2008 Woodie Awards
The Riffs of the Catwalk
Insomniac Humanoid
Anna Nguyen
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Life & Style
Not wishing to return to the Yllen Eiffel Hotel in Paris, as it would signify that the remaining hours of my last day in Paris would soon be truly over, I continued my leisurely stroll through the busy Les Champs-Elysees district.
That very day, I recalled rising from bed early to catch an early metro ride to no specific destination. After my unsuccessful attempts of trying to locate Sylvia Beach's "Shakespeare and Company" library and a quick halt at a Starbucks, I returned to the metro station, contemplating my next stop.
I then looked at the quick route listed above the seats and noticed that Les Champs-Elysees was just a couple of stops short. The day before, I had a quick detour at that area, but the list of the other stops was foreign to me. Thus, I decided to visit that area again.
On the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysees , I stopped at many shops, chatted with a jewelry vendeuse in French and perused the books under the Japanese literature section at a nearby bookstore. I dared to go farther away from the bright lights of the chic shopping area to the darker alleys where I saw more shops and restaurants, and after a few moments, I saw stores such as Miu Miu and Prada in big, brightly lit buildings among the busy center streets. In fact, Miu Miu was across from a car service shop. Odd, I thought. The Miu Miu building was white and the mannequins wore bright-colored ensembles while the surrounding buildings were rather bleak in comparison. The weather could have also has been a contributing factor about the two opposing color schemes. Parisian weather in December is unbearably cold and under rather somber-colored skies.
Moving westward to l'Arc de Triomphe, I walked past more shops, cinemas and cafes. Loud dance music from Sephora music was playing inside the shop and a crowd began to form. People clustered outside to catch a glimpse of the exciting commotion.
I was forced to stop, as traffic began to halt my promenade. I heard French and English as I tried to maneuver my way out of the crowd. At some point during the process, I turned to look across the street. Among the infinite amount of shoppers and pedestrians, the biggest Louis Vuitton store was in sight. Scarlett Johansson was, perhaps, the celebrity spokesperson for the designer's label. Her massive posters dominated the building.
That very day, I recalled rising from bed early to catch an early metro ride to no specific destination. After my unsuccessful attempts of trying to locate Sylvia Beach's "Shakespeare and Company" library and a quick halt at a Starbucks, I returned to the metro station, contemplating my next stop.
I then looked at the quick route listed above the seats and noticed that Les Champs-Elysees was just a couple of stops short. The day before, I had a quick detour at that area, but the list of the other stops was foreign to me. Thus, I decided to visit that area again.
On the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysees , I stopped at many shops, chatted with a jewelry vendeuse in French and perused the books under the Japanese literature section at a nearby bookstore. I dared to go farther away from the bright lights of the chic shopping area to the darker alleys where I saw more shops and restaurants, and after a few moments, I saw stores such as Miu Miu and Prada in big, brightly lit buildings among the busy center streets. In fact, Miu Miu was across from a car service shop. Odd, I thought. The Miu Miu building was white and the mannequins wore bright-colored ensembles while the surrounding buildings were rather bleak in comparison. The weather could have also has been a contributing factor about the two opposing color schemes. Parisian weather in December is unbearably cold and under rather somber-colored skies.
Moving westward to l'Arc de Triomphe, I walked past more shops, cinemas and cafes. Loud dance music from Sephora music was playing inside the shop and a crowd began to form. People clustered outside to catch a glimpse of the exciting commotion.
I was forced to stop, as traffic began to halt my promenade. I heard French and English as I tried to maneuver my way out of the crowd. At some point during the process, I turned to look across the street. Among the infinite amount of shoppers and pedestrians, the biggest Louis Vuitton store was in sight. Scarlett Johansson was, perhaps, the celebrity spokesperson for the designer's label. Her massive posters dominated the building.
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