French women DO dress better

I am sorry to say this but it is true...French women DO dress better than American women.. Well, maybe I should clarify and narrow my comparison: Parisienne women dress better than New York women. I realize this is entirely subjective and, frankly, is not something I would have thought or said ten or fifteen years ago.

My first extended stay in Paris was about fifteen years ago. I was disappointed by French fashion: all the women were so conservative in their beige cashmere sweaters, non-descript jeans, Gucci-esque loafers, and horrible, horrible, little Hermès (or Hermès-like) scarves tied around their necks. Oh - and the abundance of, little, "tasteful", gold, jewelry: itsy bitsy earrings and tiny, dainty watches. It was all so boring and overdetermined. So unlike NY in the 90's, where downtown at least, women were a little more adventuresome and outrageous.

Admittedly, I haven't been in NYC in almost three years so my comparison is not exactly based on first hand observation. I have had to rely on Bill Cunningham's photo reports in the NY Times (the comparison between his NYC essay and Paris essay is enlightening) and other sightings of Americans in Paris (I know, not really fair). My guiding example, though, has been the difference between Anna Wintour and Carine Roitfeld. It seems that sometime in the last decade American women have come to represent the establishment and French women the slightly unkempt iconoclast upstarts

Money perhaps is the problem. Too much money and too many logos. American women (with money, that is) look overdressed, too clean, and too put together. Trying too hard, as they say. And those with limited resources, don't seem to take an interest. Fashion is, I know, superficial. But one has to buy clothes, so why not buy pretty clothes. The problem is also American women want to be (too) comfortable -Sweats and tennis shoes as street wear? French women never (well, almost - always some qualification is necessary) wear gym clothes (even if "trendy" and brand spanking new) on the street. Nor do they wear big, ugly, gym shoes.

I am gladdened every morning, watching French women making their morning commute: women of all ages, on bikes, vespas, motorcylcles, or walking to the metro wearing real clothes (mini skirts, jeans, leather pants) with real shoes (preferably high heels). It makes me happy to see these women (mostly whippet thin, alas) stomping (or careening) down the street. And they always, always, look comfortable.

Paris has regained its glamour. Young mothers, senior citizens, working women -all are dressed up in the latest fashion (or knockoff). Those who can't afford the latest Dior herringbone shift or Louboutin pumps, still look fantastic in their Zara or even Monoprix vêtements.

Stereotypes are of course limited. But French women (and men) enjoy dressing up everyday regardless of age or resources. And they do it with ease and singularity.

American women instead seem to either wear a "uniform", want to be overly comfortable, or alight upon the same exact trend. The effect is grown women dressing like adolescents, boring clothes, or being too perfectly put together. And always too clean. As Roitfeld proves, there is nothing wrong with dirty hair as long as you are wearing a fabulous outfit that uniquely suits you. And high heels, please!

Barack Obama - Yes!

I have been following the election closely for the past year, and it looks like it is going to happen - Obama is going to win! The last debate and Colin Powell's endorsement yesterday seem to have clinched it.

We left the states partly for political reasons, and at the time, what I considered social and cultural reasons (and now I just consider political). After living in France for the last four years, I understand the importance of economic rights as well as political and how they are inextricably linked. It is impossible to have equality or justice without ecomomic rights. Yes, that means socialism. Although Obama has not gone as far as to advocate socialism (a dirty word) in Amercian politics he has at least insisted on, to an extent, universal health care and pre-K education.

Some of the really stupid cultural debates in the states are the direct effect of outdated economic policies. Take the ridiculous "mommy wars". The so-called mommy wars have been cast as a debate that revolves around personal choice, moral and familial values, class, etc. But really it is economic. Women are being pitted against women over their "choices". Which is really the greatest misnomer perpetuated to keep women (and men) from demanding access to affordable or free childcare. When we lived in New York, childcare was impossible unless one had tons of money - fifteen dollars an hour was the going rate. And technically illegal, since it was cash under the table. Nursery schools were private and applications filled out years in advance. The limited amount of spaces (and the expense) make these institutions open to charges of elitism (which they are). Expensive, private nannies and private nursery schools are the real cause of the "mommy wars" not personal choice or values.

