Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Such a Parisian thing to do! And a Marilyn Monroe dress



... like going to Palais de Tokyo for a Rancière conference, then taking photos for your fashion blog. And this is what we did last Friday.

I'll try to keep things simple, as I tend to go into too many different directions each time I try to talk about something. 

First of all the Palais de Tokyo is one of those contemporary art places located waaay out west (which to me is the most boring/bourgeois area of the city where I very rarely go to), always under remodeling and with HUGE exhibition spaces, mostly known for its ex-director Nicolas Bourriaud (now my school director). 

It's often dubbed as being the biggest art center and also known for being a location of choice during Fashion Week.

They re-opened last year after much work and they always have cool parallel events such as screenings, concerts and conferences, some of them free. It's less popular and more hip than the Pompidou, so if you don't know it already you should totally check it out.

I haven't been there in a while, but each time I go I'm surprised by the nice view of the Eiffel Tower.

Now this is a completely different subject that I don't want to get into right now, but thing is when living in Paris you don't really see the Eiffel Tower. And the truth is you don't really want to see it because of its cheesy ubiquity on every merch stand and teen Tumblr. It's nauseating! 

But then again, when you do get to see it, you do get a little carried away by the postcard view. And yes, you must have at least one touristy photo with the Eiffel Tower!

We had a four-day heatwave (aka sun+25-27C; I know, but this is Paris) last week and I had just finished washing and ironing this little dress I had just found, so I thought it would be a good idea to take it out on a stroll.

I felt like a beat chick in my messy hair, cat eye glasses and slightly oversized dress, going to a philosophy lecture! Visually I was thinking more of Kirsten Dunst playing Camille in On the Road (you can say whatever you want about that movie, but it has a couple of good scenes and Sam Riley is cute) than of Audrey Hepburn /Jo in Funny Face (who was lured into Paris to be a model with the promise of attending philosophy lectures!)

Unfortunately this twirly wonder is a little too big on me and it will be going in the shop on Saturday. 
It reminds me of the iconic white halterneck that Marilyn Monroe is wearing in Billy Wilder's The Seven Year Itch. You know, the one in the scene with the subway vents?

Of course, I'm not even 0.1% close to Marilyn's charm! But who can be, really?

Right next door to Palais de Tokyo there's the Musee d'art moderne, which was closed but they had a Keith Harring expo going on. I'm so fascinated by those incredibly HUGE doors!

We took a walk through the Pont D'Alma in order to catch the direct train home; it was super windy, which in a way was perfect for my dress but not for my hair.

I love it how the sun goes down around 9pm these days... I promised myself to only show outfits on film, but when you have such a great scenery, why not take advantage of the opportunity?

PS: you can find more expat life rants on SUCH a French thing to do! a collective blog I started last year







bucket bag, peep toes: thrifted, dress: vintage 50s, borrowed from the shop, necklace: We Never Sleep, 50s cat eyes: Ebay, watch: gift from my dad


4 comments:

  1. you look stunning in that white dress! there's something very bon viveur about these images and thus, very Parisian. very nice!

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    1. Aww thank you Emi! I'm glad you like the photos!

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  2. kerouac is my favoutite writer and i love kirsten dunst but i haven't been able to bring myself to watch the movie yet because i just don't want anything to impact on my feelings towards the book! it could be great but i haven't given it a chance yet, haha. anyway you look beautiful, even if the eiffel tower is a bit of a french cliche it wouldn't be the same without it and it is so beautiful!

    little henry lee

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    1. oh i totally feel you! i've been trying to motivate myself to go see gondry's l'ecume des jours while it's still playing, but i just love boris vian too much to see something that i know would be a total disgrace to the book.
      i love kerouac too, but having read on the road about 10 years ago i think i had the right distance to be able to see the movie as a complete different story from the book. however, i was disappointed there was no ice cream and apple pie. i went to see it on my way back home after a long day at my internship on a rainy night kinduv on a whim and getting lost for 2 hours in a comfy theater seat was a great way to wait for the storm to die out.
      like i said, there are a few good moments(the salt peanuts dance) and the most engaging element for me was the ''boy candy''. otherwise...meh. and a little too ''tame'' i think. it's really a shame considering the book and the long adventure of studios acquiring the rights and trying to turn it into a movie for over 30 years or so.

      aw, thank you! it's really nice to hear that especially as i've been feeling particularly plump lately

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