INSPIRED WANDER

On every trip to Paris, they never cease to amaze me.  The vibrant, creative, cool, drool worthy shop windows.  Seriously people, these are freaking works of art!  The only apt description that comes to mind as I roam around the city admiring these beauties, slack jawed…is eye candy.

The thought and creative energy that goes into these vignettes, selling seemingly simple, everyday items from eyeglasses, to baguette to clown wigs, is simply amazing.  It makes me want to spend the rest of my life emptying my pockets into the stores that would take such care in making a beautiful statement to the world.  Who can ever have too many clown wigs or pairs of vintage eyeglasses anyway?

When I was in Paris this past October, I decided to make it a mission to photograph some of its inspiring store fronts.  At the end of the day, it was hard to edit them down.  Literally, everywhere I looked was a picture perfect snapshot.  Just another example of the panache and “je ne sais quoi” that is so endearing and engaging about life in Paris.  Something tells me that I might have to spend more time in Paris to really explore and immerse myself in this way of life…nudge nudge, wink wink.  More on that later, in another post.  OK, full disclosure, it has already been decided…but more in another post.

The more I get to know it, the more Paris becomes my dream.  Cobblestones, flying buttresses, melted butter, and joie de viure.  These artful shop windows are just another tug at my already smitten heart strings.  Damn!  It turns out that I am a sucker for beauty, simply for beauty’s sake, who knew?  If you can make something as unassuming as the window of a sweet shop, bakery or cafe look this gorgeous…why wouldn’t you?  That is what the people of Paris seem committed to.  Making things lovely…as an expression of human joy and pride is, it would seem, an end in itself.  How civilized.