Method dressing, art exhibitions, and investment shopping
Or: everything we did, ate, saw, and bought in Paris
Dear fashion friends,
Are you sick of me talking about Paris? Because (in case my social media hasn’t made it clear enough), I had the best trip of all times and I have to tell you all about it!
I think I mentioned at some point that I decided to go to Paris on a whim—with the perfect excuse of joining my best friend for a long weekend to celebrate her birthday. Last week I wrote an ode of sorts to both our friendship and our shared style journeys. And I promised to return with full details today.
So here we are.
In addition to celebrating her birthday, this trip was part of my Style Coaching program with Shirley. After unearthing her Style Essence and drawing her Fashion Map (I explained them a bit more in a previous post, if you’re curious), we were now ready to finally go shopping.
The mission: to find some investment pieces to fill the gaps in her wardrobe with clothes guaranteed to be worn, loved, and easily integrated into her life and style.
Side note: This is the kind of work I do with clients both in London and online, and I still have some open slots for next month so please reach out if you’re interested.
Below you’ll find my selection of where we stayed, what we ate, the exhibitions we visited, and most importantly, where—and what—we shopped.
Thank you, in advance, for indulging me in reliving a beautiful trip in writing this post! 🥰
As always, you can tune in to the more conversational video version of this update if you’d rather watch or listen rather than read.
(You can also find the full transcript on the website.)
A fashionable stay
I did not get to choose where we stayed and yet, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Castille Paris is located at 33 rue Cambon. If the address sounds familiar, it’s because the hotel is basically sandwiched between Chanel’s original flagship at no. 31, where Coco herself lodged, and Chanel’s headquarters a few doors north.
Walk past during a workday and you’ll catch a glimpse of the beautifully resplendent lobby, filled with a gigantic white camellia sculpture in the centre—a striking yet classy demonstration of modern branding. And if you happen to also be around on a Monday morning, right when everyone is returning to work, you might also see many a Chanel piece dressing the rushing bodies of classy employees at one of the world’s most desirable fashion companies to work at in 2026, according to Business of Fashion.
The hotel itself has suites dedicated to Coco Chanel, decorated in black and white—yet another expression of contemporary luxury fashion branding and an ode to the many collaborations between fashion and lifestyle, especially in global fashion capitals such as Paris. We chose, however, to skip the Chanel suite in favour of one with a balcony where we greeted the sun every morning, read a few words here and there, and even took a couple of work-related calls.
But my favourite part was the restaurant: with a gorgeous patio featuring Italian inspired, Louis XV-style walls and fountain and a piano inside, next to the bar, with live music playing on Friday evening.
What we ate
As you will see, Shirley and I always share everything when we eat out. It’s how we first bonded as friends (in Rome, of all places) and we’ve basically spent the past 14 years of our lives sharing as many plates as we possibly can to try to taste as close to everything in every menu we find. And our many outings during this trip were no exception.
Lunch at Le Grand Café
We needed to fuel up upon our arrival and before heading to our first exhibition of the visit… but the real reason to choose Le Grand as our first stop was a social media post recommending their beautiful affogato. It did not disappoint. But, if I go back, it will be for the breathtaking views of both the restaurant interiors and the balcony and an artichoke ‘salad’ that was mostly cheese. Oh, and we also had more shellfish than our bodies could take.
Girl dinner at Mon Square
After such a huge and filling late lunch, we chose some small bites and a glass of wine for dinner, outdoors, and (in my case) with a gorgeous view of one of Paris’ many (neo)gothic churches.
Lunch at Le Voltaire
Another favourite, Le Voltaire was also very conveniently on our way to the first stop of our Personal Shopping session. Anticipating our dinner reservation, and not wanting to repeat the previous night’s mistakes, we shared some lighter options: a frisé salad that was a bit too heavy on dressing (some would say in a perfectly French way), perfectly garlicky escargots, and a beautifully refreshing grapefruit and avocado salad that I may need to attempt replicating in my own kitchen. We paired them with wine and bread, and closed with a quick espresso to ensure a very successful shopping experience!
Dinner at Mischief
This little gem nested in Saint-Denis serves what I would call French classics with a twist. (In my humble opinion as a fashion girlie so if you’re a real food writer, please don’t come at me.) We had a beautifully fresh ceviche swimming in lobster bisque and the most perfect steak frites, topped with Massaman sauce. For dessert, a precious lemon Calamansi bar drenched in crème anglaise with thyme.
Girls lunch at the corner bistro in Le Marais
We took a break from our second personal shopping session to stop at a random corner bistro in Le Marais whose name I cannot recall—and to which I might only return if I happen to be hungry on the same street while on another shopping spree in the neighbourhood. We shared a steak tartare with fries and had what I described as a ‘soup-sized’ coffee before Shirley reminded me that this, on our continent, is just ‘the right’ size.
