An Afternoon at Place Vendôme

Hi friends,

What I love most about Paris is the endless variety of free things to do. Petite Palais and Musée Carnavalet are just two of the many museums that one can visit at any time for free. As an American expat from LA where parking alone can be $20 to visit a museum, it’s absolutely liberating to visit such beautiful cultural places for FREE.

A French friend of mine tipped me off to a jewelry exhibition L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Art supported by Van Cleef & Arpels. The current exhibition, "Gold and Treasures , 3 000 years of Chinese ornaments" features an intimate glimpse into the Mengdiexuan Collection from Hong Kong. From ancient combs and hair ornaments to delicate earrings and bold belt buckles, the collection is a visual time capsule into East Han Dynasty. Signs along the gallery educate on different ways that gold could be refined, moulded, and turned into wearable pieces of art by skilled goldsmiths. Beautifully displayed surrounded by skilk screen scenes of ancient China, the exhibition was a small, transformative experience into the world of the ancient Chinese elite.

One of my favorite things to do if I’m ever in the First Arrondissement, one of my favorite places to window shop is Place Vendôme. As one of the most famous places in the world to shop Haute Jewelry Collections from some of the most iconic maisons, Place Vendôme is where the one percent of the world’s richest clients buy the crème de la crème of fine jewelry. Starting from the North end with Boucheron and finishing off at Louis Vuitton and Chopard, each store window features colorful and sparkly eye-candy made by only the finest jewelers in the world. Surrounded by tourists, low-profile high net worth individuals, and locals on a smoke break, the plaza is a fascinating place to people watch. Mesmerized by the juicy colored gemstones and magical window displays, I can spend the afternoon daydreaming about a life of refined luxury. Where the most beautiful things in life are only a small grasp away.

Pictures do not do these pieces justice.

The latest Louis Vuitton storefront display literally mirrors the current exclusive collection by Yayoi Kusama, an iconic Japanese artist. A diverse array of bubble-like mirrors floating across the newly designed Parisian flagship by Peter Marino invites imagination and curiosity. Engaging and clever, the bubble mirrors invite pedestrians and tourists alike to see the world from a new perspective.

As always, thank you so much for reading. À la prochaine!

xx

Kiana