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Uniqlo Shopping After Class Thursday after class, I met with a friend to check out the new artistic collaborations at Uniqlo Opéra. He wanted to check out a particular jacket from the KAWS + Warhol collection. There are also collaborations featuring art from Jean-Michel Basquiat and the Louvre. There was a queue to ensure everyone could have a moment with the collections from KAWS + Warhol and we saw some really cool pieces. Below are a few; you can find the rest on my IG @Tsahia. I had a good time with my French friend as I tried to explain who Cookie Monster is, as he is featured on some of the designs, with a banana. I wonder what drove that choice and why he wasn't featured with his beloved cookies? 
 Indulging my Eyes at Galleries Lafayette I've posted pictures from the pastry section of The Gourmet Market at Galleries Lafayette (https://haussmann.galerieslafayette.com/en/the-gourmet-market/) before, and since I was just there on Thursday after class, I couldn't help but snap a few photos of the latest desserts. The eclairs are from Christophe Adam, who was crowned the best pastry chef in 2014 and 2015. He pays tribute with L'Eclair de Génie to his love at first sight (à son coup de foudre): the lightning (l'eclair). Eclairs aren't usually my first choice, but I'm definitely in love. Below are pastries from Pierre Hermé, "an architect of taste" who comes from four generations of Alsatian bakers and pastry chefs. He is incredibly creative, and according to his website, his inspiration comes from "his weakness for sweets, pleasure, sensations, encounters, fragrances and textures." I just blushed a little bit! Coming from the American healthcare industry, we wouldn't sit in the office talking about pastries, pleasure, luxuries, etc., especially when working around tough subjects such as how we can keep oncology patients well in their homes or how we make a strenuous process such as dialysis easier for patients. However, as much as I loved my work in healthcare, I am ecstatic to live in a city where I can speak with people about indulgent topics such as raspberry coulis, pistachio crème and whether or not I should have a rosé wine or champagne. Descending to the lowest level in the Galleries Lafayette, you'll find a melange of the most beautiful fruit (mostly imported) at Maison Colom, the greengrocer. These fruits are pricier than what you'll find in the general markets around Paris, but the price stems from the import costs and the items' quality. Established by Rungis by Yoni Cohen in 2006, top chefs from around the city come here for the very best in produce. As I've been on my "Where's Jamaica in Paris?" journey, I've been lucky to find mangoes in a couple of places from Mexico and Brazil (below). I immediately put the mango in the fridge so it's a cool temperature and highly satisfying. We continue our journey and stumble upon the Meunier bakery, Le Bourdonnec butcher, Fishmonger and Cheesemonger. There are also a number of restaurants at The Gourmet Market, and, on my list, is the restaurant adjacent to Fishmonger - where it seems you can choose your own piece of fish or other seafoods for your meal. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. So what are you choosing - to cook dinner, prepare a platter for friends, or stay for a meal prepared by a gourmet chef? Bon appétit!
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Salut! Let me quickly answer the question: I am entirely ready for fall! However, today (August 18), winter might have been on its way. Last week and a few weeks prior, we've had some days reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Some may say, "Wow, I love the heat! After all of the rainy days in April, I'm ready for the heat." Well, let me just talk to you about all the places with NO air conditioning: my apartment, the street, the metro, the street again, most buildings and restaurants, the metro again, oh and again to my apartment. None of those places have AC. The exceptions to these places are schools, proper grocery stores like Monoprix and Franprix, the Fromage Museum (I need to learn about all the other museums), and some other places. Even in Galleries Lafayette, it just didn't seem completely cool. This is probably because stores that have AC will not blast it the way they do in Houston. They'll let off just enough cold air to slightly remove the chill, and you may sweat if you walk around too much. To escape the heat, just sit inside a Monoprix, especially the smaller ones, because they seem to blast the AC the most, or you can sleep in front of your freezer - if you're lucky enough to have a freezer in Paris. Why did I not sleep with the fridge door open on that 95-degree day? Je vais réfléchir sur le sujet. Since l'automne is upon us, most stores have traded in their summer vêtements (clothes) for their fall collections of boots, sweaters, scarves, wool suits, and trousers, richer and darker colors, leather jackets, and chic hats. I'm ready! What do you think about these leather gloves? Sometime in April or May, I previously passed by Acaba with my friend Niffer @loraliegray, and we chose some chic gloves. Of course, we had to go inside, and I spotted a pair of opera-style black leather fingerless gloves - I immediately made a dash to try them on and pick up a pair in my size. Niffer picked a beautiful pair of pistachio-colored leather driving gloves that happened to match her loafers (that I adore!). If I had to pick from these photos, I'd probably choose the leather studded driving gloves. Am I driving in Paris? No, but I may need to drive to the countryside one day, right? The excitement of fall fashion is truly invigorating, isn't it?  Acaba Gantier (glove shop) 41 Rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris      Noteworthy mentions for another visit when they're open...  Fashion Vintage Paris, consignment store 15 Rue de Petits Champs. I passed this store on the way to the Jardin du Palais Royal. It was the local holiday called, Assomption (that's what it says in my calendar). I definitely want to check out this store another day.  