Neimo rocks NY!!

Are you wondering whether or not I can't spell, or just, what I am talking about?... No I am not talking about Nemo (even though he is a cutie too) but Neimo (pronounce Nay-mo), four French guys who remind me of the Strokes, and who will give you an adrenaline rush on stage with their fab energy.

The reason why I am mentionning them now is because they are playing in NY. We saw them last night at the Club Midway, in the Lower East and we had a great time. The venue was very small but the sound was good, and the show was pure indie rock!
They are playing again tomorrow, on New Year's eve at the Knitting Factory and then back to Paris for a showcase on 4th January. All the details are on their my space, along with their last album (let me know what you think).

I didn't take my camera with me, well I didn't want to look like a groupie & a tourist but here are a few photos from the net.

The stage at the Midway.


The Neimo Boys!


There are four boys, Bruno (who sings in a perfect English), Camille (who must be the son of Slash, they have the same hair!) Matthieu and Alexis. They remind me of bands like Blur and the Smiths but also the Strokes and Phoenix.
Alright, I am not going to lie about this, I am also very proud that they are French and playing in NY!



So did you know them? Do you like their music?

Oh I almost forgot, my Fashion de-brief! So a lot of... Skinny jeans, and more... Skinny jeans! The dress code was skinny jeans (!), white repettos (very Serge Gainsbourg), vintage boots, tee-shirt, waistcoat, a few cute vintage dresses and of course the compulsory black leather jacket! Yes whether or not it is 6 degrees outside, you will not come with your coat, it will have to be a cute leather jacket and well if you get a cold not our problem!!
And the cherry on the cake, they asked for our I.D at the entrance, you have to be above 21. At the eve of 2008 it is a real boost to be asked for your I.D... Ok I know it is the law in the US, but one can dream right!?

Neimo, the new record Modern Incidental, comes out in Spring 08 butin the meanwhile you can listen to it on their site.

Merry Christmas

So that's it, have you opened all your presents? I can't wait to see a summary on all the blogs I follow...
Enjoy this very special day,


I wish you all a very merry Christmas,
Best wishes from the big Apple!!

And what about you?

This week end I saw this article in a US magazine and I asked myself the same question.

"What would you be if you were not what you are?" Yes what would I do if I wasn't in my current job? Hmmm... Deep thinking... Yes I am frowning...



I have to look for the celebrities' answers to find some inspiration and I end up a little bit disappointed.

The only few I find amusing are, first of all, Sir Paul McCartney as an English teacher. I would have been at his class every day!! Then there is Courtney Love as a designer, help us!! I think fate did a good deed, I love Hole but I can't stand her outfits!
And the winner is... Karl! Ah Karl! He always has the right answer, he was born to be who he is, Karl! Such an evidence! What did you expect, that he was going to say he wanted to have his own bakery?

What about you, what would you be if you were not what you are?


PS: next week I will ask you another deep question (seen on a mug) "How old would you be if you did not know how old you are?" No? Ok I won't!

A job in NY

The other day I was walking on 57th when I had a weird encounter... This lady and her 11 dogs, yes ELEVEN!

Let me reassure you straight away, they don't belong to her, her job is to take them out. But what do their owners do? Well they are busy being "working girls" or "it-girls" shopping on and getting their hair done.

In a city like NY, it costs about 15 to 20$ for a daily walk so your beloved doggy to get some fresh air.



Pretty impressing, right?
I have to say most of the dogwalkers I meet are walking an average of 4 to 5 dogs, but the more dogs you take out the more money you make!!

So are you tempted by that job?

My pleated kingdom!!

Some mornings, I get up and already I am annoyed...
Those days I always take a walk at lunch time, and wander in the 5th Avenue shops.

Friday lunch time, I decide to go to my Swedish friend. And there, in 5 secondes, my mood changed as I met a little kingdom of pleats. I smiled and I left with a new dress, the same one I missed in a cream colour this summer and that our nice Swedish friend has decided to redo in different colour. I let you decide if you like it or not...

Have a look at the "fitting room" shot...


