Jardin du Palais Royal- SERGE LUTENS

I don't know how it is that I lived in Paris for 5 years without visiting the boutiques of the Jardin du Palais Royal. With brands like Dries Van Noten and Stella McCartney, it's probably a good thing. Last night, I set off a la recherche of a brilliant designer named Serge Lutens. He doesn't make clothing- he makes women mysterious. His breathtaking shop in the Jardin de P.R is dark and romantic, a perfect place to end a melancholic Parisian day. Never girly or ostentatious, his perfumes remind the wearer of the power of her femininity. I've been searching for a new scent since I stopped wearing L'eau d'issey in college, but I just couldn't find something that defined me. (Mind you, I've been looking for 8 years!) Too sugary, too bold, too much patchouli, so many of the parfumes on the market today are overly-sensual or the opposite: capricious. Finally, I have zeroed in on a perfume called "Un Bois Sépia", described in the delightful Serge Lutens catalogue as "Un tweed, un chypre".

Each unique scent is packaged in a stately 75ml glass bottle- the bottles can be engraved or customized in a timeless "Nicolas Cochin" font for a little extra. I've become a little tired with the wastefulness of being trendy, and I'd like to purchase something for myself for the approaching New Year that means something- that serves a deeper purpose. Rereading my own words makes me think I should do something charitable, but we all deserve a little something for making it through 2008. And how can a lass resist the siren's call of seduction?

Une composition olfactive n'est pas une recette: tels les personages d'un roman, les essences sont vivantes. Influencées plutot que placées, en accord, elles reforment en trame une matiere expreimée ou se déclare le parfum. -Serge Lutens

Le Plaisir de....y aller

One of the best things about Paris is its many, many cinemas. Seeing a movie in the States still requires a little forward-thinking and planning- especially if one wants to see a film that requires the use of one's brain. In Paris, seeing a movie is as simple as popping into a café for an espresso. With few exceptions, every arrondissement has a handful of cinemas showing fabulous international films at any given time. One of my greatest pleasures in life is seeing a film "sur la pouce" and stopping into a little bar afterwards for a bubbly glass of something to mill things over in my head.

Last night we saw a great film, followed up by a great glass of Tariquet at the wine bar, Au Pere Louis. I would highly recommend both, especially the film, Le Plaisir de Chanter. Notice how much closer the French film their actors' faces and movements. Sensual and vivid, this is also a very funny film, unlike many contemporary French dramatic comedies that make you want to kill yourself.

Centre de Yoga du Marais

Next up, I tried out the Centre de Yoga du Marais. From the bios on the website, it seemed that most of the teachers were American-trained and many in the Kripalu tradition. On Tuesday, I meandered through the hipper-than-thou streets of the third arrondissement with their nameless boutiques and restaurants to a small (really small!) studio on the street level. Despite the mammoth pole dividing the room in two, the studio was warm and welcoming, with candles and little shelves built into the walls, filled with inspirational photos and trinkets. There were soft blankets and quality mats available, along with blocks, belts and bolsters. The regular teacher and owner wasn't there, and her class was led by a lovely girl named Chantal. If the class itself had been a little harder, I would have been in heaven. Chantal was fantastic, hands on, non-judgemental, and better yet, funny. Now I know that yoga is what you make it, but I like to sweat. The class was 90 minutes long with some difficult asanas, but it was sloooooow- and not slow in a good way, slow in that we paused after every single asana.

I talked to Chantal for a while after class and she expressed some frustration with the level of the class. She said that although she was certain her students could go further physically, mentally, they showed no interest in doing so. The French are inherently lazy. I'm sorry, but it's true. They like to do just a little bit, never too much- if you push them too far, they start to complain. They are a very sensitive people! Just look at all the fuss they've kicked up over working on Sundays! As if Sundays weren't the most depressing day of the week. I'd be happy to work a Sunday for them. Call me, I need a job!

No yoga in Paris- Studio Géraud Arnaud

Who would have thought an inspirational yoga class would be so hard to find? I've been trying hard to dig up something equal to the transformational 90 minute classes I took with Mark Gerow at Great Barrington Yoga- to no avail. (So far!) Most of the yoga classes I have tried out are sterile and strict, and follow in the Iyengar tradition. Nothing wrong with Iyengar- but sometimes a girl wants to have a little fun on the mat, non?

I'll be posting reviews of the different centers and teachers I try out to help the yoga-hungry find some soul food in Paris.

