I Prefer Paris

Children’s Drawings of Notre Dame

 I want to thank everyone for watching my live Rue de Martyrs Food tour last week and also for your generous tips to my PayPal account. I'm sorry I couldn't thank all of you individually, but know I really appreciate it. CLICK HERE to watch the video and CLICK HERE if you would like to leave a tip in my PayPal account (you don’t have to have a PayPal account), which I would greatly appreciate, as I do these tours free of charge for France.fr  Enjoy! 

I was in front of Notre Dame last week doing research for a future tour. There’s been a temporary wall installed in front and on the sides of the cathedral while during the reconstruction from the 2019 fire. 

On the parvis in front, is an exhibition of drawings of Notre Dame. Six months after the fire, the archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Michel Aupetit, started a campaign requesting grade school children from France and around the world, aged from four to sixteen years old to “Draw me Notre-Dame: The cathedral you know or the cathedral you imagine. 

There were close to 6000 drawings submitted from all over France and countries such as Poland, the U.S., Germany, and Germany. 

Worth, The Birth of Haute Couture

British born Charles Frederick Worth was the first, Parisian couturier. He opened his atelier at 7 rue de la Paix, and in the following decades, the house of Worth, was the king of fashion. Royalty, aristocracy, celebrities, and international women of style would patiently wait months for Worth to create their dresses for balls, dances, society events, and coming out parties, even though the house had 1200 employees at one time. The Worth dynasty lasted four generations with his sons successfully running the business after their father’s death in 1895.

The new, in-depth exhibition, Worth, The Birth of Haute Couture, has over 400 items including 80 dresses and gowns, paintings of women dressed in Worth gowns, accessories, and objects.

Until September 7, 2025

Petit Palais

https://www.petitpalais.paris.fr/expositions/worth-0

Please check out my new jewelry designs at https://www.auradeparisjewelry.com/

Snoopy Style- The Story of Peanuts in Fashion

If you are in Paris between now and April 5, drop everything you are doing and go to the Snoopy Style- The Story of Peanuts in Fashion pop-up exhibit.

I may be biased, as I am a huge Snoopy fan (my apartment is filled with Snoopy items including vintage figures, tons of T-shirts, a mug, a bowl, and finally, a Baccarat crystal Snoopy) but this a delightful and informative show about the impact the Peanuts gang has made on fashion and popular culture since Charles Schulz invented them in 1950.

The first floor of the exhibition tracks Charles Schulz’s personal appreciation of fashion with photos and clothing Schulz wore. Schulz frequently traveled to Europe and in the 1970s was inspired by Parisian and European style.

The highlight of the show on the lower level is the collection of Snoopy and Belle dolls dressed by over 50 top designers such as Donna Karan, Versace, Dries Van Noten, Bob Mackie, Emmanuel Ungaro, Bill Blass, Christian Siriano, Oscar de la Renta, and Anna Sui. Designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac was an early adopter of the Peanuts gang, putting their images in his clothes and accessories in the 1970s and 80s. Another room on the lower level has T-shirts, sweatshirts, posters (Snoopy for president!), and books, again illustrating the cultural impact of the cartoon characters made.

Best of all is the Peanuts shop on the main floor with so many cool things, I had to leave quickly, otherwise I would have bought out the store.  The cherry on the Snoopy cake is the fabulous silver mylar tote bag you get when you make a purchase.

Snoopy Style- The Story of Peanuts in Fashion

Until April 5, 2025

60 rue de Turenne, 75003

Admission is free

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

Art is in the Streets at the d’Orsay

Poster art in Paris thrived in during the Haussmannian period, the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was one of the first forms of mass and commercial advertising for products and the posters were also used to promote politics and social causes. The new exhibition at the d’Orsay is an exhilarating celebration awash in vivid colors and wonderful artwork of the posters of the period.

Bonnard, Chéret, Grasset, Mucha, Steinlen, Toulouse-Lautrec were among the most prolific and influential artists who designed the posters. The expansive show has close to 230 works which also includes paintings, photos, costumes, sculptures, and objects.

 

Until July 6, 2025

D’Orsay Museum

https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/whats-on/exhibitions/art-street

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

Azzedine Alaia/Thierry Mugler- 1980-1990 Exhibition

Thierry Mugler and Azzedine Alaia, friends and sometimes collaborators, shaped the fashion world of the 1980s and early 1990s, with their daring and form fitting clothes, accenting the shoulders with their enormous shoulder pads that became synonymous with the period.

Mugler, who was already established, asked Alaia to design a line of tuxedos for his fall/winter 1979 collection.  Happy with the results, Mugler encouraged Alaia to design his own line, and helped him set up his business. In 1982, Alaia was invited to by Bergdorf Goodman in New York, for his first runway show. Mugler and Alaia remained friends over the decades and influenced each other.

The new show at Azzedine Alaia Gallery, Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler1980-1990- Two Decades of Artistic Affinities, exhibits the the best of the of both designers’ collections, side by side. It was fun trying to guess which was which, as their styles were so similar.

Make sure to visit the upstairs gallery, which features a video clip from the 1982 Alaia show at Bergdorf Goodman.

