Summer Update

It has been an eventful past couple of months~ The Lady Marionette collection was finally completed! The photoshoot took place in Chelsea in the gorgeously decadant GOAT, with a super talented team supporting me to capture some teaser images of my collection. Shortly after finishing the capsule collection, I was kindly offered sponsorship to attend […]

Summer Update

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Demoiselle

It has been an eventful past couple of months~

The Lady Marionette collection was finally completed!

A gorgeous shot from the photoshoot.

LadyMarionette-collection The photoshoot took place in Chelsea in the gorgeously decadant GOAT, with a super talented team supporting me to capture some teaser images of my collection.

Shortly after finishing the capsule collection, I was kindly offered sponsorship to attend the Intefiliere and Salon International de la Lingerie Paris Tradeshows again this July by the lovely Yusuf Dohadwala, CEO of the Intimate Apparel Association of India who runs the Galleria Intima event in Goa, India.

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The English summer has been suprisingly beautiful, see above an unedited image I took; Madacascar in Hyde Park?! This weather was the perfect setting for much champagne guzzling and embracing my love of Formula 1 by attending some racing events in anticipation of my graduation ceremony this month; including Goodwood Festival of Speed and Race Week London’s garden party in The Artillery Gardens at The HAC:

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All set to start making the Special showpiece!

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Demoiselle

I have been in super work mode!

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Deadlines are fast approaching…

And I’m wearing Hello Kitty pyjamas!

The Bridal showpiece is currently being made. It will have a overall ivory feel, mixing similar hues together; including a deeper metallic champagne ivory accent lace to add some depth topped off with Swarovski crystals. The body is hand-dyed by myself after much fabric dye testing to achieve the desired shade.

I have enough tulle to wrap around the world at least 3 times and I will probably not be able to resist using copious amounts of it….

A long flowing train anyone?

LadyMarionette-collection

The Lady Marionette Collection

Progress is good! English opulence and modern lines are combining together~ I made a new pattern for my suspender belt and have continued toiling for the collection as a whole including my basque, body and suspender belt, adding small details and refining the finigh to each garment – though I cannot wait to see it in the final fabric.

No more toiling please! :(

Two deadlines are fast approaching: One is on the 2nd April for the Deutsche Bank Awards and my second is on the 3rd April linked to my Bridal Showpiece. This week, I am making Lay Plans on Gerber Accumark of my Longline Corset Bra, the specialist industry software and the rest of the time will be spent hand-sewing the showpiece and finalising the submission for Deutsche Bank!

At least hand-sewing is therapeutic for me :)

I also just noticed one of my designs I whipped up as a special bespoke piece for Sonata Lingerie whilst I worked there last year is available to buy:

Product pricing on website

Available for £444 RRP*

Toile / Prototype Development Stages

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Demoiselle

Things have been pretty hectic! I am surprised at how two weeks could be so drastically different. Week 1 was quite random and off tangent and week 2 back on track with my collection!

Week 1

Let me start by saying that I LOVE new opportunities and projects that will help me towards my goals. I will apply and dedicate my effort and time to them happily.

But there is only one of me in this world. If there was two? My, my… it would be chaos!

I will start a mentoring job soon at Havering College, which is in the same Borough as my old joint Secondary School and Sixth Form: “The Coopers Company & Coborn School”. This mentoring programme is looking to spread across other colleges in the UK; guiding and advising creative students in the art, design and fashion disciplines.

I had the most wonderful people who guided me through life who I will always remember! This time it’s my turn to once again be a ‘Mother Hen’.

Another business opportunity?

I briefly branched into other business opportunity after attending an enjoyable and energetic Private VIP Business Launch event in Kensington with speakers including Aron Steinkeller, Christian Steinkeller, Igor E. Alberts and Camilita Nuttall and joined an accompanying private dinner with the top #1 earners in Europe of a different industry to my own; with a structure that was slightly new to me. This was with the intention to learn about this company and also to potentially support my developing brand.

