DORÉ

Here is the Paris of the great Olympia Le Tan, who’s the designer of the clutches (and now clothes) we loooooooove !

What’s your favorite part of town?
Left bank, near the Seine… from Pont des Arts to Pont de l’Alma.

Where to you find your vintage stuff?
Anouschka and Mamie, and sometimes at the Clignancourt flea markets.

Three of your favorite places to shop?
Papier + (rue du Pont Louis Philippe) for notebooks (I sketch all of my collections in my notebooks).
Stéphane Chapelle (rue de Richelieu) for beautiful flowers.
La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché for everything good to eat.

If you had to recommend a hotel to friends coming through, it would be..
L’hotel Regina, I love the lobby and their corner rooms overlooking the Tuileries.

Do you have an HQ? A bar, a cafe?
I think officially it’s the Café de Flore but secretly it’s Starbucks on l’Avenue de l’Opera.

A restaurant that’s both old school and super chic ?
Le Voltaire.

A new restaurant that has your heart?
Kunitoraya 2, 5 rue Villedo (It’s not so new, but it’s the newest I know.)

Your favorite pâtisserie ?
It’s not really a pâtisserie but I love all the sweets at Rose Bakery.

Somewhere for a romantic rendezvous?
A picnic at the Château de Bagatelle.

Where do you buy your books? Where can you find inspiring ones to fill your pockets?
In Paris at Shakespeare & Co, rue de la Bûcherie, but I buy a lot in New York and London.

Where’s a good place to sit (like a bar or a park) to watch people pass by and find inspiration?
Le pont Neuf, It’s my favorite bridge just because of the little alcoves it has where you can sit down. I love watching all the gypsies between Tuileries and the Louvre as well. They’ll do stuff like pretend they just found a gold ring on the ground and then try to get tourists to buy it off them for cash. It works sometimes!

Somewhere that hasn’t quite caught on but you just love it?
Chez Didine, It’s the little bar that pops up for the summer carnival in Tuileries.

The best way to get around Paris (métro, scooter, on foot… ?)
On foot or with a bike..

The best view of the city?
Top floor of the Pompidou.

Your favorite museum?
The Musée Nissim de Camondo.

Somewhere super touristy you still like to visit?
The Eiffel Tower.

What souvenir would you definitely bring back from Paris?
Chocolate from Fouquet (rue Laffitte) or macarons from Ladurée.

Describe an ideal day in Paris…
It’s the weekend… Breakfast at Flore, long walk on the Seine to check out all the books in the book stalls, a visit to the Louvre, lunch at Angelina’s, take a quick glance in Colette to see the Olympia Le-Tan collection (and the rest too), go to Galignani to buy the international newspapers, meet up with my little brother and my niece in the Tuileries gardens and watch them ride the ponies. Early dinner at a Japanese restaurant close to the house (Takara, just to name one), have a drink at Harry’s bar (rue Daunou) with friends and then to sleep.

Translation : Tim Sullivan

More City Guides:
Joana / Rio
Rei / Tokyo
Laure / Miami
Dianna / New York
Lauren / Paris
Kate / New York
Anouk / Sydney 
Melodi / Istanbul
Luisa & Tine / Rome
Alexandra / Paris
Giorgia / Milan