From Paris to Cannes

Paris is one of my favorite places when it comes to style, fashion and shopping. This time around, it was an unexpected opportunity to visit the French capital that sprung up all of a sudden, giving the entire team very little time to research and plan the shoot. The beauty with Paris is that despite the time constraint and limited research, when it comes to Fashion, there is just no dearth of stories to file! I think it is because Paris inspires creativity and innovation, in most people and not just the big design houses. I got to see a lot of that creative spirit in some of the PROMINENT stores in the city. Here are my top 4 picks.

1. 85 Avenue Daumesnil 75012 Paris is the place for umbrellas for all seasons. Some protect you from the rain and some from the sun and some from both! Whatever the use, these umbrellas are high on style quotient! At this store, I happened to bump into a former costume designer Michel Heurtault who spent many years making corsets and now makes these beautiful umbrellas. He has also created a line for HERMES.

2. Francis Kurkdjian is the creator of Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male. His store on 5, Rue d’Alger is a small shop packed with great fragrances for men and women. His collection, though not available in India, draws heavily from materials sourced from India - the most popular being Sandalwood and Tuberose. I also learnt a trick, if you want to sound like a layman you call it smells or scents in a fragrance. If you want to sound like you know it all, call it “notes” like a perfumer would!

3. A must visit, atleast on my list when in Paris, is the multi-brand fashion and home store – Merci, on 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais. I picked up some nice stationery here! But there’s more to Merci, like the jewellery that I primarily focused on. Hairclips with a little birds, fairy like hairbands, and some distinctly French fashion. Stop by here for a one of a kind piece.

4. If you have deep pockets...and you have a well-intended and honest quest for fashion, then one of the Leclaireur stores is where you need to be! I found myself at Le Royal Eclaireur on Avenue Montaigne, where the staff was efficient and helpful...you will definitely leave the store more endowed, fashionably!

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From the whirlwind Paris schedule, I landed up in the French Riviera of Cannes, right in the middle of the annual film festival. Cannes is pronounced as “can”, like “I can cook!”. The place is stunning and the food is much cheaper than in Paris. If you are flying into Cannes, you can either take a chopper or take a plane to Nice. Then from Nice you can take a cab to Cannes. Enroute my cabbie told me that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt own a sweet piece of real estate in Nice. Not only that! Angelina, apparently, delivered one of her kids at a hospital in Nice!!! Nice I say! No fancy real estate for us, we found ourselves a sweet and reasonable hotel in Cannes called Colette.

The Cannes Film Festival happens in an area that's juxtaposed next to the water. If you ask me it seemed like the entire film festival had one aim to push the sales of the luxury brands that are situated brilliantly across the road of the film fest! What do you do in Cannes while taking a break from watching movies - you go shop at Chanel or Balenciaga or Gucci or LV!

The highlight of my Cannes trip, apart from shopping, was meeting model-turned actor Arjun Rampal at the film festival. He looked as gorgeous as ever. I used the opportunity to ask him about his secret. Apparently, he eats no sugar and while shooting away from home, he cooks his own food. He carries his gym and trainer with him, wherever he goes.

Apart from these tips from Arjun Rampal, here are some of my other takeaways from this brief French outing:

1. French fashion is about mixing the old with the new, your grandma's old dress with a new pair of shoes.

2. French style is about being understated. You might buy an expensive and luxurious bag, but the label would be hidden in a corner, only for those with a discerning eye.

3. You stay fit by being constantly active. Apparently, the French do look down upon working out. They prefer more organic exercises, like a sport, yoga, pilates or marshal arts.

4. French love their cheese and still look skinny. It is all about portion control and using healthy ingredients. Did you know that the French crepes are made with buckwheat?!

Coming Soon: Global Trends in Your Wardrobe in the all new season of I’m Too Sexy Get The Look starting 29th July, 8:30 pm.