This morning I tried it on to make sure I still liked it -yes because sometimes a dress that I thought was perfect suddenly turns out horrible in front of my mirror. Don't ask me why or how, I still can't explain that phenomena, even though it happens a lot to me!!
Here is the object of my affliction (and I just couldn't wait for the -25% in HM to buy it!!)

After the more casual version with the boots, here is a more evening dressy proposal with patent pumps and a patent clutch (sorry the flash makes the dress much lighter than what it is)...


And now all I need is a big long necklace like this one...


The dress comes in aubergine but also in yellow and green. I went for the aubergine. But I know from a reliable source it will come out in black (my source, the French Glamour, December issue), so I will hunt for it as I really want that one!!
Yes indeed I am not sure about the aubergine. Always a doubt!!



So I guess that's all for today, let me know what you think!

PS: if you see a 34 in black, grab it for me!!i

Don't miss out on this...

Are you ready for some good news?
While all my Parisian friends are having fun with many sample sales, we in NY also have a few good deals. Well first of all, sale started early here (not until January in Europe) and my favourite Swedish friend has decided to treat us to -25% for a few days in December... So get your agendas out and make sure you come with your voucher!


Register here

I will make sure I give you more good deals next week, enjoy!

Welcome to the Vintage Kingdom

I don't believe I have told you that my neighbour, an adorable woman, has a vintage store downtown. And a few weeks ago thanks to her I was told there was a Vintage fair gathering most of the best Vintage stores in the state. She sliped an invite under my door so i decided to check it out.


I discovered a good hundred of boutiques and the best of their collections. I wandered for about 1h30 minutes between the stall, looked at clothes but also observed the customers, some in head to toe Vintage, other like me just looking for that special item, a few excentrics (and one drag queen), some with Park Avenue written on their forehead were buying fur coats, and of course many journalists and a few models searching for the rare pieces such as Lily Cole.


The stalls were all different, and there was something to please every taste. Some had some amazing antics and vintage pieces such as delicious sequins dresses, YSL pumps in croc (I am still thinking about them) and a few unique items from Poiret and other designers -my neighbour shop was filled with amazing dresses and attracted the attention of Miss Cole for a while. There were also shops with more recent things, army jackets etc.


As always when I got out shopping I had decided I wanted a pair of boots (I always have to have an obsession) so I focussed on that and that only!... Until I ended up in front of Ms Ladybag stall and her handbag collection, and there I stayed, hypnotised... Some might say to me that an It bag is passe but an It Vintage bag that's not the same right??


The Chanel ones were calling me, begging me to touch them, to try them on... So I gave in... I did it... Oh no, I only tried because I had decided to watch out and not spend.


Ok I admit to writing down her email and phone, and she, Mrs Adrienne Astrologo (yes it is her name!!) will be at the next one in two weeks time. And well it will be Christmas soon so my hubby will get desesperate to find a present...



So I left empty handed, with a happy credit card and buzzing with ideas!

This week I want...

A pair of grey skinny jeans!!




One like those...

The Grey Jeans Quest starts today!!

Grey matters for Carrie!!

It had to be expected, don't go looking for fashion shows in Paris or Milan, it is happening here in NY on the set of SATC!!

Here is below an example of one of Miss Bradshaw's outfits, you might love it or not, Prada can be thanked for its contribution, and since there are some grey things, a clutch, some socks, some lowboots, well... After all one would quite like to get her hands on a few of those items!!


For those who are interested, check out my flickr

I hate mornings

There are some mornings...
You would be better off staying in bed!!
Those are the mornings when...
You get up and you are already tired
You take a few minutes for breakfast and surfing the net (yes your mails, some blogs...) and without even noticing it (where does time go?) 30 minutes are gone and you are still not under the shower
You look for something to wear for about 10 minutes and end up wearing ballerinas and jeans
You cannot do your hair, it just won't look right
You look for your keys, you leave running out, you miss the elevator and then you realise you left your mobile phone inside so you hesitate, then go back and get it... That's when you are officially really late!!
You decide to avoid the tube and go for a taxi as it will be quicker, and of course this is the morning you cannot find any until 10 minutes later
Finally you find one, you still think you took the right decision... And you sit forever in traffic, even on foot you could already be at work
That's when you start getting angry at yourself, you wonder why every morning you are running, why you have to fight for not being late...
Mornings like that you would like to avoid them but you seem to run into them a lot!!
In fact those mornings are your everyday routine!!

