Smartypants Goes to France

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More Photos - Paris 2010

March 29, 2011

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Kiki de Montparnasse

The liberated Kiki was a French artists' model, and a sometime nightclub singer, actress and painter. Mainly, she was a party-girl who was found in the right place at the right time. Kiki was born Alice Prin in 1901. Her chosen name was simply Kiki, but was also referred to as Kiki de Montparnasse. Kiki helped shape the social scene of 1920s Paris. Known by everyone in the circle of artists and writers that flourished in Montparnasse in the '20s, she was the muse and lover of several artists including Man Ray and posed for dozens of other artists. I have a couple of books about her including her memoirs, but notably Kiki, Artists and Lovers, 1900-1930 by Billy Kluver and Julie Martin. It's one of my Desert Island Books. I've saved this picture (below) for a couple of years. It's from The Style Scout ; a street fashion blog out of London. I thought the young subject did an admirable job of recreating Kiki's look, whether intentional or not. (I think she

Alice B. Toklas Moves In

I never liked Gertrude Stein. I think her poems are wretched and that she was a domineering, manipulating person. I don’t know what Alice B. Toklas saw in her (maybe it was her Tender Buttons ) but over a 100 years ago, in September of 1910, Alice B. Toklas became the lifetime house mate of Stein. Gertrude who had been sharing a house with her brother Leo for many years, met Toklas in 1907. Leo and Gertrude were the children of a railroad executive who made prudent investments in San Francisco’s cable car lines, therefore making his offspring wealthy and able to travel and live without really working. Alice would later write that when she met Gertrude Stein: "She was a golden brown presence, burned by the Tuscan sun and with a golden glint in her warm brown hair." I’d like to know who her optometrist was. Alice was a chain smoker with a slight moustache. She had a penchant for great hats and cool earrings. Every morning for an hour she manicured, buffed and painted her

Pylones

Pylones is a really cool and colourful store. I think they've gone world-wide but I think of them as being quintessentially French-Modern. Pylones Sugar Shaker Think of any drab household item and imagine it going through a Willy-Wonka machine and you've got what Pylones is all about. A toaster with poppies; A handbag that looks like a flower pot; a pizza cutter that's a soccer player. Pylones Handbag Pylones Umbrella Pylones Laptop Sleeve Despite the whimsy, Pylones products are well-made. If only they were edible. I found Pylones at 98 rue du Bac. They are closed on Sundays and holidays. Check them out. À Bientôt

Giverny

Giverny : Jzee-VAIR-nie (click here for pronunciation ) This was the day I went to Monet's home in the countryside, Giverny. Picking me up from my hotel lobby was Said, a driver with Paris Vision who he had come into work on his day off. He looked exactly like Cuba Gooding Jr. with a limp. Driving through Paris, which is something I'd never done before, we picked up one family from Australia and a couple from Brazil. After circling the Arche de Triomphe we took a 4 km tunnel under Neuilly and La Defense. Then in the countryside, to avoid the Forêt de Marly, a forest which was once the hunting estate of the French Kings staying at Versailles, we dropped into another tunnel. After an hour Said asked if we could take the scenic route rather than follow the usual route through Vernon. So we entered Giverny by first driving through tiny winding limestone villages with names like Bonnieres-sur-Seine, Bennecourt and Limetz-Villez. Giverny was small. I had heard that, but

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