In France, women (whether one works or not) have real choices: affordable state sponsored "nannys", full-time daycare, part-time daycare. One pays according to one's income. If one chooses to stay home and care for one's infant, the state pays the parent!

School for children is mandatory at age 6. However, most children start at the age of 2 or three. One simply goes to the local mairie and signs up for the local school (we have three schools within a ten block radius and multiple nursery schools). It is free except for lunches, after school care, and holiday outings for which one pays, again, according to their means. And for lunch the kids are served real food: cod fish, couscous, roast chicken, beets, haricots verts, cheese, fruit. During the summer our kids went on different excursions almost everday: museums, parks, paris plage, the pool. This expense and devotion to every child's well-being and education is considered to be a right, not a luxury, and certainly not the personal choice of the parents but the responsibility of the state.

I was so happy to hear Obama state that Health Care is a "right" in the last debate. Tellingly McCain answered that it was a "responsibility" - and claimed that Obama wanted the States to become like Canada or Englaind (i.e., "Socialist). Would that be so bad? The lack of universal health care in the states is not only appalling it is morally wrong. The U.S. is listed at 29th in infant mortality rates, age expectancy has steadily declined, and treatment rather than prevention has become the norm. To pretend that emergency rooms provide universal health care is ridiculous.

And a propos McCain's comments that North Koreans are three inches shorter than their southern neighbors because of their political system (and thus economic disadvantage), I at first laughed. What the hell is he talking about now, I wondered. It turns out that he was referring to recent studies on height and its correlation to the health of a country. In the New Yorker there was an article on the height and history (height is not genetic but rather cultural). Funnily enough, the article pointed out that compared to other developed countries, it is Americans who are becoming relatively shorter. One can blame lack of prenatal care, early childhood, diet, etc.

And to return to Powell's endorsement. I was thrilled he made the point that one shouldn't have to answer the charge that Obama is a Muslim with, no he is a Christian (which he is), but with, why does it matter? One can be a Muslim and be president of the U.S. And contrary to the popular American belief, all Muslims are not terrorists.

Lastly, McCain's sneering reference to Obama's tax plan as one which aims "to spread the wealth", it just doesn't resonate. Presumably he hoped it would have the same effect as Bush Sr's "read my lips, no new taxes" or Reagan's "trickle down theory", but obviously it hasn't. Isn't it time to "spread the wealth" a little, especially as the gap between rich and poor has become increasingly obscene? How can one object to an increase in taxes on incomes over 250K or on corporations? Spread the Wealth, I say...

I guess it is obvious who I am voting for. I too am "electrified" by the possiblity of an Obama presidency. We might just consider moving back to the States.

Art in Paris

Saturday night we went to the opening of the 104 (le CentQuatre). Or at least tried to. CentQuatre is the new multimedia art exhibition hall in the 19th arrondissement. It used to be the old city morgue and has been transformed into a gigantic space with dozens of ateliers and exhibition spaces (and if I am not mistaken was a couple of weeks ago the site for the Martin Margiela fashion show).

It was easy to find CentQuatre (a ten minute walk from the metro) - just follow the crowds. When we reached rue d'Aubervilliers, it became apparent that gaining entry would be a problem. Hundreds of people were corralled behind ropes on the sidewalk in front of the building but the huge glass doors were shut. Hundreds of others were in the street and on the sidewalk opposite. Through the glass you could see people inside but apparently they were filled to capacity. Occasionally the doors would open just a crack and let in a few people. The elderly couple standing next to us speculated who they were letting in. Probably the Mayor, she said to my husband. And the press. TV personalities most likely, her husband interjected. Politicians, she said. And on and on. What was clear was that we were most likely not getting in. So we decided to leave and come back another time.

