Fade to grey

C'est toujours gris? Non, non, pas du tout. Well, okay, today was gray and snowy, but the city still has colours to boast.

Early morning walks,


Patagonia in the Jardin des Plantes,


Everything in the Pompidou Centre,


and plenty of carousels.


Anywhoo, today I braved the snow to hunt down a New Years Eve outfit. I went to my usual vintage cavern, my favorite little neighborhood haunt and stumbled upon some cool belts and a few old dresses. I bought some cheap, bright dresses to pair with my black patent Doc Martens. I'm going to hem the dresses to be short and silly, then pair them with chunky scarves, wooly hats, and layered tights. My camera's dead, so pics aren't available yet.

Maybe tomorrow... and I've got a new haircut. Frange (bangs)!! So yes, pics of that also.

Rare exquisite miniatures

Little Texan baby boys. We shared des bons moments.



Wes was taking advantage of fresh, silvery metro poles.


This little one was a trooper at Le Baron, dancing to the beats of Mein Disko until 5 a.m., hunting for high tops at Colette, and store-hopping in Le Marais.

I want to take you far...

Ten days and some tears later, my family has returned to le Texas. I'm not gonna' lie, today has been sort of a low one. Like I want to cry or throw up or hug my mom, one of those sort of aching/longing pains that makes you just want to lay down and wake up the next day. It's hard being the one who gets left.

Enough pouting, though, we had some good touristic moments, particularly among the towering trees of Versailles:

Blog atrophy

I'm dangerously close to it. New post soon, je vous jure. I've been entertaining the family for the past few days. Lots of new pics, some of my brothers using Paris Metro poles as strip-teasing/dancing devices. A must see.
Christmas kisses!

Change le beat.

Just a few months ago, I was here in Paris on vacation, wondering if I could really live here. And I guess I can, because I have these moments when I absolutely cannot believe that this is my city, moments when I'm just kind of blown away by how cool this place is and at how beautiful it can be. A few days ago, I was on the metro passing through Stalingrad, and as the train came out of the tunnel, there was sun streaming in one either side and white graffitied buildings surround the steel framework of the station. And I was listening to M83. It was a good moment.
Some other Paris moments...

Yesterday it was snowing, and then today...


Near work.




And best of all, as I was climbing out of the metro to go to do some work at the Hotel Crillon, this was waiting for me:

On a thousand islands in the sea

Last weekend = London = definitely not catching up on sleep.
East London = industrial and fabulous. Hipsters, vintage shopping, the Commercial Tavern, Plastic People, Doc Martens, red lips, street markets, graffiti... It was a great time, and I'm definitely going back more often. I spent my time wandering around, snapping pics, doing some vintage shopping as always, and hitting the dark streets of London!
p.s. Plastic People was a cool little club with a pitch black dance floor and blaring disco music. I loved it. Il faut que vous ailliez!
Gare du Nord, just before leaving - flickering lights on and the sun setting at 5...


London digs. First night.


Leaving my mark, comme d'habitude.


Street art.


Last night and leftovers from Saturday.

Shiver with me.

What can I say about this trip? It was nothing like I expected it to be. I fought leaving and missed my flight, which ended the trip on a not so high note - 4 hours of Sudoku and reading in Schonfield. I definitely have to go. This city is dynamite. It's modern and all at once retro (think 60's and 70's colored tile and steel), kitschy, full of light glass structures and Commie buildings, graffiti... It's under-habited which gives it an air of possiblity. There's so much open space, so many places to make new and to fill. It's a city that feels haunted and unfulfilled, and I felt unfulfilled in some sense by this trip. So I'll definitely be going back. I want more from Berlin, and I think that this city has more to offer. Maybe in the summer...


It was snowing. You can't catch the snow with a camera, unfortunately.


Morrissey nite in some random bar.


German Christmas decor?


U-Bahn textures


Potsdamer Platz. I had to write an essay on this place...


Regardez le kitsch.


Running late and not giving a damn. I didn't want to leave.

And please, people, teach me how to properly format my Flickr photos, I'm dyyyyyying.