It is certainly good to experience new things to be able to decide whether they are good or not for you as an individual. Though, caution is necessary when a new venture might be distracting you from your real passion.

“How dare it distract you?!” I hear you cry.

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Something poignant was said by an old acquaintance of mine, about taking on new projects
and managing your time:

“You don’t want to get to the point of diminishing returns…

You should have enough that you can effectively manage and make success of…

…well as long as you can keep it balanced effectively and don’t lose your equilibrium”

Hmmm yes.

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Let’s get back to focusing on what is most important to me.

Although… it is nice to have a sophisticated ‘Lemonade Stand’ :)

Week 2

I was back on track!

So much has happened this week, it has been so positive and uplifting. It gave me a new perspective that was much needed to focus myself at this crucial time.

I have been working on my toiles which need to be finalised before the end of March. The sooner I start on the final garments the better! My beautiful silk stretch jacquards have arrived so quickly and it made me smile so much; they are gorgeous I tell you – GORGEOUS! I can’t wait to use them!

I am looking forward to making my special Bridal show piece with Swarovski crystals, soft flowing hard and soft tulles and carefully hand-sewn detailing to give the piece a truly bespoke finish. I need to decide the colour for that special Bridal piece: white, ivory, mink grey or shades closer to beige.

There is so much more to say about my final year but I will keep
those things to myself for now! ;)

I also went to a very informative talk at London College Fashion where I was happy to meet Kelly with all of her retail and 18 years buying experience at Harrods; a truly inspiring and beautiful woman!

Industry: Pitch Perfect
with Managing Director and CoFounder of MAWI, Tim Awan &
Founder of Luxury recruitment consultancy, KWD Solutions, Kelly Walker-Duncalf

http://www.mawi.co.uk/

I’m looking forward to attending more industry events like this as an alumni!

Where is my graduation hat?!

Final Fabric Selection & A Late Happy Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Demoiselle

I hope everyone has recovered from Valentine’s Day! Normally, I wallow in a deep sea of pessimism when all things red and heart-shaped are in Vogue, but I did actually thoroughly enjoy a late but all the more lovely Valentine’s dinner at Brassiere Zedel in Picadilly Circus. So, after tearing myself away from making some chocolatey treats, I have turned my focus back to my collection!

I cannot stay away from my machine for long!

I currently have my beady eyes on 3 Fabric Suppliers; I wanted the highest quality of silks, beautiful stretch jacquards, possibly some brocades and an array of tulles. I wanted vast colour options to pinpoint the exact shade I required; instead of reaching a compromise. “I am 100% colour efficient!”, she proclaimed; after an exciting trip to the Opticians.

I was not disappointed!

I have pinpointed everything I need for the collection including the fabrics, trimmings and any potential extras pieces I might wish to add. Some fabrics were found at the Textile Forum in October 2013 and some in Paris at Interfilière. In fact, 2 out of 3 of my selection of fabric suppliers are from the UK and the other is from our neighbour France!

I must return soon to climb yet more steps.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to source so many fabrics from just 3 suppliers. Of course, that is not including any trims or components. In fact, it is common for lingerie components to be sourced from at least 6 different countries! The UK actually has a vast network of companies where you can source the highest quality of components from, including important small components like gold-plated suspender clips.

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With my good friend Aisha Simpson, Sportswear Designer. With my good friend Ayesha Brown, Sportswear Designer.

I have finalised my fabric options for the collection and have started making final orders to make my samples. One delivery arrived last weekend which was rather exciting! I will be aiming to minimise waste, though I will be surprised if I have any unused fabric considering what I have selected.

If there is anything left I will possibly make a few tiny cat plushies out of the remaining fabric to do my bit for recycling >:)

I can see everything coming together and it’s looking great! Follow the links to my Pinterest and Instagram for not only hints of what colours the collection will exude but also what inspires me.

I think it’s time I get back on my sewing machine and no more chocolate for me, I have had at least 7 bars in the past few days; time for some pumpkin seeds!

Pumpkin Overdose

And then maybe some more chocolate?!

