Yes people. I was there. On the Rive Gauche in Paris. In Hermes. In Paris. On the Rive Gauche.
As I piled on the layers this morning and trudged through this crazy cold weather out to my formerly cute, now salt-covered and ice-storm-damaged VW bug, it seems REALLY REALLY far away.
But I was there. Eating crêpes and drinking wine and walking through Paris in the spring. Actually it was freezing cold and snowy, but I’m going to leave that out of the memory for now.
I flipped through some Paris pics today and I thought I would share these shots of the Hermes flagship store. Even if $1200 scarves are not in your budget, you will enjoy the stunning interiors of this former pool turned luxury boutique.
I walked in sopping wet from the rain, and the doorman silently handed me a special umbrella bag to hold my wet umbrella. I was actually pretty happy about that since the bag had a nice Hermes logo on it, which meant I would be walking out with something from Hermes.
Right after I entered I saw a very fashionable and slightly scary woman attendant at a desk. I nervously approached and asked permission to take some photos. Because if you’re a blogger who has been in Paris more than 2 days, you know that only barbarians take photos without first asking permission. Those same barbarians who try to hail cabs from anywhere other than an official taxi stand.
Here is a shot of the main staircase, where you descend into the pool area to start your shopping. Or staring. Whatever the case may be.
I discretely took these photos, which was fine with Hermes until I got too close to the actual luxury merchandise, photos of which are apparently not permitted. No matter, just seeing the interior made the visit worth it.
This boutique is located in the former pool of the Hotel Lutetia, built in the 1930s and the location of Paris’ oldest swimming club. You can see the original mosaic tiling and wrought ironwork. Designed by French architects RDAI, the highlights of the space are three giant woven ash huts that create sculptural enclosed spaces.
This is the view inside one of the huts.
This store is a must see on any trip to Paris. And make sure to ask for an umbrella bag.
Hermes, 17 Rue de Sevres, St Germain des Pres, Paris, France
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o.k., miss-hermes-fancy-pants-all-well-traveled-flagship-store-blah.
i have one thing to say.
valentines day is right around the corner.
candle holders.
perhaps you can try those again , but spell out ” HERMES”
sort of, an homagetohermes.
have a great day!
(get working on that V-DAY craft)
##alltimefunniestpost
aahhhahahhahaha! That gave me a good laugh!
And a tiny shudder when I thought about the candleholders.
Now you’ve got me thinking. I might try making an umbrella bag instead for my annual Valentine fail.
Thanks for visiting, Di 🙂
I am green – GREEN, I tell you – with envy. Next time you go, if you need a stowaway companion I just want to let you know I’m available. Seriously. Any time.
I always love a travel buddy! Having a pal beside you makes these places MUCH easier to handle!
Those huts look pretty cool. What an unique experience
It was a little over-the-top but a fun thing to see.
I can just imagine how exciting it was to be there! And this use to be a pool? That is pretty neat. It looks a bit intimidating, but hey, at least you got the Hermes bag 🙂
Suz
Very intimidating for me, but still fun to do! It was actually pretty easy to see that it was built inside a pool from the top of the stairs. The photos don’t really show this. And, yes, I can actually truthfully say I have a Hermes bag!
WOW I was lost in those pictures! Europe is on my list to explore one day. $1200 scarves? Really? OK I barely like spending $15 on scarves. haha!
I do hope you can get to Europe one day. I was actually born there (Italy) and I have had the chance to go back several times. I’m sure you will love it! And by the way, it’s not hard to find $15 scarves there, too, from a market or a street vendor 🙂
Dani my hubby and I are planning a getaway in 2015 to Italy. It is the place I dream about going. We are slowly learning Italian now. Did you grow up there?
I came here when I was a baby, but I spent a lot of time there growing up and visit regularly as an adult. It is always an amazing trip, I’m sure it will be everything you dream of. Where are you thinking of going?
DH wants to see the history in Rome, but besides that we haven’t planned any others. We love to eat and plan on eating our way through it as much as possible! Maybe drive the countryside and check out some wine villa’s and olive trees.
Looks like an interesting store to browse, not crowded like most of the other retailers. Now if only I can convince hubby to take a trip back to Paris!
I would say you should beg, bribe, manipulate, etc. – whatever it takes to get the hubby there 😉
wow that is all kinds of incredible! like a museum! So interesting that it’s converted from a pool! some creative thinking going on there!
It was very cool. A little scary, but cool!
As always you amaze me with your worldly sophistication! The guts it must have taken to ask to take photos in this beautiful space! Well you’ve done them justice, stunning design, I love seeing design with an almost unlimited budget.
Yes Laurie, my knees were knocking a little 🙂 I actually love seeing high end, no limits design, and then figuring out how to do some of that in a lower budget way. Not that I will be building any ash huts any time soon 😉
I have just added this to my Pinterest Vacation Bucket List. Thank you! (And hope you’re surviving winter.)
Thanks so much! I think a trip to Paris is definitely life bucket list material! And as far as this Canadian winter, I was good with it for a while, but now I’m feeling like we’ve had enough! Dreaming of warm sunshine….
Here: have a little tulip sunshine to hold you over.
http://flic.kr/phttp://www.flickr.com/photos/wynnanne/12241948396/#/jDMbKN
Stunning store! I think they need to charge $1200 for scarves just to pay for the architecture. Perhaps you can look at it as an admission fee as well. Going some day!
It should definitely be on your list. The looking is free, even if the scarves are not 😉