Please reassure me, I am not the only one like that... Or am I?

1... 2... 3... 4...

Tell me that you love me more"
Feist


What were you doing on 4th October 2003? Do you remember?

On 4th October I said "Yes" to my favourite Scot, and 4 years later, all I want to do is to to go back to that day and to remember this amazing journey, all the emotions, the shared happiness, the Divine Idylle...


So today I spent my day dreaming (ok and I did work too!!) because 4th October is a very special day, it is not just like everyday...

Do you know them??

This morning as I was walking through Central Park I saw an odd photo shoot... So I am sharing this with you and I take this opportunity to ask you the following question...

Who are they?
-Answer a: totally unknown people, getting their photo taken cause they just got married
-Answer b: a new serie for US TV
-Answer c: a folk band
-Answer d: I am asking you because I don't have a clue!!

So take a guess...

I have new boots!!

What do you think?


So for those who were starting to get worried about my boots quest, you can stop right here, I have acquired a pair, at last!!
There was a lot of hesitation, yes again, but I had been admiring those boots since last summer (however I can't do boots in the summer, fashion has to stop somewhere and my feet said no!) and for this winter I decided to indulge...

I hope you like them!?

Beautiful "Prairies"

To tell you about Paris without going through a lit bit of my shopping would not be a complete story.
But because I don't want to bore you, I have decided to talk about only one boutique this time, and it will be the Prairies de Paris.

Why only one? And why this one in particular I hear you say?
Well then...
Because I will not talk about Isabel Marant, that will be for another post...
Because many of you know the Paris shops and I should be talking about the ones in New York (promise I will do so soon) so I have decided to talk about one of my favourite boutique...
Because last Saturday was a religious event for some and therefore I found many stores closed... And when you come to Paris for only three days it is kind of funny (yes ok not that much) after all!! Yes I know I should have known, well so much for writing about many other boutiques, they won't be any post on Sandro and Maje that's for sure!
But above all the real reason is that I love this brand since I bought my first pair of shoes (ballerinas) from them last year and because one should never get rid of good habits and I fell for their ballerinas again this year!! Needless to say I love them, and that the only difficult part was to decide on the colour, yes well I had to hesitate, change my mind, go back, etc... I had to right, otherwise you would not have recognized me in that story.
And to be honest, I really have to thank my mum for her patience, my friends for their advices, and also Laetitia, the store manager and Dominique who were adorable with me.

The boutique is superb, off of St Germain boulevard, the collection is gorgeous and even the fitting room has to be checked too!! They give you advice, nobody tries to push you to buy, everything is reunited for a successful shopping experience.


So I left with ballerinas and also with some high heels, and just when I was thinking I might go back to NY empty handed and have nothing to declare!!
So what now... Well I am awaiting for my next trip in October to go back there and lose myself in the beautiful Prairies...

Add three letters to Paris

And it is Paradise.

I am back after a magical week end, a quick stay in Paris, where I met with my family, a glimpse of what is waiting for me in a month time when I come back on holiday...

In Paris, I don't know about you but all I want to do is wander about and discover cute streets just like this one... You start with le Marais, Rue Vieille du Temple, then the francs-Bourgeois one, you stop at Place des Vosges and finally you keep on walking until Rue de Charonne... All this is one example of many of the walks to do on the Right bank, and... The left bank is pretty good too...

Then you get a little bit hungry after all that walking so you must have a small pastry... Choosing is tough, but with a four day stays well it means four different pastries!! A good average, right?!

One cannot come to Paris and not shop! Shopping in Paris is compulsory, and even more when you live abroad as you discover new places when you come back such as Isabel Marant new boutique in rue Saintonge or NO60, AB33 big sister on rue Charlot and there are so many more!


All in all just pure happiness... Don't you think?

See you soon!

I am flying to Paris tonight and am too excited to write that much!! So instead I am leaving you with a photo of a New York street, with cute townhouses.
Nice don't you think?

