Showing posts with label un apres midi du chien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label un apres midi du chien. Show all posts

06 February 2008

dog day afternoon


once upon a time, a long, long time ago, a young husband and wife realized that they needed a break from windex, mini-vans, and groceries ... they needed to inject some glamour into their otherwise hum-drum lives.

they decided the only proper thing to do was to go to paris ... air france, their only carrier, hotel d'aubusson their only bolthole, and jacques cagna their preferred choice for dining. they dusted off their most elegant finery, packed it gingerly in their carry-on bags, and arranged for the kids to be taken care of.

for 72 hours, this fine young couple indulged in all of the pleasures that life had to offer - time together, sleeping late, walking along the seine, afternoon coffees, some champagne upon returning to the room, and languishing in the freedom of it all.

one of the things that they rediscovered was that it became possible to remake their image according to their own fantasy. paris had given them that back, and what a gift it was. it also yielded another creature comfort - a handbag for madame from the designs of un apres midi de chien. the couple debated back and forth, the woman decrying the price, the man insisting that it was worth every penny for the sense of elegance it would bestow on her, and they laid down their well-worn credit card.

a shiny, burnished, black leather sac with structure, style, and little chromed 'feet' ... lovely.

the bag was bagged, in an striking felt satchel with the designer's name drifting across ... and the young lady, who would otherwise be at work or bathing the children, gleefully strode out of the shop, purchase in hand, already feeling like another, more interesting person.

and so continued the great love affair.

un apres midi de chien
32 rue etienne marcel 75002
+33 1 4039 0007

04 February 2008

les soldes

how i have missed that bi-annual season of les soldes!


there is a true anticipatory excitement in the air, as one prepares for the government-sanctioned sales which take place (incredibly - only) twice each year. preceding this period, parisians have been known to scout locations, try on different sizes, reflect on colors, think about patterns - all in the hope of getting ready for the monumental sales which are only permitted during the soldes period.

for many years, we have been happy to have an annual paris-pilgrimage in mid-january, returning daily to the hotel with a jumble of crisp bags - comme ca des halles (now defunct), un apres midi du chien, le bon marché - and plopping down on the bed from the sheer exhaustion of it all! not only the delight of new and wonderful things harvested, at great prices, but enjoying the indulgent experience of just having the time and energy to do this!

but this year, for les americains, it is not so simple. the decline of our country, thanks to the prowess of our current, and mercifully outbound administration, has resulted in the loss of our purchasing power abroad (not to mention our good name!). long gone are the days of the 80 cent euro - now at close to double that, the prospect of buying things in europe seems like a poor value, even during the days of les soldes. besides, wouldn't one really rather spend those bucks on delightful tartes and meringues?

we'll be back, fear not, to join parisians from all walks of life in this adventure - that is, if we can still fit into anything after all of those obligatory pastries!