paris postcard: wish list

love isabel marant....

isabel marant

1 rue jacob, 75006 paris, france

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© anita aguilar

paris postcard: true love

@ pa design

2 bis, rue fléchier

75009 paris

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© anita aguilar

paris postcard: "merci"

i hadn't planned to make the trip to paris a shopping trip, but there were definitely several stores on my hit list, a few in the marais. as my luck would have it, my friend matt was living in that neighborhood and he kindly spent a couple of days guiding me through the rues...

at the very top of my list was merci, a concept store that opened in 2009, and named by one of my long-time style icons, ines de la fressange, as one of her favorites. in the 1980s, ms. de la fressange was most famously known as the first model to sign an exclusive contract with chanel. but i have loved her for her non-chanel style: with her short brown hair, slim cut trousers and blazers, sweaters and tees and great shoes, her look was always smart, chic, and unfussy. parisian. she never really left the style pages, but she's enjoying a burst of recent fame with the publication of a parisian style book, a spread in "the selby," and recent catwalk turns for karl lagerfeld and jean-paul gaultier. anyway, i figured if she loved merci, i would too.

and i did--from the minute i entered the courtyard and saw the little red fiat.


merci is a "lofty" space, with abundant natural light to glorify everything inside. flowers greet you on the first floor, and there are different boutiques, upstairs and down. as a concept store, they sell clothing and accessories for men, women and children, and have sections devoted to seemingly every room in your home, as well as the garden, if you have one. it's the one-stop shopping of the highest order--everything is beautiful, a mix of vintage and new, a blend of easy and elegant. even the coffee bar is swank.

i spent most of my time in the gal's apparel section, where the lust factor is high--i ogled slip dresses and buttery leather coats, all manner of garments with interesting lines or special adornments--zippers, ruffles, and beads, some more subtle than others. my budget and i did little more than browse this time 'round, but the terrific thing about merci is that once the store breaks even, the proceeds are distributed to women's and children's charities in madagascar. those with a little extra spending room can feel feel doubly good about the experience.

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merci's bookstore carries mostly secondhand volumes...this was my second favorite section...would have been first, maybe, if i could read french?

a few extra photos here, if you're interested:

window dressing: new york dolls

everybody watching, walking

the gesture of her hand...

14th street, nyc. sept 4, 2010

photos © anita aguilar

photo(shop) shots: anthropologie

i don't shop for clothes at anthropologie (not really) but i enjoy an occasional walk-through, the mise en scene (mise en shoppe?): a jangle of color and pattern, varied light, inventive materials, "charm" in every nook. never thought to take photos until yesterday, but i was in the mood to play with color...these are for my sister.

"your" favorite blue toolbox

silver radiator chair, and the lacey spiderweb

paper posies

anthropologie at chelsea market. sept 4, 2010.

photos @ anita aguilar

hell's kitchen, part 3: by george!

george is my favorite of the vintage vendors at the hk flea. his collection of cameras, vintage bottles, sewing and millinery gadgets is remarkable. fun to browse.

i believe this (above)is a kodak vigilant six-20 medium format camera, with f/8.8 100mm and a diomatic shutter, manufactured between 1939-1949. i love the shape of this folding camera, especially the kodak "stand" at the base. it required 620 mm film (which was discontinued in 1955). i didn't ask if this was in working condition--if so, one could head to the darkroom and re-spool 120mm film onto the 620mms.

i think this is an argus A4, 44mm f3.5. produced between 1953-56.

i like the look of it, super basic, with the oversized and obvious "wind" and "rewind" buttons.

i'm not a collector, so argus is a new name to me. but argus was a michigan-based company that produced its first camera in 1936--the "model a." the model a was the first affordable, easy to use 35mm camera-- it's massive success likely inspired kodak to switch its 126 mm film to the now-standard 35mm. the argus model 3c, manufactured in 1939, was the best-selling 35mm camera for nearly thirty years.

a vintage coffee grinder! with vintage beans (hmm. neat, but not so fresh)

an eyelet maker (left) and vintage bottles with original labels...

george has a serious theatre connection - a lot of his millinery and wigmaking "models" were used by designers for real broadway performers and rockettes.

ok, this is sort of neat (i think): ansco, an acronym for the anthony & scoville co, was a binghamton, ny-based photographic company founded in 1842 (pre-kodak). in 1928, it merged with the german company, agfa, and as agfa-ansco, produced inexpensive cameras and sold "re-badged" versions of other companies' cameras. in 1941 the company was taken over by the us government as an "enemy asset" because of its affiliation with germany. after the war, the company dropped agfa, and operated as ansco, until 1967, when it became the very catchy general aniline & film, or gaf.

i am pretty sure this camera is the agra/ansco readyset special, from 1941.

now that is a great name.

hell's kitchen flea, part 2: the stuff

jerry sells hundreds of stamps...



anthony, from "the store with no walls," has a huge stock of garments, shoes, and bags. none of which i am in the market for. but there's good merch, and it's well-organized.

hell's kitchen flea, part 1: hey ladies

i haven't bought or dressed vintage in about 10 years, but was drawn to the hell's kitchen flea market out of curiosity (i.e. photo ops) and proximity. it was good summer day to stay in the city--a warm, but not burning sun, no humidity, a bit of breeze. spirits were sure to be lifted and, in any case, it would be an easy walk across town.

the hk flea is markedly different from the bk flea (where the delicious foodstuff is the point, for me) in that it is 90%, if not 95%,vintage, and reasonably priced. (i didn't think it was possible to find quality vintage at proper cost in this town any more? rumor is the legendary antiques garage in chelsea will be closing soon, and the vendors moving to hk. the garage always tested my patience--poorly lit, cramped and a bit dirty-- too hardcore vintage for me ). and it looks like a food truck is on the way (you knew it, right?). will be interesting to see how much the vibe at the hk flea changes, as it grows.

BUT there is a wonderful showroom, on the north side of west 39th, between 9th and 10th where small designers sell new and pretty things...

i met anna, a charming designer from northern spain who sells the lolos lolas lolitos line of shoes, bags, and tshirts at the market every weekend.

i am a bottoms up girl--i see shoes first and best. anna was offering cute thong sandals for $40, espadrilles for $50--if memory serves, bright summer colors (pinks and primaries), bold stripes, lace prints, tie-ups...i was distracted by these: wedges, with a buckle. see the stitching? handmade. love it. and the fabric--a silvery, but not flashy, metallic. cotton/canvas/comfortable.

i also had a wonderful time chatting with sally tseng, a designer whose line of well-tailored, sleek, and feminine pieces has been a hit with the young hollywood set.

she gently talked me through my issues with silk and short skirts (i generally avoid both) and got me to try on this simple, elegant racer-back number. within a minute--and for a song-- i'd doubled my summer dress collection. (now i just need somewhere to go? but no rush, i guess--this one is classic, perfect for summer, or layering in the spring or fall.)

she's working on her next collection, but in the meantime, find her--and anna-- at the flea. you will be happy you did...

all photos © anita aguilar

r by 45 rpm

sister took me to r by 45 rpm, in soho...

my favorite items were made of super soft, lightweight denim and tees and scarves created using their shibori tie-dye technique.

there isn't a single item in there that i can afford, but it was still good looking.

photos © anita aguilar

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their catalog may make you want to steal away to an island paradise (or the beach for a weekend), especially on this grey and soon-to-be-rainy new york city day....