A stop off at White for a matcha, which was taken over by Puma for fashion week. I don’t have an official count as to how many cafes Puma had co-opted, but there were several scattered throughout the Marais.
LOL my first full day of meetings I have little photos of anything because all I ate was a sad protein bar at 2pm. Dinner was redemption for the lack of anything of sustenance because Jones was one of my favorite meals. We knew it was going to be a good time when the hostess/server/bartender was outside smoking as we strolled up. The vibe was casual, the food was delicious.
Last day of meetings and proof of existence by way of Myka frozen yogurt6 + a pistachio milk matcha from Bonjour Jacob, the other drink haunting my dreams. I am an absolute sucker for pistachio anything because I am apparently an 80 yr old at heart and never have I ever considered pistachio as the nut milk my life was missing. If you should find yourself in the 10th, treat yourself to a matcha, peruse their magazines + then pop over to Centre Commerical Kids to stock up on the most adorable selection. Les Soldes strikes again + Dougie got (nearly) a whole new wardrobe.
What I wore :
As previously stated, this is not a guide on how to pack a carry on for 10 days in Paris. I checked two bags and still had to go shopping for sensible shoes.7 Despite planning my outfits before I left, I still managed to do a terrible job; packing only flip flops, intending to style the Evo Sl’s for both running + life. Nature had other plans because it was too hot for shoes and the streets of Paris too uneven for flip flops.
While there was a time in my life I aspired to be a carry on only girl, I gave up that dream long ago. The stress of trying to fit everything I want in a suitcase tiny enough to fit in an overhead bin > the stress of my luggage getting lost. Besides, getting dressed in a city other than my own is FUN. I want to wear as much of my closet as possible, to explore + experiment with new ways of wearing the things I own; to try out more adventurous versions of myself. This doesn’t mean I pack everything, but it does mean I pack a fresh running fit for every day.8
Due to the aforementioned abundance of flip flops in my suitcase, I purchased a pair of Flowze sandals (soldes!), despite having resisted the urge for three years. Can confirm they are fantastic. Worn down by all the walking + the heat, I later broke down + bought a more supportive pair of sandals from Veja, after trying them on in their showroom. A potential replacement for the Birkenstocks I no longer have been reaching for.9
Where I ran :
I absolutely love running in cities when I travel + Paris is one of my favorites. I’ve been running along the Seine for as long as I’ve been visiting + it’s been fun to watch the shift from being one of the few to one of the many. I had set a goal for myself to run every morning and despite it being 75 degrees (minimum) most days I succeeded, logging one of my highest mileage weeks ever. LOL because both my achilles have been hating me ever since and last week I logged a total of 13 miles.
Every morning my route consisted of some variation on the same : hotel to the river / river to the Louvre / Jardin des Tuileries / cross river / Notre Dame / back to hotel.
All the icons plus a few terrible selfies. All logged on strava because otherwise did it really happen?
At some point I’ll build up the blog section of our website to include all my favorite running routes around all my favorite cities. Even higher hopes would be to include my favorite cafes + pastry shops (Paris has many!) but until then, give Yu a follow because his recommendations are superb.
That’s a wrap for 10 days in Paris. Fully intend on heading back in January, probably not for as long because 10 days is a long time to be away from child + business, although both survived without me.
*k
fun fact i celebrated my 29th birthday at a restaurant next to the louvre
like i said, Y2K is back!
I’m already scheming a future pitch in which they let me loose with an archivist and a room full of priceless one-off pairs of shoes.
TBD where it went after they renovated to fit four brands in a building that could barely house one
in my defense this was priced for two!
apparently they have locations in New York, Miami + San Diego!
whether or not the shoes i bought were, in fact sensible, is up for debate
also most ‘how to pack for two weeks only using a carry on’ guides don’t include running shoes + clothes for two weeks and i refuse to be the person wearing my running shoes at the airport. although had it gotten to that point, the Evo Sls wouldn’t have been terrible.
Consider me influenced with the Bandit top
Love love LOVE🤩 this has me dreaming of going back to Paris with checked luggage and more fashion bravery (and also sack dress + vejas combo seems ideal hot weather comfort)