Like many brands of that era, only few survived without interruption to this day. They’ve became more known for their perfume “Ma Griffe” and for working with airline companies to make their uniforms in the 1970s (Air France).

Following in the footsteps of brands like Chacharel, Carven has made a triumphant fashion come back since 2009 headed by (ex- Givency Paul Ka), Guillaume Henry at its helm.

I for one, am very excited with what Guillaume has done so far and hunger to see what he has in store for the seasons to come! He seems very much in touch with todays women, what we like and also the realities of our financial expectations.

Look at what he had to say to Vogue UK about the line “I wanted to create a look that was less evening, less cocktail, more girl next door; that’s the girl I know,” … ”Some designers create and imagine a woman, a customer, and that’s great – but it’s not for me. I design for the owner’s wife, my mother, my friends; someone going to work, with children, going out at night – women I know.”

Making clothes that’s accessible with a touch of luxury is definitely up my alley, and I’m sure you’ll

love it too.

Paris Store Address:
Boutique Carven
34 rue Saint Sulpice
Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 78 72

One vintage place that I still consider a hidden gem, is Guerrisol Paris. It’s one of my best places to shop for thrift and vintage in Paris because its the only thrift store that doesn’t give a damn about carrying what’s in style or even trendy.

They just hang what they want, and you can leave with a bag of clothes for under 30 Euros!

I went to the one at Place de Clichy last week, and walked away with three blazers and a pair of pants. The blazers were 3 Euros each! Much cheaper than anything I  buy in Freep Star in the Marais ( unless you have the patience to dig through the 1 euro bill bin thats upstairs in the badly lit tiny cluster).

Be aware, because this is more of a Thrift shop rather than Vintage shop, don’t expect the selection to be pre-scanned for your shopping pleasure.

So you’ll occasionally see the “who in da heck would buy that!?” item here and there. But whatever, don’t judge, get what you want and move on. I’ve yet to be disappointed.

Tartans, florals, leather, biker, clean cut , minimalist, with a 60s vibe.

I just got this in an email today from the Paris press team, but I had to share right away. Je suis completement accro a H&M.

Stay tuned for my more in-depth review to come this week. I’m already dying for the off white women’s coat, the brown biker jacket and a few items like sneakers and accessories from the men’s department too!

If you’re in Paris remember there are many H&M locations here centrally located:

H&M Forum des Halles

H&M 88 Rue de Rivoli and 120 Rue de Rivoli in walking distance from each other

H&M 88 Avenue des Champs Elysées

The exposition displays 80 pieces taken from the Galliera museum as well as from private collections.  Definitely worth seeing if visiting Paris and  have a love of fashion, couture or history.

WHERE:

Musée Bourdelle
16 rue Antoine Bourdelle, 75015 Paris
Tél. : 01 49 54 73 73
www.bourdelle.paris.fr

WHEN:

Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10AM to 6PM ( except holidays)

FEE:

7 € or 3,50 € (14-26 yrs old)

Free for under  14 yrs old

Designers that are a bit quirky, off beat, non-the-less exceptional and who chart their own territory.

But I was quickly brought back to reality and very disappointed because they didn’t bother to put a “token” black model in the mix.

The cover featured five all white and seemingly blond models Iselin Steiro, Kasia Struss, Natasha poly, Daria Strokous and Ginta Lapina.

Goes to show that we still have a long way to go in terms of diversity in the fashion industry, especially here in France.

I’m not asking for all black issues, or all white issues, but beauty is diverse and that’s not represented here.

Below, are some of my favorite portraits from the batch of designers. Click on thumbnails to see larger images.  The image quality is a bit shady, because I couldn’t get my scanner to work so I took photos of the photos.

xoxo

Here is a preview of the new Yves Saint Laurent documentary. L’amour Fou. Pierre Berge talks about his life with Yves Saint Laurent, their love and their art.

EF – Live The Language – Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

It goes through some of the typical things you first do when you arrive in Paris; like shopping for food, going to the Marche, asking for directions, getting lost, taking the metro etc.

I’m not a big fan of Macarons but I’ve told my husband that I’d gladly marry the baker downstairs because of his croissants and the religieuse au chocolat. Help! I think this bakery’s proximity is a detriment to my waistline and test in self-discipline. Aiee.

Anyways, hope you’re having a lovely weekend and thanks to Pearls & Silk for posting this cute video.

Wishing you a productive and fulfilled week!

Taking photos of the wonderful “everyday” Parisian women is so much fun and inspiring, take this shot for example.

She was on the Quai de la seine I had just parked my bicycle, and saw her from across the street; running over I said “Hi! You look gorgeous, may I take your photo?” she looked puzzled, then I said “just push the bike back a bit in the sunlight”, she smiled.

et voila

Low Rider Honda Bike (don’t see a lot of these here, mostly Vespas), Leather Leggings, Fur coat and low boots.

I’ve created a blogpost for my photos that I took during Paris Fashion Week, You can see them here. I still need to post all of them!

Not sure If I’ll be taking photos again next year, I will be back to working full time. Even though it was challenging in the cold, it was lots of fun, met really cool and interesting people; good folks well dressed.

Also I’ve started a tumblr for TC Mag, it’s like a place where I put a lot of leftover thoughts, ideas, photos and just about anything that’s too tangential to put on toocutemagazine.com. OH YEA, and it’s kinda funny!

And don’t forget to follow us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.

I got Chanel, Keiko’s Chanel.

A product of the Chanel + Colette Mashup – that featured artist Fafi.

This woman was in a crowd of fashionable people on the streets of Paris and her Fafi customized Chanel handbag did its duty; it stood out.

photo copyright Y.Francis

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Takes us on a behind the scenes look during Paris Fashion Week at the photographer, his pictorial choices, what inspires him, his thoughts on style versus fashion and his love of storytelling via images.

Swagger 360 interview with Karl Edwin Guerre during fashion week in Paris from olivierlalin on Vimeo.