To buy boots... or not to buy... That is my problem!!

Help!! The boots saga continues and it is still not solved! To be honest I have not seen anything amazing and I am hoping an amazing pair is waiting for me in Paris. I might be difficult to please as some will say so I have to justify myself and give you a detailed summary of my latest shopping trip.
After having looked at boots (and all the rest) in Barneys and Bergdorf, I went downtown -needless to say that if you want to shop, downtown is the place to go, and Soho, Nolita, East Village & Meatpacking are my addresses. I first went to my favourite shoe shop Sigerson Morrison and there I looked at every single pair of shoes desesperately seeking the object of my desire...

Here are the choices for boots... Sorry the lookbook is showing a lot of them in white leather but before you start worrying, let me reassure you I will buy black ones!! So I am not convinced, but they are the ones with the best choice, many boutiques are showing either the rider boots or the high heel pointed toe ones, very lady and very not me!!
So after that I thought go and check APC site and you will get lucky, but I was astounded to see they only had one pair of low boots in suede...

When it comes to MJ, the boots collection is not that interesting, and Loeffler Randall is not worth mentionning either -those are the two very well known US brands, and yet nothing there for me. But it is only the beginning, I am very motivated, on the look out, full of enthusiasme!! I have just seen Punky B and her amazing vintage boots from CDC, Sandie also confirmed Isabel Marant had fab ones, so you can easily imagine I will check all that out... Going to Paris this week end so if you are looking for me you know where to find me!!
To be continued!!

Fashion matters

At last Sandro has updated its site and there are some photos of the new collection. It looks like there are a lot of cute stuff...
I have selected a few photos, the Parisians must have seen the real thing already, lucky them!!

I like the collection a lot, and this above is just a glimpse, as the site shows about 40 different looks.
Anyway, this piece of news seemed really important, I had to talk to you about it!
If you are fascinated by this subject, check out a few sites...
Sandro
And if like me you now live in the US, you will be able to find a few pieces on the two sites below
Selectshops
Monshowroom
And if you happen to come to New York, the boutique called Noisette only sells French labels (and you can also order over the internet).
Noisette

A grey winter in HM

Finally the week end is here and as I have seen all the exhibitions, been to all the museums, tidied up my wardrobe, been through my mail, looked at my friends' blogs, what can I do with myself? How can I find things to do on a Saturday afternoon?... Some shopping? Well ok then but really because I have nothing else to do!!!
The problem is (yes a girl's life is very complicated) that NY is very big so one has to start somewhere. So you have to first tackle the classics, Zara, Uniqlo and HM.
Planning a trip to HM, you must go before 2pm, after that you have to face a human wave of American girls who will destroy everything on their path, you will also have to queue for about 15-20 min for the fitting rooms and the same to pay, and needless to say you will have by then said "excuse me" and "sorry " about 50 times in order to make your way through the aisles. Basically for HM either you get up early or you might aswell forget about it!!
On my trip today I had to face a trend that all the mags have been talking about for a few weeks, winter will be grey, all grey! No I am not talking about the weather even though for those who know me this is a topic which I am obsess with.

So there you are, I am showing you a few of their peices... You will have a broad choice, and it should please every style, every taste, between the jumper-dress, the little dress from the 60s, the pinafore type of dress, the grunge one, the long cardigan, the tunic, the coats and even the footless tights and the patent shoes with a bow... And I am not even getting into all the details!! So what about you, did you get grey-ed up by the Swedish?

They're back!!

You thought it was over, and you were wrong!! They have all signed for another one, including Mr Big! Yes SATC will be back! They are starting to shoot on 19th September and it should be on the big screen for 30th May 2008 in the US. I have to admit I am a little bit puzzled, I think that good things come to an end and that to serve us the same dish reheated is not always a winning recipe!
Doing a movie on a series which seduced people because it was like a chronicle, moments of life, anecdotes, a New Yorker diary, anyway you get the whole idea, I am not convinced, even though I am a huge fan of the series.

