A Poor Fashionista's Guide to Paris: Le Marais

I've now been in Paris for around 5 weeks (blog writing had to be put on hold as it was rather difficult to settle in) and I feel like I'm already becoming a part of my dream world, the world of fashion! Last week I attended Vogue Fashion's Night out on Rue Saint Honore (left) and this weekend I've been at Tranoi trade show (a blog post about this event will be coming soon!) So having already spent a fair amount of time roaming the streets of Paris I thought I would put together a concise guide of Paris for those who love fashion but don't have the cash to splash! I will write a post about a new area each week so watch this space.

The number one hot spot to visit and the area I'm going to start with is Le Marais, catch a line 1 Metro to Saint Paul and cruise up the escalator straight onto the street. Le Marais is the best place in Paris to find vintage clothing. My favourite store and the generally acknowledged best is The King of Frip. Located on Rue du Roi de Sicile this store has so many clothes inside and they are all reasonably priced (for a vintage store in Paris anyhow). I bought the cape coat pictured above in this store for 40 euros which given the quality of it is a total bargain  Along the same road there a few other vintage stores which are worth a pop in.

The King of Frip

Once you've shopped and dropped make your way to 14 Rue Pavée to L'eclaire de Genie for an absolutely splendiferous ecalire. With a new collection each season these cakes are the patisserie world equivalent of Chanel. This season I would recommend the Caramel Pop Corn eclaire which is crème caramel salted butter with caramel fondant topped with caramel popcorn. A bit pricey at 5 euros each but well worth it in my opinion. If you feel like really splashing out or taking home a tasty gift then they come in boxes of 4, 6 or 10. If you feel like something more savoury then you have to go with the falafel that the area is famous for. There are hundreds of stores and they are all cheap and tasty!

http://www.leclairdegenie.com/eclairs

Once you've purchased your eclaire/falafel make your way to the Seine and eat your food on the river banks. Once you've eaten it all up walk through the area, admiring the timelessly chic Parisians and gazing into designer boutiques until you reach the Pompidou centre. This is one of my favourite places to visit. The place outside is perfect for people watching and inside is a fabulous modern art collection that I find truly inspiring. 

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/en

And so ends your day in Le Marais, if you feel like going out for dinner then I would recommend a creperie because what else would you eat in Paris?! I hope you've found this post interesting/helpful and please leave any questions in the comments below!

My Wardrobe: Suede Heels

I feel like the thing this blog is lacking is the contents of my own wardrobe so I'm starting a new 'column' that I'll write every Tuesday about the things in my wardrobe! As I'm only 18 (I'm actually writing this on my 18th Birthday!!) and have my strict budget my wardrobe isn't exactly the most extensive of expensive but I'm hoping that over the next year whilst actually having a job I might develop a larger collection.

                                                                                          

As Manolo Blahnik once said, 'Shoes are the quickest way for women to achieve instant metamorphosis' which I think is the perfect explanation as to why they are such a crucial element of a wardrobe. In this post I'm sharing with you my staple suede heels. The first is the absolute necessity that every woman should own, a pair of plain black court heels. Mine are from Primark and were only £8 but they've lasted me about 3 years already!

The second pair is these grey open toe heels. These are one of my favourite pairs of shoes because they are super comfy and look really great on. They were £15 from New Look 2 years ago.

These black studded low cut ankle boot heels are a fairly recent splurge at £40 from Office but I love them to bits and they aren't too high so can be comfortably worn all day.

The last pair is these cute navy blue pointed toe heels with a bow. These were the first ever heels I bought. I bought them in New Look for £10 in the sale way back in 2008 when I was about 13. I love them not just because they are adorable but also because of the history and stories they carry.

Nail Varnish of the Week

Like many females, I have a bit of an addiction to nail varnish. I own hundreds and tend to go out and buy a new one every time I get a bit of money. I frequently plan my entire outfit around the latest colour of varnish I've fallen in love with. I love nail varnish as it can alter the entire tone of an outfit. If you're wearing a little black dress it can become gothic with black nails, poppy and bright with some vibrant pink nails or classy with a classic red. Following on from my 80s theme (check my last post!) this week I've been obsessed with Barry M's shade 'Silver Multi Glitter' (shade 338). It's a wonderfully sparkly silver with small glitter particles so it's not to over the top. It's also amazingly versatile as you can layer it over a colourful base and the colour will show through giving the glitter a whole new look. I'm currently wearing it with just a clear base coat underneath:

In the beginning there was Gossip Girl;

On the 30th of September 2008 I sneakily logged onto my computer whilst my family were asleep in order to watch Gossip Girl, a show I was forbidden from watching at the time being only 13 years old. The episode was entitled 'Serena Also Rises' and featured New York Fashion Week. I was transfixed by this seemingly glamorous industry and from then on my love for fashion just grew and grew. All pocket money went on issues of Teen Vogue and then later Vogue, Company and Harper's Bazaar as I began to understand more of the content.

I've watched the rise of fashion blogging from my bedroom at home and I've finally gained the guts to start my own blog. They say that every successful blogger has an angle and it seemed very clear to me what mine should be. Being an 18-year-old living at home still and struggling to finish my final year of high school I am permanently skint, but somehow I still manage to own an extensive wardrobe and jewellery box. My angle? Working fashion on a next-to-nothing budget!

I don't think I'm overly knowledgeable on fashion and I am always learning more about designers, history and design itself. I keep an eye on the trends but rather than copying catwalk looks I like to draw inspiration from them and form my own interpretations! Inspiration can be found everywhere and that's something I want to share on this blog.

So watch this space for posts on what's been inspiring me and what outfits I've managed to conjure up from a tenner!