traversing the capital from one end to the other

"both flâneurs and dedicated night owls, they knew nocturnal paris wonderfully well; going to bed very late, hardly ever before dawn, they spent their nights roaming the city, traversing the capital from one end to the other, in all directions, from batignolles to montparnasse, villette to neuilly. but it was montmartre they were crazy about, montmartre they... loved best, like a little homeland, like a large dwelling where one feels at home"

victor joze, “la ménagerie sociale, l’homme à femmes” (1890)

the still in the storm

sometimes you just have to be. rushing in this outfit wont do.

balzac on elegance

differences have vanished in our society: all that remain are nuances. consequently, good breeding, elegant manners, the je ne sais quoi, the fruits of a complete education - these form the only barrier separating the man of leisure from the busy man. if privilege exists, it stems from moral superiority. hence the high price that the majority places on education, on the purity of language, on the grace of deportment, on the relatively easy manner in which an outfit is worn, on the careful choice of living quarters: in short, on the perfection of everything proceeding from the person. - honoré de balzac, treatise on elegant living, 1830.
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my photograph of shakespeare&co

familiar feelings

"and lastly from that period i remember riding in a taxi one afternoon between very tall buildings under a mauve and rosy sky; i began to bawl because i had everything i wanted and knew i would never be so happy again"

- scott fitzgerald. thank you veronicahhh.

eau de lierre

my search for a new fragrance has concluded. overwhelmed by the number of perfumes at holts and my fear of settling for mass marketed scent, i made my way to noor in yorkville on the advice of a friend. while i knew what i wanted, i struggled slightly in my attempt to describe it. the best i could do was to say that i liked the idea of the mixture of forest scents, or a field of wild flowers. eau de lierre by diptyque has keynotes of cyclamen, ivy leaves, musk, and rosewood and was exactly what i was looking for.