Textures

Sorry that I've been a lazy blogger! I spent the first half of last week working a lot! I'm doing a little bit of work with a couture designer here, Jean Louis Faletta. Being in his atelier and playing dress-up kept me occupied and inspired. Then I spent Friday and Saturday wandering around Paris with Malin. I think that we walked about 6 hours each day, in the freezing cold, and now I'm sick. Bleh! Oh well, we explored the 9th, the 10th, the 11th, the 18th, the 19th, and the 20th.

We walked through tons of ethnic neighborhoods, and of course my little urban geographer mind was going crazy! I love the fact that Paris houses so many international communities, but it is also somewhat disturbing to discover that these communities don't seem to be well-integrated into French culture. I'm planning on reading up this and educating myself a bit more before I make any further commentaries. Expect an urban studies post soon!

For now, something lighter: pictures from my 12 hours of exploration.


Street art in Oberkampf

I discovered my all-time favorite street in Paris on Friday: Rue Sainte Marthe, near Republique. Check it out!






Some cool street art from the Republique/Oberkampf area:



Transport...



(Thanks so Alex for the fabulous 80's shades!)

Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

I am most recently inspired by Woody Allen films from the late 80's/early 90's. I watched "Hannah and Her Sisters" last night. It's a must see, and for a Woody Allen film, it has a surprisingly hopeful and somewhat cheesy ending. One of the sisters in the film, "Holly", has the cookiest, most fabulous '86 style - insane amounts of rhinestoned jewelry, mismatches clothes, oversized pieces, headscarves, hats... And then there's "Manhattan" of course, and Diane Keaton's killer blazers and Meryl Streep's flowy tops and long blonde hair.

"Dead Man" has also been a source of fashion inspiration:


Think California, the West, feathers, furs, vests, Native American touches (face paint!)... Ah, I loved this film. It's a must-see.

And then there are the stained-glass windows as seen in Paris that give me all kinds of ideas,

*at the Jardin des Plants.

*Christmas decorations are up at the Galeries Lafayette.

A little galery that I always pass of my route home. I just noticed the falling body today,

Anthems for a 19 year old girl

Today I stumbled upon some old things I'd written after returning from my first move to Barcelona. I hadn't read any of these things in so long, but upon reading them I experienced such intense nostalgia for that first move to Europe. I had never been overseas. I was shy and scared, then suddenly freakishly independent. I felt like my feet had wings, and I was always wandering, always exploring, wide-eyed and curious... Everything was new and I had no expectations,I admittedly expected to recapture those emotions through this second move to Europe. Don't get me wrong, I am loving this experience and my life in Paris, but things are very different. After reading my old stories/notes/thoughts from my first "life" in Barcelona, I sort of came to the conclusion that I have to let go of my expectations and go back to being clueless!

Ok, so I'm being brave and posting some excerpts of what I wrote back in the day. I may end up deleting them, as this is somewhat uncomfortable for me to do. Here goes... (oh and I'm throwing in some old pics from Spain):



I walked to your hotel.
It was hard for me not to run,
I felt like my feet were gliding over the ground.

You seemed so much smaller than I remembered you,
Your hair was darker, longer.
I cried, and you said you were tired.

I watched you unpack,
I lay on your bed and answered your questions.
You brought me things that I no longer liked.

You stroked my hair,
Made fun of my gloves,
Said you were tired.

We lost each other.
That was the loneliest I had felt in a long time.
You hugged me and it felt so cold.

I took you to all of my favorite places,
Told you everything I knew.
You told me things that I didn’t care to hear.

I slept in your bed,
But wanted to be in my own.
I wanted to be on my own.




I used to cry a lot. Not because I was sad, but because I was in some phase in which I felt everything really deeply and life seemed so intensely beautiful.
Anyway, a few months ago I was thinking that I could only feel so connected when I was away from everyone and everything that I know.
But I don’t believe that anymore, not completely at least.



It would all end soon, and I would be loved and I would be liked and then I would fade away. He would fade away, the city would fade away, his cigarette smoke would evaporate, the sensation of his hand on my hip would bristle then dissolve, and his whisper would vibrate in my ear then slip into my memory.




P.S. If anyone can tell me how to get Flickr to not CUT OFF THE RIGHT EDGES OF MY PHOTOS, I'd really appreciate it because it's driving me nuts! xo