Emily in Paris tour

 April 12

Today was another great day!! We traveled via cab to the Hotel Plaza Athenee to meet our tour group for Sex in the City/Emily in Paris tour. We were a little early so we were allowed in the hotel while we waited. At 10 no one had showed up, which we found concerning. Finally a young woman, Nari, with exotic features and silver and diamond studded finger tips showed up. Turns out our tour was private!! 

Our hotel in Paris on Rue de Richelieu 

The bathroom doorstop in the Hotel Plaza Athenee-a designer bag! 

The lobby in Hotel plaza Athenee

These flower vases were spectacular! Palms and Easter Lillie’s too

Hotel plaza Athenee

Nari our guide, told us about the role of the hotel in both Sex and the city and Emily in Paris, both with the same producer and how Emily in some cases mirrors Carrie Bradshaw. Both used this hotel. 

From there we walked down the block to Dior’s first ever building in Paris and she told us that Christian Dior’s father wanted Christian (born 1905 and raised in Normandy) to aspire to a respectable profession but Christian liked to draw. The family moved to Paris during his youth. His father let him start an art studio with his drawings and gave him one year to make it. The stock market crash of 1929 bankrupted the family. Christian met a textile magnate and that person decided to provide funding for Christian to start turning his drawings into fashions. On his way to meet the magnate, he found a star shaped piece of metal. He picked it up and had a successful meeting. The star became his lucky charm and is featured on his storefronts. In 1946 the two men bought the building which still houses the Dior headquarters. Christian was the first to design the bell shaped dress that accentuated the female waist. Pierre Cardin was the head tailor in the house of Dior from 1947-49. 

By 1957, Dior was dead after only 10 years of success and Yves St Laurent took over the house, but within 2 years, he was ruining it. He had a different style. But the brand continued! Christian took inspiration from a Napoleon III cane weave chair . The cane weave to this day in used in Dior purses and styles.

We stopped at the location of the filming near the Tullietes gardens where a famous scene from Sex in the city was shot. The moment Carrie found her necklace and abandoned her Russian lover for Mr Big. 

We passed by the headquarters of Chanel across from the backside of the Ritz. Chanel lived in an orphanage from age 12-18 and her muted colors are a reflection of that meager upbringing. Also she never in her lifetime allowed skirts above the knee. She got her start designing understated hats (without feathers and adornments). Her dresses were not cinched at the waist - to free women. She came up with the little black dress. She lived for 40 years in the Ritz and died at age 87 in 1971. To rent her room today costs 40,000 euros per night. 

We made our way to Place Vendome, a shopping Mecca of Paris, and stepped into the Ritz. 

From there we went to have a coffee break and enjoyed hot chocolate and a croissant. And then to another garden for Palau’s Royal where Emily and Mindy first met and later took selfies. 

From there we made our way to the Pont des Artes where Mr Big told Carrie she was his future and where Emily called her American boyfriend and jogged. Nari helped us with the Metro to get to Le Marais for vintage shopping and a cute cafe, Carey’s. We shared a bottle of Chardonnay and met our next door table person - a beautiful young girl (37) from Qatar. She shared her serving of cream (yum) and told us about her you g life as an aspiring fashion designer. 

After that, it was just starting to rain, but we wandered the neighborhood for vintage stores and Meg found a bag for herself. Then we stopped at an Italian restaurant and ordered some pasta. We befriended the couple next to us. Alex and Hayden from San Diego. He works for ResiMed! Alex showed us their new puppy! 

Tomorrow we plan on going back to the Louvre in the morning then to Opera Garnier and hopefully Montmartre!