Dessert at Le Franc
For the first time on this entire trip, we may have not needed our second stomach for dessert, after a full shopping session in the morning and an exhibition visit in the afternoon. Already at Fondation Louis Vuitton, we went to their in-house restaurant, Le Franc. Our search for an ice cream failed, so instead we ordered tea and a berry tart, which turned out to be very artistic, perhaps ‘decomposed’, and just the perfect sweet treat for the late afternoon.
Dinner at Recoin
To start, we had tarama and the most perfect magret de canard with dates, tandoori oil, and peanuts. The mains were fried quail with mustard and chicken on white beans with green beans. A bottle of Mosse natural white wine to complement. And for dessert: a beautifully peanut-y white chocolate fondant.
Farewell breakfast at L’Assaggio
For our last meal together, we chose to keep our daily visits to our hotel’s terrace, fill our plates with mostly random assortments of treats from the buffet, order our go to café au lait (for Shirl) and cappuccino (for me), and top it up with the grapefruit ‘mimosa’ that we adopted during the trip. To walk it off, we went to a nearby pharmacy to stock up on French beauty products, as you do, and I tried not to cry when I hugged Shirley goodbye and remained in Paris for the rest of the day.
One final treat
Ever since I studied abroad in Paris, almost 20 years ago, I’ve taken myself on sweet little solo dates to Angelina in rue Rivoli. So of course I had to go—although this time I chose to take my chocolate on a walk in Tuileries instead (where I later recorded a video with my hot takes from the trip, if you happened to see it).
And I cried…
Because the last time I’d been I was terrified of what the next chapter of my life would be, after having just lost my job at De Montfort University and debating between applying for a visa to remain in the UK or moving to Paris instead.
Because Angelina also reminds me of my beloved sister, who has been dealing with aggravated health issues this year and I deeply wish she can recover soon and join me in my next trip to Paris.
Because this first personal style trip to Paris was everything my heart has longed for since I was a child and I was never courageous enough to dream it.
And, of course, because I’m incredibly thankful to be surrounded with the most amazing friends I could have ever wished for! 🥰
Our art menu
There is no visit to Paris (in my conception of life, at least) without visiting at least a few exhibitions. This time, however, I skipped all of the fashion exhibitions and, instead, went with Shirley to the art exhibitions she wanted to see.
Matisse, 1941–1954 at Grand Palais
As a life-long lover of colour and works on paper, I can only admire Matisse for his drawings and the colour cut-outs he developed in his late years. I particularly rejoiced in taking closer looks at the superposition of paper cuts, the unerased, uncovered line-drawn sketches, and the varied representations of women in clothes.
Calder. Rêver en équilibre at Fondation Louis Vuitton
Balance and dreams are certainly two words to describe Calder’s mobiles and, perhaps most accurately, the airy sculptures that, quite literally, form a play of balance between weight, tension, and the visual elements of each piece. But for me, the dreamiest stage of Calder’s work is the earlier wired sculptures that, as a non-modernist, I rarely get to see or think about.
The most entertaining part of the exhibition, though, was seeing Shirley do what I tend to do: spend way too long with every piece, analysing its materials, looking at it from different angles, and even squatting in the middle of a gallery to understand it from below. Is this what not having a curator brain installed at all times feels like?
Pomellato. Le joaillier révolutionnaire at Palais de Tokyo
After Shirl left, I managed to squeeze in a final exhibition, on the very last day possible just to stay on brand. (I’m trying to learn not to leave things to the very last minute, though, I promise!)
The exhibition was sweet and small and, as often happens with brand-sponsored exhibitions, a bit too commercial. But I must confess that this time it actually cracked me up how shamelessly commercial they were, ending with a note to continue the experience at Pomellato’s store on rue Saint-Honoré—which I did, by accident, on my way back to the hotel!
Nonetheless, the exhibition was beautifully designed, combining photography with jewellery displays. My favourite part was a breathtaking installation with mirrors and a golden arc that almost felt like entering one of Pomellato’s jewels to see one of the protagonists of the exhibition: a sculptural gold and diamond chain.
Parisian shopping
Shopping was, unsurprisingly, the main activity of our visit to Paris. It somehow sounds a bit uncharacteristic to me, as I often prefer to spend my time in museums, walking around, and eating—but this was a Style Coaching trip after all!
By the way: If you want to discover these and other places where I shop and constantly recommend to my clients, I have a growing conscious style directory of my favourite shops from around the world that I update every week.