First up, the Géraud Arnaud Studio, also referred to as La Féderation Francaise de Yoga. So far, I've tried out classes with Ivana and Masako. Ivana's class was intimate and amiable. The students were open-minded and friendly. The class itself was listed as a level two, but it was more of a beginner's class with little-to-no focus on breathing. The class began right away with chanting, which might be shocking to some people. In most of the classes I've taken in the States, the teacher usually tells the class what will happen next, especially if you are about to move into chanting or meditation. Both teachers at Géraud's studio simply took a without-further-ado attitude and hopped right into it. I find this off-putting, but maybe that's just me.

On the recommendation of one of Ivana's students, I took a class with Masako, who, according to this student, had a class that was very "tonique". (I.e, hard). Again, there was little focus on breathing, which really surprised me. Many of the students moved into the poses before the teacher announced them, which led me to imagine that her class must consist of the same asanas all the time. There was a nasty, competitive vibe in the class- not necessarily generated by Masako, but more by the women d'une certaine age in the class. It seemed that everyone was there to move their body parts and nothing else. The class itself was intermediate. But it wasn't very fun!

Pretty Sustainable

2008 might go down in history as the year that green fashion proved to be a sustainable trend. From the runways of fashion week to the aisles of popular chain stores like Target, eco-fashion is no longer a niche trend, but a necessary element of progressive design.

The ancient arts of yoga and meditation inspire and demand profound patience, respect towards others, and respect for oneself. Sustainable energy is fostered within the body and propelled outward, into the environment, creating a contagious state of heightened awareness. As environmentalism enters into the collective conscious, designers and retailers alike are looking to the healing arts for inspiration and guidelines as they embrace a greener lifestyle. In September of 2008, the runways of New York Fashion week were atwitter with contagious efforts to make the 10-day long event more eco-friendly. Aveda continued its quest to green New York Fashion week by launching several eco-friendly initiatives included the replacement of bottled water with New York City tap water in reusable, non-toxic Swiss water bottles, the elimination of fur, organic, locally-sourced catering and the use of post-consumer recycled paper for invitations and programs. 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rodarte and Alexander Wang were among the high-profile names to “green” their New York presence by adopting these conditions.

Just as the yoga mat offers us a sacred place to work through our internal frustrations, the runway provides a testing-ground for new trends in organic fashion. One of the rising stars of the conscious-beauty movement, New York City based-designer Behnaz Sarafpour has been on a mission to create luxurious clothing with a conscious since her debut show at the age of thirty-one. Now, seven years later, she has transformed that mission into a reality, providing eco-urbanites with feminine, wearable pieces that don’t sacrifice elegance for the environment.

Branded a “freedom fashion fighter” by her fans, designer Abi Ferrin is also creating fashion with a purpose. Through her work with the non-profit Guardian Village Handicrafts, Ferrin rescues women and children from abusive environments in Nepal and Cambodia, encouraging them to make constructive changes in their lives by providing them with a skill set and the tools to learn a new trade. Ferrin then purchases their wares for use in her bright, audacious collections that celebrate, empower and beautify the women behind her looks, and the women in them.

Even the brand names are jumping on the bandwagon of sustainability. In honor of earth day, Banana Republic unfolded an eco-fashion line of 50 summer staples in April of last year. For the duration of Earth Week, the retailer pledged 1% of all its in-store sales to the not-for-profit Trust for Public Lands. This eco-friendly initiative is part of the company’s quest to reduce their environmental impact in the coming years.

Inspired by the enthusiasm of its customers for the practice of Yoga and the parallel ease and simplicity of this ancient art, J.Crew launched a line of yoga wear for its 2008 fall collection. In an article from Women’s Wear Daily, J.Crew CEO Millard Drexler explains, "We kept hearing from our associates about yoga, hearing from our customers about yoga, and hearing from people who do yoga. We always want to be where our customers are, and where they are going. That's our mission. Today, any retailer's job is always looking to the road that has to be traveled."

The road towards sustainable fashion is becoming a crowded one to travel, and only time will tell if green is truly glamorous.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The title of the second book in Beaver's line-up of sizzling summer reading is curiously apropos to Domo's latest photographs. Reading the book jacket will make any struggling writer sigh- the author, Carson McCullers, published it at the tender age of 23, decades before young female writers became as common as mosquitoes after a rainstorm. 

A brilliant portrayal of a kaleidoscope of lives and loves in a Georgia mill town, it's a timeless, color-blind and very readable classic exploring the communal needs of individual souls.  The title alone is a firefly-filled night in August. Flawless and thirst-quenching. A great book for a seaside vacation. 

Death becomes us

There is life throughout the Southern Berkshires- peonies, unstoppable grass, tomato plants and storm-happy slugs, crawling towards their prey. And there is Mylo- an eager adolescent just learning how to caw. Domo has been tracking his movements through the killing fields of summer. And on and on it goes.