Interfilière & Salon International de la Lingerie Trip – Day 3

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Demoiselle

Monday –

Salon International de la Lingerie

Hello bad makeup day!

I said I would wake up extra early today but I didn’t…

I was uncharacteristically sluggish that morning~

The bed was warm and I was sad to be leaving Paris. Is that perfect timing for a day of roaming around Paris taking selfies with iconic monuments and buildings? Yessir! I really had enjoyed myself so much in the past couple of days. I was already eyeing up apartments on Avenue Foch and enquiring if there were any designers-in-residence spaces available next to the Louvre >;) So – a plan was devised late in the previous night, pinpointing the locations and a route that Bronte and I would execute if we could, to make the most of the final day.

Last day of the tradeshow –

I made a final visit early in the morning to the tradeshow to make an order for three gorgeous fabrics for my samples at Les Tissages Perrin and to bump into more people. Perrin sure knows how to make some gorgeous fabric. I am so impressed with the quality! My selection from their range fits in so well with my theme; I may even use it as a main base.

I had really enjoyed visiting this huge event. I look forward to attending the same events in the future!

The catwalk shows were outstanding…

catwalk This image from the Salon International de la Lingerie website gives you an idea of the quality of the shows.

Some of the exhibiting companies that I visited on the last day:

Gilda & Pearl
Designer Lingerie made in the UK.
http://www.gildapearl.co.uk/

g&p

Round 2! I had actually met Diane Houston at a Lingerie Collective event that I was working at a few years ago and had the pleasure of seeing her collection in person. It was great to pop by again and also meet with my ‘wifey’ Kayleigh Aitchison, who is now the Studio Assistant at Gilda & Pearl. Come back to London please~

My love life (or lack of) was one of the main topics as per usual… Though, this time I will actually take your advice Kayleigh, because I agree with it! Once I graduate, many things will change.

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I.D. sarrieri
Luxury High-end Fashion Lingerie
http://www.sarrieri.com/

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I bumped into David Finlayson before he had to rush off to the airport and this gave me a good opportunity to quickly see Iulia Dobrin, designer of the brand and take a sneak peek at the latest collection.

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Epiphany
High-end Lingerie brand
http://www.epiphany.be/

I saw something interesting to my right…

I met the lovely Designer Epiphany Vanderhaegen, daughter to Kaat Tilley a renowned Belgium fashion designer and Kim Brams at their stand and discussed her Fashion approach to Lingerie design.

Adventures –

The calm before the storm…

Bronte and I stopped off at a tasty Crêperie nearby to the Port de Versailles named L’Atelier Du Parc to eat before our epic and dangerous journey across Paris. I was greeted by yet another flirty waiter… He loves English accents he said. I see? “Talk to me in English!!” he requested, beaming a smile at me. Sure~ English is one of my strengths~ (￣ω￣) So I ordered the homemade chocolate crepe with Pineapple juice – AMAZING!

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The epic journey begins…

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? No, it wasn’t.

Trekking in the Amazon rainforest? Not quite.

Taking selfies of oneself with the iconic buildings of Paris with hastily-done makeup, wind and potential rain? Well, it was just as intense as the previous two… Really!

Trocadéro metro station was our first destination. After narrowly dodging two enthusiastic performers on the train, we hopped off and we walked. It was quite the blinding pace! “Gazelle legs!” my friend shouted, trying to slow me down. Albeit, I was quicker on my ‘long legs’, but I think it was actually the lack of towering Platform heels affecting my velocity. Flat shoes are a rather big contrast to my normal footwear. Note: I actually had my heels in my bag ‘just in case’. However, there was no time for wobbling around, we had many locations on our list and we didn’t want to take taxis in-between so…

Miss ‘Gazelle Legs’ was going to keep a strict, brisk pace.

