Oui, oui, Paris!

Given away by the title of this post, I finally took my first trip to Paris a few weeks ago. Et quelle une surprise, mes amis! It was absolutely everything I ever dreamed it would be. Gorgeous buildings, gorgeous people, motor bikes everywhere, delicious smells, French conversations, cigarettes, cafés, cappuchino, great sense of style, class, relaxing energy, romance... oh mon deiu! I was so overwhelmed and embraced by the city that I hardly had any time to shop or keep on eye out for vintage stores, but I was lucky enough to be completely submerged in the culture and hang out with some Parisians who showed me some great spots (via motorbike!). This was probably one of the best weekends of my life, no words can explain my experience. Ergo... regardez les photos de mon voyage. Bon journée!

yess, I'm documenting my outfit, day 1! i packed smart for once (wasn't my hostel cool!? click here to book...)

the most delicious lunch

le Centre de Pompidou

the view from the escalators in le Centre de Pompidou

Café Cheri(e)... I recommend going here if you ever go to Paris!

http://www.spottedbylocals.com/paris/cafe-cherie/

le Sacre Coeur

my mode of transportation for the weekend

Jim Morrison's grave in the Pere Lachaise

Pere Lachaise

Oskar Schlemmer

1888 - 1943

Most people probably have never heard of this man, unless you're a German theater enthusiast or have an extensive knowledge about costume design. It is the latter which brought me to my discovery of him (although the extent of my costume design knowledge isn't as broad as I'd like it to one day be!) by way of research for a scenography assessment. Oskar Schlemmer was a German theater designer and key player in the Bauhas movement in the 1920's. The Bauhaus School (literally translating to "building house") is famous for it's influence in modern design - particularly architecture and interior design - as it focused on combining art and industry; it especially concentrated on the machine aesthetic, industrialization, and the simplification of visuals in design. It was quite experimental and futuristic, which the images below will illustrate. Schlemmer's work with the Bauhaus embodies and represents their ideas perfectly, especially with his creation called The Triadic Ballet which he is best known for. In this ballet, the costumes wear the dancers, the line of the clothes dictate the movement as they reconstruct the silhouette and form of a human body, and the design of each environment dictates the pattern of the dance. It is bizarre and interesting and brilliant to watch, and it wholly evokes the Bauhaus and Schlemmer's theories of design. He is a great and inspiring figure for me as he proves just how important the presence of a costume can be and how much it can fill a space. Hopefully by exploring the images below, you'll be able to understand the weight and the essence of his ideas and be inspired by their abstract nature.
*all photos from this post were found on the websites below or Google images

Bauhaus:

Schlemmer:

If you'd like to do some more digging...

http://www.thinkingform.com/2011/09/04/thinking-oskar-schlemmer-09-04-1888/
http://designhistory.org/Bauhaus3.html
http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=5219

Shopping: Amsterdam

In the midst of my (unfortuantely too short) time in Amsterdam I of course kept my eyes peeled for great places to expand my wardrobe. I only actually brought home a pair of 1980's orange enamel earrings (above) from Rumors Vintage - which I love! - but nonetheless I took note so I could share with all of you. The following are what I considered to be great spots, if only I had time to find more! Get shopping :)

Karin 38 S
Kloveniersburgwal 38-Sous
1012 CW Amsterdam

Cute hole in the wall (or, ground) vintage store near the Nieuwmarkt square run by the sweetest woman ever. She made us feel like we were stepping into her closet and was so welcoming and helpful. Unfortunately I didn't have much time to poke around in here, but the place was lined floor to ceiling, literally clothing hanging from the ceiling, with so many pieces. There was also a couple huge tables in the front filled with accessories like gloves, scarves, bags, etc.

By Tess
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 349
1012 RM Amsterdam

A sassy store that was just being put on it's feet when I poked my head in. The owner is a young girl (presumably Tess) who buys all of the store's stock herself. I loved it here because it really reflected Amsterdam's energy... she combines the city's omnipresent street art with feminine colors then puts a punk but not too punk twist on it. Lots of skulls, zippers, leopard print, printed T's and lots of PINK! She's open every day and I'm sure would love to build her clientelle so check it out!

Laura Dols
Wolvenstraat  7
1016 EM Amsterdam

I unfortunately didn't get to go inside this one as we walked past it at night, but I've been finding a lot of hits for it online so I'm assuming it's a safe bet. As I was drooling in the window, however, I saw lots of sequins, furs, cute jackets, pill-box hats, and lots of purses. It's also conveniently located quite close to the red light district so it's central, therefore easy to walk past and drag your friends into. Someone let me know how it is!

Perk: here's their website...  http://www.lauradols.nl/nl/vintage/galajurken/

Rumors Vintage
Haarlemmerstraat 99A
1013 EM Amsterdam

The lovely store where I bought my earrings (6 euro, there were tons more for the same price) and would have bought so many more things if I could! Shoes galore, amazing leather bags for only 15 euro, and tons of affordable vintage clothing. The girl at the counter told me that most of their stuff comes from cold stock from the 70's onward, so most of it has never been worn and is absolutely authentic vintage. The owners have great taste and apparently have other stores too (Marbles and Joosje), Rumors is actually their second shop and is fairly new for them. Highly recommended, I wish this place was local for me!

The End
Amsterdam City Centre

Unfortunately I messed up with this one and forgot to get a business card and of course can't find it online, but this shop was so great and so cheap! It's in the city centre so perhaps you may stumble upon it during your travels, and I hope you do because it's a find. All of those leather jackets hanging up outside the window were priced around 15 euro, and there was loads more stuff inside for under 10 euro. If anyone finds this, let me know so I can post the address and share the know.









Last but not least, there are TONS of markets in Amsterdam. In two days we stumbled upon 3 markets, all of which were completely different but fantastic. I didn't have the smarts to take note of where the ones were that I visited, but just walk around and you're sure to find a bunch. The ones we found had lots of great Dutch food, jewelry, leather goods, old records and photographs, imported goods, and so much more. Below are some pictures I took, to convince you to stop and take a look if you see any!

 Gelukkig winkelen!