Barthélemy

This is the look of someone who just (accidentally) spent 70€ on cheese…

I stumbled upon this magical place a few years back after visiting Le Bon Marche. A cheese shop? Well of course I was going to walk in. Now every time I come to Paris I stop by and stock up on way too much cheese. This time I over did it, I think.

Barthélemy is owned by Mme Nicole Barthélemy who stocks this place with the most amazing and smelliest cheeses known to the world. She has been in the business for over 40 years and although it’s unclear when the cheese shop opened its reputation speaks for itself having supplied cheese to France’s Prime Ministers. The staff speaks only French but they are incredibly accommodating and always help me build the best cheese board. We point, taste and nod a lot.

They will always let you try before buying and if you’re lucky they may have some ready to try pieces in small tin bowls.

Look at those pretty orange colored babies!

Even the floors are pretty…

This is the type of cheese guillotine everyone needs in their home…

Along with cheese Barthélemy is stocked with yogurt, milk, eggs, crackers, pickled vegetables and of course wine! I picked up a bottle of Sancerre for just 13€ and it was amazing.

Please notice the huge Gorgonzola wooden box at the bottom right corner of the above picture…

Like everything in Paris, this shop is gorgeous and filled with the things that make me want to desperately live there. For now, I’ll settle with twice a year visits and being able to build a massive cheese plate when I come home.

Pro tip: if you want to bring some cheese home they will vacuum seal everything so it’ll keep in your luggage and your clothes won’t reek of cheese. Unless you want your clothes to smell heavenly…

Want to learn to cut cheese The French Way? Check out French Cheese Etiquette on my friend Charli’s blog Am I French Yet?

Sweater: H&M
Jacket: COACH Men’s
Pants: BDG
Shoes: Vans

xoxop


Barthélemy
51 rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris
+31 01 42 22 82 24

Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday 8:30 am to 1:00 pm & 3:30 pm to 7:15 pm
Friday – Saturday 8:30 am to 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Closed Sunday & Monday

Continue Reading

Colette

Paris has always held a special place in my heart. The first time I ever visited this gorgeous city was with my friend Bridget when we studied abroad in Spain.

I remember it being exactly what I thought it would be: the most romantic place on earth. Was it the buildings? The people? The food? The fashion? Everything?

When I landed my first job in textiles I never imagined part of my job (“job”) would be to visit Paris twice a year to attend a textile show and then do some competitive shopping. What does competitive shopping mean? It means my favorite thing in the world – going into different shops and see what the competition is up to. What fabrics are they using? What techniques are out there?

The first place I always stop at is Colette. A true Parisian institution. Colette opened in 1997 but in July of this year we all woke up to the news: Colette would close its doors in December of 2017. Of course with that in mind I made a stop at my beloved little shop.

The whole upstairs usually would house looks from Gucci, Balenciaga, Simone Rocha, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Coach and Sacai to name a few.  As of late the boutique has been been taken over by different designers – most recently Sacai. Of course the conceptual layout was impeccable.

I was so lucky to see Colette one last time. If you’re there before end of December make sure to stop by.

Dress: WhoWhatWear for Target
Coat: Pilcro & The Letterpress
Shoes: Loeffler Randall
Bag: The Stowe

xoxop


Colette
213 Rue Saint Honoré, 75001 Paris, France
+33 01 55 35 33 90

Open:
Monday – Saturday: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
*closes permanently on December 20th

Continue Reading