Leave it to Anna: Rue du Bac Edition

This week we went to Paris in search of sunshine, cold glasses of wine, and the latest trends. Read on to find out what one item of clothing was ruling supreme in the street fashion game.

Louvre Couture Exhibit

What is better than a few mid-week days in Paris without concrete plans or a packaged agenda? I would argue pretty much nothing. Every time I travel to this city, I discover new treasures, fun experiences, and unexpected tastes that inspire me for weeks on end. There is nothing like the energy you feel while walking down Parisian streets and peeking into boutiques to check out the latest fashion trends. This time we visited the oldest cabaret in Paris (Paradis Latin in the Latin Quarter), discovered two new restaurants we loved (Cyril Lignac’s Aux Prés and Restaurant Dragon), and visited the Louvre Couture exhibit at the OG art museum. Paris was experiencing a heat wave the whole three days we were there, so the pace was slower, mid-day naps were a must, and later dinner times were encouraged. Coming from England, we were not used to this type of temperatures (in the 90s) or this amount of sunshine (no clouds in the sky). Nevertheless, our Parisian neighbors on Rue du Bac were not deterred from enjoying cafe au laits at outdoor bistro patios in the mornings or cold glasses of wine in the afternoons. We were unexpectedly served chilled red wine at dinner due to the heat and it was so refreshing. We followed the locals’ lead and enjoyed a slower pace of life, measuring out our days in coffee breaks and afternoon spritzes. When in Paris…

Let’s talk about fashion - we were in Paris afterall. What one item of clothing was prevalent among fashionable men, women, teenagers, and everyone else in between - are you ready for this? Jorts. Yes, you heard it here first - jean shorts are alive and well on the streets of Paris. I saw them styled with sneakers, platform leather sandals, and heels (on men and women). While I don’t think I can pull off the look in London, I settled on a pair of “Bermuda jeans,” which feature a cropped length, wide leg, and paper bag waist. I styled them with a white cotton T-shirt from Monoprix, a pair of cobalt pull-on Bensimon sneakers, and my fish charm necklace from Italy. A casual summer outfit comprised of classic basics with a fun twist - a true French secret sauce. I also noticed a lot of linen matching sets, colorful beads, white skirts, and boat shoes. Easy, breezy, and comfortable seemed to be the name of the game this time around.

Balzac Paris is my new favorite French shop - we stayed nearby on Rue du Bac

Moving on to accessories, the best place to admire all of the new trends is Le Bon Marche, the famous department store in Saint Germain (and a block away from our rental apartment). Straw bags of all shapes and sizes ruled the store shelves signaling the official start of summer. I especially loved the custom monogramming being offered for the straw tote or bucket bag of your choice. I had to drag myself away reminding myself that there is nothing less practical than a straw tote in the London rain. We also saw lots of enamel bracelets made in France (my daughter picked out a stack of three as her Parisian souvenir) and brightly colored beach bags and custom beach towels. The whole store was dedicated to the spirit of summer, topped off by a display of beach balls in the ceiling.

Paris is known for its vintage fashion with various designer second-hand stores sprinkled around town (great NYT article about vintage shopping here). My husband researched this issue further and uncovered that Chercheminippes, one of the best vintage shops in Paris, was located a short walk away from our apartment on Rue du Cherche-Midi. In reality, there were several shops by the same name lining the street, specializing in women’s clothes, men’s clothes, designer items, and home wares. I found the shops to be immaculately clean and well-organized by size and color. I spotted Dior, Louis Vitton, Chanel, and other big name designers in the high-end second-hand boutique. I found a few cute things in the mid-range boutique by small French brands I haven’t heard of before, to include the above-mentioned pair of Bermuda jeans, a red Italian dress, and a gingham cotton midi skirt. In the home wares shop I found the cutest vintage knitting bag to store my needlepointing accoutrements - a unique memento that’s both practical and cute.

No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to the French pharmacy - we had a great one near our apartment on Rue du Bac. I picked up some Biafine cream for my SIL and got propolis cough drops for my daughter per advice from the pharmacist. She said all professional singers use these cough drops for the “health of the voice” - who knew? I also got some herbal medicine for allergies per the pharmacist’s recommendation upon hearing about my cough and an herbal roller stick for mosquito bites. I love surrendering all control to the pharmacist in terms of remedy choices rather than having to decipher the packages and make a decision myself. The pharmacist always knows best in my book. I also snuck away to get a facial at the Caudalie Spa, which was fantastic. They used a skin scanner to diagnose the condition of my skin (available at Caudalie boutiques in Europe) and focused the facial on what my skin needed most (moisturizing). In addition to this serum and this night cream that I was advised to use nightly to keep my skin properly moisturized, I walked away with a free shower gel and a body oil. Overall, I highly recommend this experience if you find yourself in the vicinity of a Caudalie boutique.

We got a tip from our waiter at Le Loir dans La Théière in Marais (a fantastic tea and coffee shop with epic lemon merengue desserts) to check out the Conservatoire des Hémisphères tea shop in Saint Germain. I know that I sound like a broken record at this point, but yes, it was also located within a few steps from our apartment on Rue du Bac. The Rive Gauche tea is a perfect blend of a Sencha green tea with strawberries, raspberries and dates. Talk about a perfect blend to take home a little piece of the Left Bank! Once you pick out your tea, it will come beautifully packaged in a customized monogrammed tin, perfect for gifts as well as a treat for yourself.

I have been admiring Sabre Paris cutlery for years and during this trip we decided finally to get a few sets for our everyday use in London. I love getting practical souvenirs to serve as as reminder of a great trip at home. We had a lot of fun picking out different colors of cutlery - we decided to go with Lapis Blue, Garden Green, and Pastel Blue to mix and match with our blue and white plates at home. Since knives are not allowed on Eurostar trains, the store staff helpfully helped us order it and get shipped to our house in London.

And finally, I leave you with this picture of sassy socks at Monoprix. As always, they had the cutest things - I ended up picking up a great white T-shirt, some socks, and tanks. A great place for all of your elevated basics with a French twist.

Hope that you enjoyed this post and I will see you here on the Stack again next Sunday! Until then, you can follow Leave it to Anna on Instagram or Facebook. If you think your friends will like the recommendations that I sent your way, please share my newsletter. Leave it to Anna is also on Threads, so thread along here.