Passage Choiseul, 40, rue des Petits Champs – 23, rue Saint Augustin, 75002 Paris. This passage is one of the covered passages of Paris, located in the 2nd arrondissement. The passage was built between 1826 and 1827, first to the designs of the architect François Mazois, then Antoine Tavernier (Wiki). Paris at night  Café des Tuileries, 210 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris        Salut, comment ça va? Curing my nostalgia for Jamaica in Paris So, what did I spend my time on today? Right now, I'm feeling super nostalgic and decided to watch some Jamaican movies to connect back with my heritage. There is a Jamaican association here in Paris, and I signed up to join. I think after the Olympics festivities, there will be more time to discuss meeting other Jamaicans. The great thing about being Jamaican is that no matter if you have 1/8 Jamaican in you, you were born in America, you don't speak patois, you are Jamaican and will be welcomed as such. Right now, I'm watching the film Shottas for my 2000s crush, Spragga Benz, and earlier, I watched Dancehall Queen. Both full-length movies are available on YouTube. Some of these feelings of nostalgia started earlier when I was at the gym watching Drink Champs with special guest Buju Banton. It's said that now Buju is one of the greatest performers alive. Friends who went to his sold-out concert in Madison Square Garden (the first reggae artist to do so) posted pictures and videos all over their timelines so I could live vicariously through them. I signed up to see him if he comes to Paris - he may come to London first, and I'll definitely be there with bells on! Thinking deeper about this, I realize some nostalgia probably started because of my recent time at the Olympics! It was my first time going to any Olympics, and no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I'm always #TeamJamaica! It was an exhilarating experience to cheer for Tia Clayton in the 100m and the Gold medal winner, St. Lucian Julien Alfred. I was so devastated that neither Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce nor Sherika Jackson ran. However, I saw Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell compete and win the bronze medal! It's an experience that I will forever remember. I was so happy that my friend from London joined me, and we got to cut up a bit and enjoy the games and chill in Paris.  Having some fun with the #TeamJamaica and #TeamUSA rivalries - 2028 JA is coming for those gold medals! The morning after the games, we had an American-style brunch at Holybelly (5 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Paris). Je recommande vraiment! We had peach mimosas, bacon, eggs, salad, and the pancakes! My friend said these were some of the best she's had. However, for me, they were so delicious, but I stan for Café Luluc pancakes in Brooklyn (214 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11201). On a Sunday, be prepared to stand in line at Holybelly. We waited about 20 minutes, but it was worth the wait!  We had to walk off brunch and of course, do my favorite pastime, browsing! Seek and you shall find! We found some great items, vintage and new. A huge part of why I started this blog is to introduce people to lesser known shops in Paris where they can discover luxurious items, generally handmade, and crafted from the highest quality materials.  Photo from Café Background, coffee shop 338 rue Saint Jacques. It was a jewelry popup shop and they had some really gorgeous pieces.  Gorgeous hats from Miki Mialy 12 Rue Froissart, 75003 Paris. I also bought a lovely bejeweled sheer black collar from this store. So sexy and chic, I can't wait to wear it. I may come back for this white hat!  Photo from Indress 74 rue Charlot 75003 Paris  Erem Vintage 132 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris. Why was this a size 36? If it was a bit larger, it would have gone home with me! A weekend of pistachios and silk Bonjour! A couple of weekends ago, like every other weekend in Paris, was a whirlwind. The weekends are full of enjoyable activities of exploration and discovery and blossoming friendships. That Friday was the music party, and I went to check out a vocalist and grab some Vietnamese food with a friend for some French conversation. Then, we found a street party near the Paris Opéra and spent time people-watching, dancing, and getting wet from the rain (La Fete de la Musique). Paris is such a vibrant city with so many people and cultures that seemingly effortlessly blend together. After recent elections, I am curious about:
Let's go back to the weekend. You could not tell me I wasn't leaving my house. One Saturday, I ordered Vietnamese food through Uber Eats. Then, I got a phone call from my new friends who wanted to go and grab coffee. I know that I really liked these girls already because I really had to fight with myself to stay in the house, so eventually, I decided to eat the food that came and then meet them for coffee since we were only going to République, which is on the #3 metro and at the tripoint of the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. It is also about 25 or 30 minutes away from my home. So we met for coffee at a cool café with a beautiful selection of vinyl in the front of the store. Then, we went to find food to eat and stumbled upon a delicious Asian restaurant that served these delicious sandwiches. Happily, both of these girls speak French, so we had conversations in English and French. We will continue with our French because that helps us grow as French speakers. Well, after dinner, one of the ladies and I went to get ice cream, and I got a really delicious scoop of pistachio ice cream. If you're reading this blog, you'll see pistachio come up several times because I absolutely love pistachio. And the more pistachios, the better, especially in ice cream, on ice cream, and pastries. So we walked and chatted for about 45 minutes to an hour. I got about 13,000 steps on Saturday, completely different from the zero steps I had intended. Definitely two different occurrences of pistachio ice cream! Which one would you prefer?
