Paris Scene: What to Do In Between Couture Shows
In real life shows are back for couture, but for those with some time to spare, here’s a taste of what’s new to see in the City of Light.
A bite of summer
In honor of the upcoming couture week, The Peninsula Paris hotel has teamed up with Gucci for an afternoon tea of bite-sized morsels, including wild strawberry pastries, sugared scones and a savory French toast with summer truffle. A trio of cocktails with names like 1921, Beloved or Blind for Love is also on the menu.
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True to the welcoming temperament of late founder Azzedine Alaïa, the maison he founded has partnered with the Da Rosa delicatessen to open Café Alaïa in the leafy inner courtyard of its Rue de Marignan boutique. Expect pan-Mediterranean influences nodding to the legendary dinners Alaïa served to his nearest and dearest in his own kitchen.
Imagine Baanbeck as a Thai island landing smack in the center of Paris. This eatery nestled on the banks of the Seine, just a stone’s throw away from the IFM’s campus, is the work of former luxury and lifestyle PR Varasy Veopraseuth, who infuses his roots in the Isan region that straddles the border of Thailand and Laos into every aspect, from the menu to the artisanal tableware. — Lily Templeton
The Lobby at The Peninsula Paris
19 Avenue Kléber, 75116
Open Monday to Saturday, 3 to 6 p.m. until July 11
Café Alaïa
5 Rue de Marignan, 75008
Open Monday to Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.
Baanbeck
2 Quai Henri IV, 75004
Open Tuesday to Saturday, for lunch and dinner
Rest easy
A boudoir imagined by designer Philippe Starck in an Art Deco building, 9Confidentiel is a new address to know for anyone who wants a chic home away from home in Paris. From in-room beauty treatments to the possibility of endless complementary soft drinks in the lobby for those quick work meetings, this 29-room hotel just hits the spot. — L.T.
Hotel 9Confidentiel
58 Rue du Roi de Sicile, 75004
Essential accessories
For the first solo outpost of her eponymous brand Cahu, stylist and art director Clémence Cahu chose a canal-adjacent corner in the trendy 10th arrondissement. A bright white interior offsets the brand’s rainbow range of Instagram friendly PVC shoppers, including a collaboration with Dakar-based contemporary label Koko, displayed on glass tables or stacked ceiling-high on shelves.
Lemaire has taken over a former medical office next to its Paris headquarters on Place des Vosges and transformed it into an elegant atelier devoted to accessories. Minimal decor from Francesca Torzo in soothing monochrome shades of cream and white offsets designs like the signature Croissant bag, shaped — you guessed it — like France’s favorite pastry. The store’s accessories-as-art aesthetic fits in perfectly with the surrounding galleries.
“Actualité,” the second chapter of Ukrainian fashion culture showcase Tripolar, will pop up just in time for couture, with Charlotte Chesnais as godmother and the support of the Isabel Marant Foundation. Spearheaded by Vogue Ukraine’s fashion director Vena Brykalin and independent creative director Sofiya Kvasha, the project aims to shine a spotlight on the country’s rich contemporary creative soul and pave the way for “afterward,” in the broadest sense. — Rhonda Richford and L.T.
Cahu
38 Rue Lucien Sampaix, 75010
Lemaire
11 Place des Vosges, 75004
Tripolar Pop-Up, to July 6
169 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006
White-glove treatment
For those after a pampering pause, Dior’s Cheval Blanc Paris spa has taken to the Seine River, on a luxurious boat. The two-hour cruise offers 60-minute face or body treatments to five passengers at a time in its four suites.
Prices range from 670 euros for the body massage to 750 euros for the face treatment and 1,500 euros for face or body care treatments for two people simultaneously. A Pilates session comes in at 150 euros.
The boat takes off from the Port Debilly, which faces the Eiffel Tower. — Jennifer Weil
Cheval Blanc Paris spa boat, through July 13
For reservations, contact: diorspacruise@diormail.com or +33 6 76 28 31 31
Art scene
Presented at the Al-Thani Collection in the Musée de la Marine, “Gulbenkian Revealed: In the Collector’s Private Realm” dives into the fascination of British Armenian businessman and philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian for craftsmanship, provenance and rarity through objects meant to be handled. A series of paintings and textiles complete this dive into the hands of a collector. — L.T.
“Gulbenkian Revealed: In the Collector’s Private Realm,” to Oct. 2
The Al–Thani Collection in the Hôtel de la Marine
2 Place de la Concorde, 75001
Launch Gallery: The Paris Scene for Couture Week
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