Until June 29, 2025

18 Rue de la Verrerie 75004

https://fondationazzedinealaia.org/en/expositions/30826/

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

Suzanne Valadon at Centre Pompidou

Suzanne Valadon was one of the few, recognized female artists from the late 1800sand early 1900s, and the first female artist admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Her colorful life started as a child of a single mother, living in Montmartre, and taking various jobs to survive, such as working at a hatmaker’s atelier, a factory making funeral wreaths, selling vegetables, and as a waitress. At age 15, she worked as a circus acrobat but broke her back during a fall. After her recovery, she became a model for artists of the time, Toulouse Lautrec, Berthe Morisot, and Jean-Jacques Henner. Having self-taught herself to draw at age nine, during her modeling time, Valadon studied and observed the painting styles of the artists she posed for, to further her own work.  Valadon was friends with Degas, who was impressed with her work.

One of the last, major shows at the Centre Pompidou, before closing in September of 2025, is a large-scale retrospective of Valadon’s work. Over 200 works follow her long career, with nudes, portraits, drawings, and landscapes. I went to see the show last week and I was smitten with Valadon’s strong use of color, form, texture, and her brilliant portraits of family, friends, and other artists.

Until May 26, 2025

Centre Pompidou

https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/5moMjyy

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

Picasso: Art in Movement at Atelier des Lumières

The newest exhibition at Atelier des Lumières, Picasso: Art in Movement, is one of the best they have ever presented. It’s an in depth, visual celebration of Picasso, covering his massive and prodigious output for over 70 years. From Spain France, it goes through every phase of Picasso including his early portrait work when he lived in Montmartre in the early 1900s, Cubism, Blue period, Pink period, and Surrealism. It also features his ceramics, sculptures, and theater sets. The rousing and eclectic soundtrack seamlessly goes from Dave Brubeck to Cream to Carmen to Carmen Suite 1 by Bizet.

The second show at Atelier des Lumières, is Rousseau- A World of Dreams, an exploration of the fantasy plant and jungle world of the artist Henri Rousseau.

Until June 29, 2025

38 rue Saint Maur, 75011

https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/en/picasso

 

Rousseau

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

Louvre Couture – Part 2

As I mentioned in my post from Thursday about the Louvre Couture exhibition, I am posting the remainder of the photos.

 

CLICK HERE to read the blog from Thursday if you missed it.

 

Louvre Couture

Until July 25, 2025

https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/louvre-couture

 

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

Louvre Couture – Part 1

The fashion world has been abuzz since the first ever fashion exhibition at the Louvre premiered during haute couture week at the end of January.

Louvre Couture- Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces, is a stunning and sprawling fashion extravaganza featuring over 100 fashion designs from 1961 to the present day. The genius part of the show is the curation; many of the outfits are perfectly matched with the exquisite backdrops of the rooms of the Louvre in the Richelieu wing with 18^th and 19^th century period furniture, tapestries, objets, rugs, draperies, and paintings.

Designers include Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Dior and Christian Dior, American Thom Browne (a pleasant surprise), Iris Van Herpen, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Thierry Mugler, Vivienne Westwood, Azzedine Alaia, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Schiaparelli, and John Galliano.

A fascinating video shows how the exhibit was organized, and the care and special handling of the garments.  

I have only one criticism of the show: It’s poorly organized, and there is hardly any signage letting you where the exhibition is. You can download a map of the exhibit on their site or get a paper one at the museum.  Make sure you head to the Richelieu Wing when you enter the museum. There’s no special ticket, just purchase a Louvre entry ticket in advance for sure. The exhibition covers over 100,000 square feet, so leave yourself at least 90 minutes to view it.

Since the show is so massive, I am featuring half the photos today and the remainder next Monday.

Louvre Couture

Until July 25, 2025

https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/louvre-couture

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

 

Musée des Arts Forains

I visited the Musée des Arts Forains about 10 years ago, and since it was only open about one-month out of the year at the time, it was packed. It was difficult to take good photos because people were in the way. Musée des Arts Forains/ Museum of Fairground Art is a museum celebrating the amusement parks of yesteryear with authentic carousels with wood horses, games of chance, rides, side shows, and a special carousel powered by bicycles.

Last week I was invited to a private, cocktail event at Musée des Arts Forains for Paris Design Week and the vast space was void of people except for the approximate 150 guests. It was a fun party, and people were dressed to the nine’s, plus there was entertainment.

I managed to get some great photos this time around.

Musée des Arts Forains now hosts guided visits on Wednesdays, weekends and during French vacation weeks for a 90-minute tour in French. Visits are given in English during the summer.

https://arts-forains.com/

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Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

 

 

 

Paris, City of Pearls

The mighty pearl, a tiny jewel, has been an object of fascination and desire for centuries.

A new exhibition at L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts presents an informative and visually stimulating look at the art and commerce of the pearl. It goes back to the late 19^th century during the Belle Epoch era, when pearls where all the rage for fashionable women in Paris. The top jewelers in Paris were designing lavish and sumptuous pearl jewelry to keep with the demand. From an historic point of view it was a time when the pearl trade between the Gulf of Persia and France was at an intense level. Over 100 gorgeous pieces are on display.

Until June 1, 2025

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts (Paris - Grands Boulevards)

Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, 16 bis, boulevard Montmartre 75009

Admission is free but you must reserve a ticket online

https://www.lecolevancleefarpels.com/fr/en

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.