We stood on the Palais de Chaillot in-between the impressive Musée national de la Marine and Théâtre National de Chaillot, viewing the Eiffel Tower across the beautiful fountains of water. Time for a selfie? Okay… It was windy and cold but I managed a reasonable shot or two. Though at this point, I was distracted by a cute little but rotund Seagull/Bird/Thing – What was more interesting? The Eiffel Tower or the Bird Creature?

Hmmm, I think the little thing wanted a photoshoot! Snap, snap, snap~

We wandered past some rather yummy French Military Soldiers and I will be honest here, I have a real thing for uniforms! I have been told far too many times to visit uniformdating.com but NO! Not yet. Perhaps when my colony of hungry, feral cats grows too large in numbers; then and only then, will I consider it.

Reluctantly, we walked down Avenue Kléber, away from the heavily-armed beefcakes and towards the huge Arc de Triomphe roundabout. No traffic lights or lanes? Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

“Health and safety!” I hear someone cry.

After taking a selfie at the Arc de Triomphe, we wandered down Avenue des Champs-Élysées making important stops at Ladurée, Ann Tuil – with the Willow/Cherry Blossom decorations at the front and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. I was disappointed that the A&F models didn’t have their tops off like in London, but I guess they were outside and it was cold~ What an amazing building though, I expected nothing less!

Next, we passed the Franklin D. Roosevelt metro station. Cue some Roosevelt quotes? …If you insist!

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

There is nothing I love as much as a good fight.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Let’s grapple!

Next stop was the simply amazing Obélisque monument… Another confession, I am literally obsessed with all things Egyptian; those close to me already know this. I had to contain myself from bouncing around or making too much noise. There were also elaborate lamppost-style poles nearby in an Egyptian style; using lapis lazuli tones and gold! Selfie time again.

Can I take these home with me?

The River Seine crept up beside us as we strode along the path to the Louvre; our final stop! As they say, the Mona Lisa is tiny… but I already knew that!

Mementos –

I wanted some touristy items as mementos, but I appreciate luxury, quality crafted items. So, equally I wanted well-made tourist items, not the super tacky ones! So we made a quick stop at a local Monoprix… and suprisingly their tourist products were lovely in comparison to some I had seen and were made in Europe. I wasn’t looking for diamonds anyway~ Maybe next time!

Time to get back to the hotel and grab our bags!

The Departure –

Royaume-uni welcomed me back with opens arms… Ahhh~ My beloved land! This was indeed an interesting contrast to my departure at the London terminals; being patted down because of the metal on my Marlies Dekkers Bra – Priceless!

“You dare to leave this island?!”

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Lingerie can get you in trouble!

Yes, yes! I will try to add as much metal to my collection to create this effect, at the same time taking care not destroy your washing machines… washing by hand anyone? pillowcase protection?

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A Time of Reflection

“It’s lonely doing your own thing!” Stacy Stube, Bali Fashion Dream.
http://balifashiondreamblog.com/

Despite all the energy and happiness, I certainly had my moments of worry, panic, fear and apprehension during this trip…

Regardless of how big your plans are, if you have drive, ambition, focus and dedication; with or without support, you can use your inner strength to fulfil your goals… you really can achieve great things.

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Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.

Tony Robbins

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Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future.

Coco Chanel
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Back in London!

I hope you enjoyed reading my trip to the Paris tradeshows! I am currently working on an extra side project involving lots of white fabrics *cough* and swarovski crystals, etc.

This will likely be the first of many trips to Paris.

Feel free to click on the pictures below to view the photos in detail

=ˆωˆ=

Interfilière & Salon International de la Lingerie Trip – Day 2

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Demoiselle

Salon International de la Lingerie

Sunday –

I was dreaming about breakfast… croissants with jam, pain au chocolat, crêpes, freshly chopped fruit, fresh juice & hot fragrant coffee! I could almost smell it.

I already started to miss London too, stumbling across some photos on my phone during the night; but there was no time to think: I was on a mission.

Food thankfully changed my focus.

After breakfast, I sped off to the tradeshow to have a wander around. It was enormous in comparison to any of the events I had been to before.

