I've loved fashion all my life, and my dream job as a 5 year old was to one day become a fashion designer. So where else would I go for my 1st international trip other than Paris? I went during Feb of 2019 for 1 week. I will detail some things I did, what I wish I had known, and recommend some places.
1. The Eiffel Tower
No trip to France is complete without a visit to La Tour Eiffel. The Eiffel Tower was built by (you guessed it!) architect Gustave Eiffel's firm in ~2 years and 2 months. However, it wasn't designed by Eiffel himself--it was designed by Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, who worked for Eiffel. It was opened to the public in 1889 at the World's Far in Paris to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution and to show France's modern technology on the world stage.
Forgive me for being so extra--I just had to in this city of fashion. The Eiffel Tower was actually supposed to be taken down after 20 years, but the French decided to keep it. And a good thing they did! The Eiffel Tower alone attracts ~7 million visitors every year.
The lights go on in the evening and the tower glitters for 5 minutes every other. It is truly beautiful!
Views from top of the Eiffel Tower:
2. The Louvre Museum
The Louvre is the most-visited museum in the world. The museum is huge and you can easily spend all day here. The most famous painting of course is the Mona Lisa. I know the Mona Lisa is famous because Da Vinci broke so many rules and brought a fresh perspective to portraits when he painted this, but honestly, I did find it underwhelming in real life. For some reason, I expected it to be much larger. There is a room in the Louvre dedicated solely to the Mona Lisa and even getting a glimpse of the famous lady is hard depending on what time you go.
I loved this painting--I rather think that my outfit matches his?!
I actually enjoyed this museum more than the Louvre. I recognized more paintings here and some of my favorite paintings by my favorite artist Vincent van Gogh are located here.
And a Monet, for good measure, as I love his works too:
And The Little Dancer of 14 Years by Edgar Degas:
4. The Catacombs of Paris
The catacombs of Paris were built because the city's cemetaries were running out of space. All the skulls and bones are real:
5. The Notre Dame
Victor Hugo's famous novel was inspired and set in this church. In France, Hugo is actually known more for his poems than his novels.
6. Museé Yves Saint Laurent Paris
I've loved fashion since I was 5 years old. I've always wanted to do fashion and love collecting designer pieces. Yves Saint Laurent is one of the most influential designers of all time and one of the most open-minded people in fashion as well. He helped to put underrepresented women and women of color in his shows, making fashion more universal.
The famous Mondrian dress that Yves Saint Laurent designed, combining modern art with fashion.
7. Versailles Palace
Versailles is not in Paris but I took a train trip because I love visiting castles. The Versailles Palace was built over 350 years ago and Napoleon Bonaparte once lived here. Versailles is the most extravagant and beautiful palace I have ever seen. The sheer size and grandeur will make your head spin.
Macarons and croissants are everywhere in Paris as bakeries are ubiquitous. I tried McDonald's, and Laduree. The Laduree packaging is adorable but all the macarons honestly tasted the same to me.
The heels I wore for the Eiffel Tower photoshoot are from Louboutin. Monsieur Louboutin named his favorite shoes/magnum opus after his favorite place in Paris: Pigalle.
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