After 3 years of going back and forth, because of problems with the scenario, salaries, castings, and actors availability, etc... We did not believe it would happen (and we didn't really care anymore).
HBO (who only has very successful series such as Sopranos, Sixt feet under, Big Love, Rome and the very popular Entourage) was trying to close the deal since 2004, but apparently the rumour has it that Kim Cattrall would not agree on her salary as she wanted the same as SJP. As any big money story, agreements are always possible and after a promise of her own serie on HBO and a good financial deal, she has eventually said yes (and probably that her bank account is getting low so she is not that picky anymore)
We already know that Carrie will have an assistant and Jennifer Hudson has been casted for the part. She was in Dreamgirls, she was the one with the amazing voice but who gets fired, oh and she was also in the final of American Idol -Star Ac in France. We can already expect tons of Manolos and Jimmy Choo, oodles of Cosmos and above all a lot of dirty conversations! Obviously the main topic will be Carrie et Mr Big, Samantha and Smith, Miranda and euh.... Steve (Right?), Charlotte and Harry...
All in all nothing new and it would have been better to have left us on the last episode, allowing each of us to just imagine the end (having said that they better not do the same when it comes to Lost, I would get really mad and launch a complaint group!!)
Ok I stop being snobish, because after all if I am talking about it it means I do care about it just a little!!

Girls have real problems

Here we go again...
I can't believe it... I guess I can. You just get back from holidays and already you are under pressure... Ready? Steady! Go!! Yes the new collections are out and you must decide on the few big winter purchases such as the Coat, the Boots, etc... But let's tackle the boots issue -I hear you, two pairs are necessary (at least!!) because with one pair well you might not like them anymore after a while... Or you might bring them back, take another pair and of course wish you had never returned the first pair in the first place... Or you will yearn for a pair that only exists in your head, visit 10 shops and finish empty handed, wearing ballerinas on 20th November... Or you will find some, love them so much that you will wear them all the time and one day it will snow and they will get ruined...
It is 15th January, no more boots in the shops and you are so closed to being forever depressed and have lost sleep over this!! And it will be a real drama!! All those things have happened to me, when it comes to boots I have been though a lot, I mean a lot!!
So this year I say "No", no to my dilemnas, no to bringing back the boots, no to my hesitations and delays, no to a fantasy pair which is nowhere to be found except in my imagination, this year I will be strong, this year I will buy two pairs and I swear not to go back on my decisions... At least I will try!!
So first I go through my closet and look at what I already possess, yes come on, I have to avoid buying the same stuff, that would be stupid, right? Don't tell me that has never happened to you?!
I also have to see if I will wear them again, I mean if everything fits... You know my feet might have got bigger... I know my excuses are lame!! But come on, when my man says to me talking about my 4 year-old riding boots, from Un Dimanche a Venise "I like those ones, they look like Hermes riding boots" I have to find excuses, and the excuse is that they really are uncomfortable... And they look nothing like the Hermes ones, but really nothing like them!! I'd rather not talk about it with him, he wouldn't understand.
And when it comes to trying to explain to him the urge to buy, I won't even get there. Some conversations are a waste of time. It is so obvious one should not have to justify herself! Everybody is talking about boots, Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Isabel Marant, Vanessa Bruno, Sigerson Morrison, in the street some girls are already wearing their latest purchase with a pair of short or a summer dress and I am still wearing my flip flops and cried when I was putting my swimming suit away!! But I will rise to the challenge and I have given myself until 1st October to buy my two pairs of boots...
First stop in NY, Barneys and Bergdorf. It is a bit like Bon Marche in Paris, more expensive and with less cheaper designers, so I will check the collections there first. I will go at lunch time and will look at all the boots, yes all of them... Wish me luck!

Another blog...

It has been a while that I had been thinking about it, I was looking with envy at some of them but I wasn't ready to cross the line yet... Exactly like when I would spend hours in front of 58M windows and look at their shoes but leave empty handed...
But with all the support from everybody, those who wanted to read my stories and those who just wanted me to find a hobby, or to know my shopping addresses, that's it, I am doing the big jump, I am tackling the crazy task... And I will tell you the story of a Parisian girl in New York, my encounters, my shopping trips, my moods and feelings...
Ok reveilles toi, je commence...
PS: a big thank you to Marie for her illustration