Posts Tagged ‘culture’

Make Dior Your Paris Valentine

by Cynthia RoseCynthia Rose

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Photographer Gérard Uféras knows about fashion. But what he excels at is bringing the curious eye backstage. A former student of legendary French lensman Willy Ronis, Uféras also likes to spend time with a subject. Favorites include the worlds of opera and ballet, but he has now branched out—into fashion. Uféras's new book Dior: 30, avenue Montaigne is a huge, magnificent tome. It's also the perfect Paris valentine to couture. In focusing on that metier's secrets and skills, he has forged a very special portrait....

Finding Paris in London

by Jennifer Garcia-Alonso and Rachel Levin

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In all our worldly travels, Paris remains one of our favorite places on earth. It's nearly impossible for us to tear ourselves away from the enchanting City of Light once we've set foot on its storied boulevards. But since inevitably we must, we can't help but seek out a little bit of Paris in every city we visit, whether it's finding a replica of the classic French bistro in New York or sampling our favorite Parisian designer in...

Franco Files: Eating In

by Lili SnyderLili Snyder

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Just when I feel like I have a grasp on French culture, I am invited over to someone's house for dinner.

I always feel lost. It's not that I'm navigating through the formalities of a black tie event; au contraire, most home dinners are casual affairs. I just lack a fundamental intuition about French dining customs and manners. It’s like when to use the informal tu conjugation verses the formal vous conjugation. Something that comes naturally for the French is something I have to think...

Happy New Year!: How to Say It Like the Parisians

by Cynthia RoseCynthia Rose

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There's no way to be a Scrooge about Christmas in Paris—after all, festivities last from mid-November to mid-January. But since New Year's Eve (known here as la Saint-Sylvestre) is not family only, it's especially nice for the city's visitors. Marking the run-up to each year's end is a public sport, one that seems to put the whole city in a better mood. If you're actually in Paris, take advantage of this! Just closing all encounters with a bonne année or bonnes fêtes à vous will provide a shot of instant gratification. Not to mention the feasts and events, the light shows installed in 125 streets, the special ice sculptures on the Champs Elysées—or the magical circus machine at...

Scrooge’s Guide to Christmas in Paris: Part II

by Shannon VettesShannon Vettes

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You've been waiting for it. Here's the second half of Scrooge’s Christmas goodies! In case you missed the first half, check it out here.

(8) Pick out a Christmas tree In France most people prefer fake trees or those miniature ones. Personally, I like the real deal. You can usually find real trees at flower shops like Monceau Fleurs and sometimes at the larger...

Larry Clark’s ‘Kiss the Past Hello’

by Richard NahemRichard Nahem

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Controversy follows photographer Larry Clark from the United States to Europe, and his first Paris retrospective caused a stir even before it...

Star of the Season: Paris Falls for Jean-Michel Basquiat

by Cynthia RoseCynthia Rose

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If you see only one exhibition while you're in Paris, make it the Jean-Michel Basquiat retrospective. The now-astronomical value of anything touched by this artist makes it a miracle so many pieces were brought together (there are 160). But that's not why it's the biggest draw in town; people are going and going back again simply because they see mind-blowing art. Held in what would have been the artist's 50th year, the show proves Basquiat's trick of dressing home truths in magical guises still seduces after all the...

New in Paris: November Edition

by Robin LockerRobin Locker

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New Hotels
Come December, Paris travelers will be asking themselves, "Do you Shangri-La?" In a prime location in the elegant 16th Arrondissement, the popular luxury hotel brand...

Your Fall Francophile Bookshelf

by Cynthia RoseCynthia Rose

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Sometimes, even in Paris, rather than braving the bustle of fall it’s nice just to curl up with a book. Aside from guidebooks, maps and directories of “hip” Paris, there are rooms of books that purport to “explain” the French, especially French women. Most of these...

Girl Time with Marie Antoinette

by Sylvia SabesSylvia Sabes

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Last week the girls and I cuddled up to watch Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. I love this film—all that pink and powdered blue, all that sumptuous silk and those decadent pastries—it really speaks to my inner girl. And being teens, my girls loved it, too. Suddenly it seemed I had found the perfect way to squeeze both some Mom time and some culture into them at once....