Packing For Paris: In The Suitcase

Before we talk packing and suitcases I wanted to revel in the beauty of this Parisian interior.

Recently Emily and I wandered into Le Meurice (one of those fabulous impromtu mother and daughter weekends) and indulged with breakfast in one of the most ornate and magnificent spaces in Paris.

I can’t help it, I still gravitate with full force towards an over the top and traditional French decor.

I understand the functionality, practicality and austere beauty of the minimal and the contemporary but for sheer grandeur, this classic Parisian interior wins hands down.

For me anyway.

Everything about the dining room is romantic (tragically the history of this room leaves much to be desired but I prefer to blinker my eyes to its unhappy past and appreciate the room for how it is today) and makes me feel as if I am living someone else’s life or appearing as an extra on a movie set. The proportions and scale, the refinements and details, add so many extra dimensions.

For the price of an expensive breakfast the feast is not only about the croissants, delicately salted butter and home made preserves but also the sumptuous interior.

Don’t miss this view when you are next in Paris. If you are already familiar with Le Meurice, don’t neglect the dining room; it is one in a million.

Back to the suitcase and packing for Paris.

There is another very simple piece I never leave home without.

It is a fine garment and one of my girlfriends, who really knows her fashion, showed me a couple of years ago. She was surprised I had not succumbed to the joys of John Smedley men’s knitwear, a kind of British institution for fine merino sweaters.

We went, she bought, I looked and I went back. I have been a convert ever since.

I especially like the men’s sweaters; the shapes are well designed and the cut generous. Right now, I am into the V so their fine merino V-necks work perfectly for me. I don’t know why the fit is better, but it is. She gave me this buy-the-boys tip and I have been following along ever since.

Note: Go down one size with the menswear unless you like a more generous and loose fit.

The other style I particularly like is the small collar and two buttons, an elegant version of the polo neck. That’s the one she wears with everything; with lace, with silk and with cotton.

These sweaters are super light in weight and can be worn alone, over a tee and underneath a jacket or overcoat. They are elegant enough to be worn solo and sit well over pants or skirts.

The real beauty is they take no room in the suitcase.

The second best detail is they launder well, don’t snag and last forever. An investment piece that is practical and stylish.

We are winning. xv