Maria de la Orden
This is one of my favourite Spanish brands, offering a sort of feminine take on traditional tailoring and a playful aesthetic on colourful sets. While their pieces are adaptable to many different styles, it—to me—has a bit of an artistic feel… which is why it makes perfect sense in my mind that their Parisian store is just steps away from the art galleries and art book stores that I love to visit in the rive gauche.
I brought us here thinking about some linen trousers in a style that we’ve been wanting to source for Shirley’s closet. Once in the store, we ended up ditching the pants and instead went for a white shirt with band collar and bell sleeves and a yellow silk set of halter neck top and a flowy skirt. Just this weekend I received a message from Shirley with photos of her (looking gorgeous) in the yellow top thanking me for having encouraged her to embrace this colour—pure music to my ears!
Galeries Lafayette
Even though I technically shop for a living, I curiously have a strong aversion for shops—especially gigantic ones filled with people. But when in Paris you have to go to at least one department store. And on this trip it was Galeries Lafayette. Firstly because the building is just gorgeous and it had been a minute since I last went. Secondly because Shirley wanted to get new Jimmy Fairly sunglasses and they have a shop inside. And finally because I wanted to walk around the accessories section to scout new (to me) French brands.
I did not find any new brands but instead reconfirmed my curiosity for Delvaux—Belgian, not French, and one that I might end up trying sooner or later…
Mellerio
This store was mere indulgence, for I’ve been wanting to enter forever and somehow never make time. It is Paris’ oldest jewellery house, founded in 1613 but only established in rue de la Paix, where it is currently located, until the 19th century. I first learned about it when cataloguing an album of 1850s Mellerio designs at The Met back in 2016, and didn’t realise it was still running until a few years ago, on a trip to Paris Fashion Week.
While we didn’t buy anything here, we did get to try some of the gorgeous pieces designed by Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, the current Mellerio in charge of the house—and in my case also look very closely at them! We learned more about the history of Mellerio, the current collections, and their beautiful, patented egg-shape Mellerio cut. And we asked for quotes on ruby rings, hopefully to collect on our next trip.
Soeur
A bit stereotypically hipster, Soeur tends to have some hidden gems for those of us who prefer a more polished aesthetic. Here we found the perfect flowing skirt—the main character in Shirley’s wardrobe Hall of Fame—made of a textured, soft yellow satin.
Jonak
On our way to Bobbies, we stumbled upon Jonak—a new and treasured discovery that I immediately added to my shopping map. The brand is French, with shoes manufactured in Portugal. It’s B-Corp certified—technically a seal of their commitment to more ethical practices but in reality not an easy measure of a brand’s true sustainability. (At least they try.)
Most importantly: the shoes are beautiful and incredibly comfortable—as attested by all the steps and street twirling we both took in our first outing with the strappy sandals we bought here, only a couple hours after buying them. Both Shirl and I have already worn them twice more (at the time of writing) and I can attest to their continuing comfort.
Time will tell how long they last but, for now, they’ve passed my test of a great fashion purchase: that you wear it as soon as you can after buying and at least once more during the week.
Lemaire
Founded by Christopher Lemaire in 1991, his eponymous Lemaire bridges French and Japanese craftsmanship in the creation of timeless pieces that bring intention to our wardrobes. As part of their mission to increase transparency in fashion’s supply chains, the label collaborates with Fairly Made to map where its materials originate and its garments are made—mostly in Europe and the Mediterranean. In an effort to embrace sustainability, the brand also privileges organic and recycled textiles.
What I love the most is its elegant aesthetic, which can be classic but not exactly in a traditional sense. And it’s genderless but not boring.
Here we saw a beautiful velvety green top that may have been a bit too tight on more athletic, broader shoulders and flared trousers that I consider basic in my own wardrobe but that we decided to revisit for Shirl and favour her preferred skirts. (But we did save the link in case we decide to order later!)
Chanel
Yes, I know… you’ve seen me roll my eyes at the name Chanel many times. And yet, this was the start and finish of our trip, not just because we were staying basically there.
At Chanel we bought a classic bag in a beautiful burgundy—if you ask me the most perfect neutral colour to ever exist. It is going directly to the closet of Shirley’s mother and I truly hope it will one day return to Shirley’s arms, maybe to later belong to her own daughter.
Because this is what true fashion is all about—and no, it doesn’t have to be of a European luxury brand!
And with this, my (extremely long) recap of our trip to Paris comes to an end. I hope you’ve enjoyed following along our steps! If you happen to know or visit any of these places, please let me know what you think. You know I love to read you!
As always, thank you, thank you for reading, commenting, and joining the conversation.
Until next time,
—L 🩷
PS. If you’re interested in designing your very own fashion history + shopping travel experience, please reach out here: https://laurabelru.com/contact/.