Sunday brunch, a passage, and silk However, there's always time for brunch and new people. So, on Sunday, I went to a cute place with another friend, where we thought we'd have an American breakfast. En fait, it turned out to be Danish breakfast, and it was pleasing. But, for dessert, the blueberry tart with whipped cream stole the show. Parisian tarts are always filled with fresh fruit, which makes them feel just a little bit healthier. You always know you are not getting a weird store-bought filling from a can. Sometimes, the crusts are also less sugary and thinner than you would typically find in American desserts, which is no shade to apple pie. I absolutely will always love apple pie with a scoop of ice cream.    https://sera-studio.com/about/ One of the things I love the most about Paris is meeting the designers! I met Sera Oltan, a Turkish designer who founded Sera Studio in 2020 in Paris, France. You can follow the company on IG @sera__studio Monday blues I used to dread Monday, and these days are not much different because we have exams every Monday. However, at least at the end of the day, I can go home and forget about French and watch the latest episode of House of Dragon. Today's exam featured an oral comprehension exercise, negation with ne...plus, ne...jamais, ne....aucun, etc, using the present and passé composé forms. There was also a writing exercise. I enjoy writing in French, probably because I enjoy writing in general. Here's a look at some of the new work.  Salut! C'est moi, Tsahia! Life has been lifeing. What hasn't been going on? It's been school, life, aches and pains, and an ending honeymoon with Paris, developing friendships, and continuing to cultivate old friendships. Honestly, the last three weeks, which in retrospect seems like so much time, but not really, has been very difficult for me as I've been having some health challenges. Still, thankfully, all is well. Thank goodness I have good health insurance and live in a country where I can see the doctor without fearing bankruptcy. A possible publication from Houston! While I was in Houston, I was an Innovation Strategist at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The team worked on projects that traversed all sections of the hospital. My work focused on digital health and how to incorporate virtual care at MD Anderson. As part of that work in virtual care, I'm excited to learn that an article may be published on the model of care that we developed. I'm ecstatic about this, so I'll publish more once I get an update. Dining on Danone's HiPro protein shakes & fitness I've been to a few restaurants lately and I've wanted to share some pictures. In the captions, I'll tell you what has been good and what has been so-so. I've been noticing that if you're going for what might be considered fast(er) food, it can be quite saucy. So there was a time I had a Cobb salad and another time when I had a kebab, and both were drowned in sauce. The salad was drowned in Caesar dressing and the kebab was soaked in a ketchup plus mayonnaise mix. I mean, it was OK. However, I don't like my food to be so saucy. Lately, I have been cooking at home, and I have plans to continue. I've also discovered these Danone HiPRO vanilla protein shakes, which I drink almost every other day at school. Takeout meals in Paris tend to be overly skewed to just salad or bread, and the protein is virtually an afterthought. Also, I've been eating the same meal for lunch at the Monoprix which is a Danone protein shake and sandwich wrap, which costs me $9.10 (not as cheap as you might expect - pas cher). So I have to tell you it is possible to gain weight in Paris. And even though I have lost some weight, which leads me to my next topic... I started my first day of personal training at Basic-Fit because even though I have lost weight and walk almost 10 to 12,000 steps every day, I don't want to lose the gains I had while in Houston, doing a lot of heavy-weight training. So, I'm super thrilled to be able to continue to do weight training. I enlisted a personal trainer because it has been about four months since I've been in Paris and I've not done much weight training. As you get older, especially if you live in a city where you have to run errands, whether carrying things or sitting a lot in a car, it's essential to ensure you have strong and healthy muscles. You really have to emphasize your core muscles to ensure you have good posture and your back is strong. Fashion and Style I've also been doing some shopping, and I can't wait to share what I have bought. My sister just told me I need to do another OOTD, but to be honest with you, I really have not been dressing up in Paris. I have been going for a plain and natural look because my focus has been going to school. That in itself had been a struggle. But now that I'm feeling better, I want to put together more OOTD's. Lately, I've been thankful for UNIQLO's clothes because it's been quite hot the last week or two. I realize that almost all of my skirts are midi or ankle length, and I really needed something short so I could get some breeze flowing to my legs and actually get a little sun on them. So, what do you think about my UNIQLO dresses?  This is my favorite purchase from UNIQLO right now. It's a plain black t-shirt dress that fits so nicely. I'm 5'2 and wearing a size medium. It looks great for a sporty day with sneakers and sunglasses. Also, when the wind blows, the dress does not blow away with the wind! So that's a relief because some dresses can get carried away!  This dress is really nice for the hot weather. It features a slip and bra pads so that you can wear it confidently without a separate bra. But, I wish it came in a shorter version. I don't know why companies are so focused on making midi length dresses and skirts - how are your legs supposed to get sun? Looking at the photo, the dress is longer than I thought. I'll wear it again, however, I might try to tie it at the bottom for a shorter length. |
AuthorBonjour, I’m Tsahia—friends call me Tash. I’m a Parisian luxury-focused entrepreneur and writer, living in the heart of Paris. I'm currently studying Global Luxury Brand Management at Sup de Luxe. 
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