Paris in the Spring

Uniqlo coat (similar)
Le Chateau sweater (c/o) (similar)
Realisation Par… skirt
Minelli boots (similar)
APC handbag
Zara sunglasses (similar)
Elizabeth Lyn Jewelry necklace (similar)
& Other Stories necklace
Gisel B ring (c/o)
Urban Outfitters earrings (similar)
Location: Musee du Louvre – Paris, France

Dear friends,

Paris in the spring. We’ve all heard the phrase, and the happy sigh that inevitably follows. I will gladly admit that the week that the cherry blossoms bloom in the French capital is nothing short of breathtaking. (And we have the photos to prove it.) But for the most part, Paris in the spring looks like it does in these photos; grey and wet.

I hate the rain. Beyond financial considerations, rain is the biggest reason we decided to leave Vancouver. Grey skies and damp day after day left me exhausted and world-weary in a week, never mind a whole season. And as much as I love Paris, the city cannot convince me to feel anything but defeated when grey skies roll in. But the true Parisian spring, the one that is chilly and often requires an umbrella, is pretty in its own way. I can admit that much. The soft pastel palette of beige and grey looks like a watercolour come to life, and I love the way those delicate neutral hues softly illuminate photos; the light of the sun on a day of blue skies looks relatively harsh by comparison.

So I guess Paris in the spring isn’t so bad… it just might not be what you would expect after spending a lifetime hearing about how nowhere in the world is more beautiful as winter fades away.

We are on our way to a photoshoot for a designer friend when we stop at the Louvre to quickly snap these photos. It is our second last full day in the city and, despite the miserable weather, we don’t want to waste a single precious moment. We know little about the shoot aside from when and where we are supposed to arrive. The fact that we think to stop to capture my outfit ahead of time turns out to be a stroke of genius – the shoot, perhaps predictably, is hours behind schedule, and we spend much of the rainy mid-afternoon in barely liveable Parisian apartment/photo studio, playing with the photographer’s dog. It isn’t a waste of time, per se, because Pepito is adorable. But we would certainly have done more with the four hours of our day if we were on our own.

After the shoot, we dash out in search of lunch. Our plan to inhale roasted cauliflower pitas at Miznon is thwarted – the restaurant is so packed at three in the afternoon that we can’t open the door. We dash across the street to the much fancier, but also much quieter, Rodchenko and are, admittedly, not at all disappointed by our food. But that might at least partly be because we are starving.

Sensing that, as always, time is slipping away too quickly, I decide impulsively to stop in at a nearby depot vente, or luxury consignment store, after we eat. A friend gave me a tip about finding Chanel bags at affordable prices here, but my expectations are low. It’s just that we’re running out of time, and in Paris in the spring, indoor activities are necessary. (Unless you like being wet, I mean.) My secondhand shopping skills are improving with practise, but it’s still rare that I find anything to take home from a vintage store. Imagine my surprise, then, when I walk into a paradise of secondhand Chanel. On this idle Thursday, the store has no less than ten Chanel bags in stock – one of which, remarkably, is a simple black. I hesitate for less than a minute before making my purchase.

Paris in the spring may not be all softly sunny skies and pretty blooms. In fact, it rarely is. But it certainly does have its moments. New-to-me Chanel bag in hand, I make my way out into the rain to meet Ian. Together, we have another big Parisian decision to tackle: where to eat dinner.