SERENDIPITY...

*When I realised my trip to Paris coincided with Les Soldes I was very happy. I love the Paris sales - everything is 50 or 40% off straight away and boutiques still function as places where you get service, rather than places where the staff bung all the stock on the shop floor, then run away and leave you to elbow your way through the dregs. It's all quite civilised and I don't know if it's a sign of the recession or not, but they seem more likely to have the thing you want in the size you need - rather than the usual situation where you end up buying something ridiculous in the wrong size just because it's in the sale.

*When I arrived at my friends' building in the 3rd where I usually stay, I was looking around the courtyard for the Gardien to give me the key. Then I couldn't help but notice the parade of beautiful young men exiting the door of the Ann Demeulemeester showroom (which is downstairs) putting their shirts back on. Casting. Mens' fashion week. Of course.

So events took an interesting turn - shopping wise and male model wise (though my days as a mens' fashion week modelizer are long gone - about 13 years long gone.)

Paris was hot, sunny and beautiful as always. It made me feel generally more enthused about life than I have been. My trip was too short and I'm still in shock at having to come back to London so soon, when I was having such a good time.

More later, and probably all this week about the shopping (success at Vanessa Bruno!) and the cute boys (fun!). But for now here's a picture of a cute dog: I don't seem to take the kind of photos I used to in Paris; no more gratuitous close ups of macarons and the like, though you can find plenty of those here...