Happy New Year!

First, I have to apologize for the ridiculous break it seems I've taken. Really putting the holiday in holiday, it seems! I only worked nine days in December, making it potentially the best month of my life. Port and I had a wonderful Christmas Eve with friends and then, on the big day, flew back to Kansas City to see our dad and avoid the East Coast snow monsoon.  Skies were clear and beautiful in KC.  Porter even took off her coat and jumped for joy in front of her favorite big shuttlecock at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.  

Thank you to everyone who's been so sweet to follow my blog in 2010 (and before) - and I resolve to be a bit better at the posting pace in 2011.  Be sure to stock up on your McClure's Bloody Mary Mix (with pickle brine!!) ahead of tonight's drinky sessions. It erases hangovers like nothing else!

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy new year!

Paris Photo Evidence Pt. 3 | Porter in a Series of Super French-Looking Ensembles, A Couple Glamour Shots of Me and a Dead Animal or Two

Porter at the Luxembourg Gardens with her new Celine bag (my Christmas gift for her, given way early because I thought it would look so great in Paris. It did!).

They put thistles on all the chairs at the Museum of Hunting and Nature because no one wants to, well, sit on a thistle.

True Louvre!

Les Halles

Deyrolle's ass



Lauging at Lipp

Paris Photo Evidence Pt. 2 | Steamer Trunks, Taxidermy, Booze

This trunk just sits on Rue Saint Honore to greet people as they enter the Goyard dog and fancy steamer trunk/picnic set/bar set annex.

Porter and her new best friend at Deyrolle.

Artichoke details at the absolutely wonderful Musée de la Chasse et de la NatureMusée de la Chasse et de la Nature

Me, sipping on a previously enflamed Saint Germain Blazer at La Maison du Whisky

Bunny bites the dust at the Museum of Hunting and Nature

Polar battles at the precious/amazing shop Au Plat d'Etain (see more on this in a few!)

Snowfall outside the Museum of Hunting and Nature

Sport at Au Plat d'Etain (we got the tennis players!)

Vin at Brasserie Lipp

Cat fight at the Museum of Hunting and Nature

I never wanted a pony until now! (At Deyrolle)

More Deyrolle action

Porter at the Tuileries

Deyrolle

Port at Lipp

Museum of Hunting and Nature



Museum of Hunting and Nature

The cutest duo ever at Deyrolle!

Port at the Saint Germain tasting at La Maison du Whisky

Deyrolle



Goyard pet annex

Paris Photo Evidence Pt. 1 | Les Puces

Back from Paris! What an amazing 3.5 days of taxidermy, toy soldiers, clothes for big soldiers, crepes and wine. On Saturday, Porter and I jumped on the 4 train to Porte de Clignancourt to hit the flea market. It's quite pricey (especially with the exchange rate), but phenomenal for inspiring a thousand ebay searches - and just so nice to see so much great taste in action.  These helmets line the window of Serge-Antoine Legrand's actually quite affordable Un Parfum D'Aventure (allée 1, stand 36) at the Marché Vernaison.

Freédéric Gouraud's La Casemate stall (allée 4, stand 75 & 76, Marché Vernaison) was one of the best, just chock full of old helmets, military jackets, boots, rifles and toy soldiers.

Red Rose (138-140 rue des Rosiers, Marché Dauphine, Boutique 133 & 134) had enough English travel and sporting items to make Ralph Lauren cry.

La Casemate



John Pearce's Golf Links (140 Rue des Rosiers, Stand 82, Marché Dauphine) sold exquisite model planes and boats, golf prints and steamer trunks.

La Casemate

Red Rose (I love that all the steamer trunks come with little lists of items that the gentleman owner needed to remember before embarking on any said journey. Not sure if letterman's jackets were on the list, but maybe should've been.  Each compartment on this one was labeled - collars, hats, etc.)

The ceiling situation at John Pearce's Golf Links.

And a Turk at La Casemate.

Wrappin' Up (2010 Edition)



This year we stepped off the frontier and decided to go to war with Christmas presents. With the apartment blue and covered in military prints and lead soldiers, it only makes sense that our gift wrap should match. These are just a start - and I'm planning to hand paint the recipient's initials - Goyard style - on each (albeit with paint pen since spray paint + sencils are the devil's work). I wrapped the lids separately, so they can be saved (it's less fun in the ripping department, of course) and used my absurd Russian diving watch to create the little gold wax seals that feature a deep sea diver and anchors.

Check out the inspiration and the messy (nearly tear-filled) process at Thistle & Clover's blog. Our friend Rand Neiderhoffer co-owns the great Fort Greene, Brooklyn shop and kindly asked us to show our wrapping style this season.  So fun!

Things to Do This Weekend

Since I have oodles of time off this December (a product of work-a-holic-ness the other 11 months), Porter and I decided that it would be best to spend a tiny bit of that time not working in...Paris.  So, we're popping over for a long weekend, staying in Le Marais and seeking out loads of taxidermy that is absolutely illegal to bring back to the States (it's nice when international law helps curb shopping urges -- that and exchange rates).  We will look, but not touch at Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (above).

Ditto at Deyrolle...

Hopefully buy loads of small things at Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen...

...and maybe even spring for a bauble or two at La Fille du Pirate.  So, so, so excited!

Gentlemen + Killers at the Met

My aunt (my mom's sis) is up from Maryland this week and I'm on a staycation, so we've been running all over. Yesterday, we took refuge from the Armageddon-like storms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Of the entire collection, I'm drawn to (shockingly): 1) men in suits, 2) weapons and 3) fighting animals. Hum.