France’s Foot Fetish: The Cult of Repetto French Ballet Slippers

March 31, 2010  by Tory Hoen

parisatelier.blogspot.com

When it comes to footwear, there is one word that sends fashionistas around the globe swooning: Repetto. The brand is a well-kept secret that Parisians have known about since the first pair was created in 1947, but (as usual) the rest of us are just catching on. Frankly, I’m not the type to squeal over a pair of shoes—or so I thought, until I had a Repetto-related epiphany that made me realize what all the fuss was about.

repetto.com

The brand’s cult status dates back to the 1950s, when Rosa Repetto created an iconic ballet flat for sultry French actress Brigitte Bardot. In the 1970s, Serge Gainsbourg got on board, and the rest was history. Though the company still creates actual dance shoes, many of their styles have been co-opted by those who simply want to prance around the streets in them (myself included). Today, most self-respecting Parisiennes have at least one pair in their closets. Continue Reading »

Posted in Parisian Living, Shopping | 7 Comments »

Cemeteries of Paris: Where the French Lay Their Heads

December 29, 2009  by Haven in Paris

Pere Lachaise  - didiergauducheau.com

Text by Simone Blaser

It has to be said.  There is only a smattering of spots in Paris that have attracted the crème de la crème of French society as steadily and as constantly as the Parisian cemeteries. Cimetière Montmartre, Montparnasse, and Père Lachaise all boast a “who’s who” of French history.

How different it feels to be in a French cemetery!  None of the sterility, none of the rows neat like lines of crops, less of the impending doom of the American graveyard.  In Paris, cemeteries are like outdoor museums filled with the sculpture-graves of the wealthy and important, myriad unknowns, and of course, intellectual artistic superstars.
Continue Reading »

Posted in Parisian Living | 2 Comments »