Many of you know I am a shoe freak (now a sneaker freak because I wear sneakers most of the time) and have a long history of shoe events in my life. In case you didn’t know, my family had a chain of ladies shoe shops in lower Manhattan in the mid-70s that I worked at after school and in the late 70s and early 80s I worked at the Delman Shoe Salon on the main floor of Bergdorf Goodman for five years.
To this day I am still attracted to beautiful women’s shoes and frequently browse shoe shops for fun. I was recently walking on a quiet side street in the Marais and stumbled upon Zoe Lee, a new shoe shop. What attracted my eye straight away from the window were a fabulous pair of flat riding boots in supple black leather alternating with royal blue suede with a brass zipper crisscrossing the boot in an interesting pattern. I entered the shop and spotted many other stylish shoes and boots. I especially liked the unusual texture of the leather and suede on many of them.
Intrigued by my new shoe find, I spoke with the owner and designer Zoe Lee. She designs all the shoes herself and they are made in a factory near Venice. Of course we exchanged stories about shoe biz and our personal shoe stories. I mentioned that when I worked in Bergdorf’s, the hottest French shoe designers were Charles Jourdan and Maud Frizon with her revolutionary cone shaped heels.
Zoe graduated from the prestigious the Central St Martins School and The Royal College of Art in London and was mentored by Manolo Blahnik, shoe royalty, and then worked for Vivienne Westwood, fashion royalty. Lucky girl! She struck out on her own in 2012 with her first collection of women’s luxury shoes. She opened her shop in the Marais last fall. Her shoes are also sold at Anthropologie in New York.
I wish Zoe lots of luck with her original and beautiful shoes. If you visit her now, the fall and winter collection is on sale.
Zoe Lee
19 rue du Parc Royal, 75003
Metro: St. Paul
http://www.zoelee.co.uk/home/
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
New Eye Prefer Paris Photos Available
I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos. I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.
Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.
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