Interfilière

My small shopping list of items that were not sourced yet in the UK:

Fabrics

Stretch Jacquard/Brocade

Trimmings

Elastics

Attachments

Bra hooks/clasps
Metal Pieces
Gold Hoops

I wanted to find high quality items that could be potentially used for my collection; in particular, interesting bra clasps. At the end of this post is a list of the companies I ordered from! There were certainly some interesting new clasp options that I will test out once they arrive and some new gold hoop options that might fit well with my decorative body harnesses.

Thankfully, I had already found many fabrics and trims at the Textile Forum in London in October 2013; something I will most likely post about very soon. I will be contacting some of the fabric suppliers I spoke with in the next few days for possible sponsorship!

Bumping into familiar faces throughout the day was lovely, but I kept my focus on sourcing and ordering samples of any appropriate finds. Of course, no photos are allowed inside the tradeshow unless you are Press, so I haven’t included any within the show!

Trendshow for 2016

I joined with Catherine Fuller, Owner of Outrageous Fortune and a group of contour girls to watch the trend presentation and was pleasantly surprised to see the back of a familiar head! Deborah!

I didn’t expect to bump into Deborah Minshall, Head of Design at Victoria’s Secret at Corsina International Limited who previously taught me in my first year.

I must say I am sickeningly on trend in so many areas. I knew this from reading earlier trend reports like:

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Interfilière A/W 2014-15 Interfilière Summer 2014

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Silence Oxidised Sumptuous Moonstruck

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MarediModa

dgdgd

CANDY BAROQUE RELIVE HISTORY

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Now at the show, the amazing Trend Forum Tendances ‘Joyful’ area at Interfilière was telling me the same.

I didn’t plan it, honest! ˆ−ˆ My decisions were based on my research: my chosen consumer, the market level and many other factors which then resulted in my style options, colour palette, my choice of fabrics, trimming and details.

Seeing it on the screen was really lovely~

I guess I should exhibit, huh? =ˆωˆ=

All the beautiful fabrics and little trimmings were making me hungry, so I had a lunch break with my close friend Kayleigh Aitchison, Studio Assistant at Gilda & Pearl and with Diane Houston the lovely Owner of the brand at their stand. It was so good to catch up, it had been too long!

Long, like my humongous baguette! Oui Oui!

It was getting late, so I decided to leave the centre and headed off on the train back to the hotel. Once at Port de Versailles metro station, I met the loveliest New Yorker from Brooklyn named Rebecca who was a little lost and needed to get to the same station as me; so off we went together, chatting away on the train and exchanged numbers. When I travel to New York, I will make sure to give her a call!

We parted ways outside of the station and then I realised… Where am I?! I came out a different exit and was in the huge intersection at Montparnasse. The last time I was there, it was dark and I was eating in a restaurant that was red? Chez Bebert or Au Baroudeur? I have no idea. I do however remember some lovely glamorous French Women recommending us the best food on the menu and having copious amounts of red wine amongst our very large group! I certainly wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.

I had a map in my bag…

There were many red restaurants… and I was alone. Uh oh! I looked down one road as it started to rain and remembered the skyline with the Tour Maine-Montparnasse, it looked vaguely familiar… So instead of walking around like a headless chicken, I thought it made better sense to check with the locals that I was heading in the right direction.

By locals, I mean two gorgeous French Men. Teehee! They helped me with their limited English, walking me part of the way to the hotel to make sure I was on my way. So lovely! My intuition was correct; 2-3 minutes of slight worry over.

“Did she plan that?” Probably.

Evening time –

Time for the Eiffel Tower? No! I was advised not to go that evening as it was raining, cold and getting rather late. I was disappointed, but decided a plan should be made later with Bronte Phelps, a friend on my course, to zoom across Paris at dangerous speed on Monday instead before our train.

The weather would apparently be better… I really hoped so.

In the evening, I went for dinner at Café RUBIS with a large group of Contour girls again and had THE best onion soup with croutons and went back to the sex shop for research and photo evidence!

I find myself dancing at people again…

Too much energy and happiness!

