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 The Riches of Paris
Book Review
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Excerpts from The
Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide:
"My love for
shopping in Paris was born out of a desire to discover boutiques full of charm,
authenticity, and a uniqueness that is intrinsically French. I'll never forget
the time I stumbled on a centuries-old Left Bank antique shop at the tender age
of sixteen, the day I crossed the threshold to a great Paris couture house, or
the cold grey Sunday afternoon I made my first trip to the flea markets. Each
time I made a new discovery, I realized that I was experiencing something far
more unique than the places I knew back home in America."
"The idea of a boutique is inherently French, and even more so,
Parisian. In the United States I am accustomed to shopping in large, impersonal
shopping malls and neon-lit department stores; in Paris I relish the idea of
entering a boutique that is quaint, enticingly decorated, and, most important of
all, has a soul of its own. I am continuously enchanted by the ambience created
within each boutique, whether the setting is in an old seventeenth-century
townhouse in the Maris or in a new, glittery showplace on the rue de
Faubourg-Saint-Honoré. The French have a flair for personally embellishing
their goods, and it's rare to find the same carefully selected assortment of
merchandise in more than a handful of stores throughout town."
Les Olivades
"Kitty corner from Souleiado is this other Provençal fabric manufacturer, Les
Olivades. Just like Souleiado, the fabrics here embody all of the vibrancy of
Provence both with their color and patterns. The typical paisley motifs
of the Provençal fabrics find their origins in India. During the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, light cotton fabrics bearing whimsical designs were
imported into the port of Marseilles from India. The French to his day refer to
these types of fabrics as indiennes. The Provençal people adopted them,
particularly since they were well suited to the generally warm climate of that
region. For special occasions or uses, the fabrics would be top-stitched or
quilted to add extra embellishment, which is why today so many products made
from Provençal fabrics are traditionally quilted. After a while, the French
started to manufacture their own indiennes, which accounts for the many
different Provençal fabric manufacturers throughout Provence. Les Olivades is
one of them, and as for how it compares to Souleiado, I'll let you be the judge.
Generally speaking, prices are lower here."
- Maribeth Clemente, The Riches of Paris
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