Pharrell William’s song Happy has become somewhat of a theme tune for my trip and life at the moment! It really does feel good to do what you are passionate about. The moments of worry and panic are momentary. It’s good to learn how to keep a level head and keep positive – no heart attacks for me please!

Some of the wonderful companies I visited and ordered from at Interfilière:

Les Tissages Perrin

MODA-PIERRE

Satab

Art Martin

Odea

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I looked at my competitors and I thought that, If they could do it, I could do it. And if, they are popular and doing well, I could compete with them.

Tommy Hilfiger

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Day 3 coming soon!

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Interfilière & Salon International de la Lingerie Trip – Day 1

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Demoiselle

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Saturday –

It was my first time in Paris! I know, I know… I took my time. Previous trips were spent exploring the beautiful countryside areas in France, collecting seashells, appreciating the quiet pace of life and using it as an opportunity to practise the language.

This time I needed to attend two huge global trade fairs… Eurostar here I come!

I have been attending tradeshows in the UK for Lingerie and sourcing for the past 3 years since I started studying Fashion Contour at London College of Fashion; working for them, sourcing the latest fabrics, viewing exciting new collections, meeting new people and consequently spending far too many hours saying hi to all the people I know.

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Now I am in my fourth and final year at London College of Fashion and developing my first collection, the international tradeshows in Paris definitely seemed like a must on my ever-growing to-do-list.

Forget London Calling, I think Paris had a rope around my neck and was dragging me across the Channel.

Interfilière

Paris expo – Porte de Versailles

Interfilière

The leading international sourcing & business trade fair for intimates and beachwear fabrics

Salon International de la Lingerie

A visually stunning platform for 550 brands to exhibit:
Lingerie, Nightwear, R-T-W loungewear, Luxury Designer collections, Limited edition and Mens

I arrived in Paris high on sugar, excitement and life, made a stop at my Hotel in Montparnasse and saw the Tour Maine-Montparnasse towering over the rest of the buildings – I do like my fair share of Architecture! I definitely noticed that a nearby street on the way had many sex shops… gulp!

After dropping off my bag I went for lunch with a big group of Contour girls in Vin et Marée and sampled their Croque Monsieur and had Apricot Juice, then headed off to the Porte de Versailles to pick up my pass for the tradeshow.

I was really looking forward to start my exploring as soon as possible, so we headed off to Abbesses metro station and walked up the steep climb to Sacré–Cœur taking in the architectural features of the buildings as I went along.

Let us take a moment here to thank G-d that I had already started to do some Yoga and Inner-core strength training to keep myself healthy internally since the New Year or else I would have been totally out of breath once reaching the top. This is why Parisians are said to be so skinny! Steps, steps, steps!

The view was lovely up there; it almost had a Mediterranean feel…

Our large group then proceeded to wander into the nearby Place du Tertre, an arty farty tourist location for many bottles of wine, al fresco at La Bohême du Tertre, it was a chilly night but the wine, flirty waiter and company sure warmed us up quickly. I also spoke to an apparently toothless artist before walking back to the group – he was lovely!

The group later divided up into smaller packs to sample the Parisian nightlife near to the hotel. I was surprised at the contrast of clientele staying at the venues and bars late into the night. Compared to the London nightlife that I am used to – we definitely stood out!

More for married couples than young singletons I guess!

I decided to have something different for a change, so I ordered a Pina Colada from O CINQ with marshmallows; slightly different from my diet of red wine, dessert wines and champagne back in London.

Confidant and perky, we decided to venture into the nearby sex shops and I was soon informed by the owner I could receive a product ‘for free’… I politely declined ˆ−ˆ Better to be safe than sorry~

There is photo evidence of some of the more adventurous products but I feel it would be inappropriate to post here ~ ˆ−ˆ

We definitely had our fair share of fun today, taking in some of the culture and sights of Paris and decided at this point we should retire to our hotels and prepare for a long day tomorrow.

I forgot how much I love the French accent!

Day 2 coming soon!

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