We walked down to the Canal d'Ourcq towards the Stalingrad station. The weather was unseasonlly warm so we sat down at an outdoor café. We ordered a house bottle of Bordeaux, tarte au chevre and steak au poivre et frites. Simple and cheap. Not the evening we anticipated but much better than being crushed by crowds of people.

I don't mind (at least not always) the crowd one walks through daily in the city, but not the mass of people gathering for an event (or the subway during rush hour). I much prefer smaller, quieter affairs. During the summer a former colleague's friend took us to an opeining at the Passage de Retz in the Marais: a group show based loosely on the theme of insomnia. A very civilized event. Sangria and Soft drinks were served along with barrels of oranges and figs. The show was uneven but had a couple of pieces from two my favorite French artists: Sophie Calle and Anette Messenger. And I think I saw Viktor and Rolf...

Anyhow, I would like to return to le CentQuatre after some of the hype dies down. And we are planning a trip to the Jeff Koons exhibit in the Palace de Versailles this weekend with the kids. I hope they can behave...

The Vacation

I started this blog to keep a diary of sorts of our life in Paris. I, of course, have been woefully neglectful. Certainly it is customary to take a month or two vacation in France, but four months is a bit much. Not that we were on vacation. So I guess the title is a misnomer.

O. joined her sister at the école maternelle and both of them are delighted. They are finally in the same school which makes it easier for everyone. I have reapplied to my doctorate program (I guess one can't just take a few years off and return without procedure) and J has continued to work at a frantic pace to pay our taxes.

I have also begun to take French classes three nights a week. I have been relying on past education (university and Sorbonne, fifteen years ago) and daily interactions. My French is okay and I get by, but it is really time to perfect it. I chose to attend courses given by the Mairie since it is a ten minute walk and cheap. I like that the students are diverse (I don't think there is one other American in the class which makes for a bizarre array of accents). I don't like the bureaucracy: getting into the class was chaotic and stress ridden. And after two classes, it seems to be going rather slowly. We shall see.

One of the best things about the course (besides three evenings without the kids) is the walk there. At 6 in the evening the streets in this area of the quartier are packed and the sidewalks impossible to negotiate at a fast pace (which can be frustrating if late, but amusing if one has time). The short walk is a hyper condensed microcosm of the diverse, gritty - and fashionable - Paris I love. I have been taking the same route: down one of the small, paved, alley sized streets, filled with independent design-artist studios and whole sale clothing outlets to Chateau d'Eau, where the outsized, gothic Mairie sits. A block past the Maire, Chateau d'Eau becomes filled with beauty supply shops and African hair salons - errant hair extensions float through the air or lay matted on the sidewalk. My neighbor told me that the concentration of hair salons in this area is quite natural and logical. Since this area was traditionally the theatre district (and still is to an extent), there was a need for wig-makers. Obviously there is not much demand for wigs in the modern theatre so the former shops became salons. I don't know if his explanation is apocryphal or not. It strikes me that it might be - though there is certain poetry to this tale it doesn't seem logical. Why would wigmakers turn to African hair extensions? Were the wigmakers African?

But I digress. In any case the abundance of salons creates a crazy, marketplace, energy: people hawking grilled corn, fresh popcorn, roasted chestnuts, cafés filled with people drinking tiny espressos, barkers passing out fliers. This three block area has not only become a mini African community but also a place to by beauty supplies. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that a MAC store just opened up here. Strange place for a MAC store (though there is a Sephora just down the way), I thought (though I was personally and selfishly happy). I wondered whether it was a sign of increasing gentrification or the recognition of new, potential market.

AS you continue down Chateau d'Eau, one passes Faubourg St. Denis. Very quickly, one has entered Little India, This street too is very, very crowded. Indian restaurants, grocery stores, cafés, and throngs of people shopping and sitting at cafés drinking Indian beer and Turkish coffee. This street is a destination not only for Indian food and fresh produce but amongst French chefs (and amateurs) for the place to get exotic ingredients and hard to find spices.

Once you past Faubourg St. Denis, Chateau d'eau, narrows and becomes the rue des petits ecuries. Vélib (the city bike project) has been without a doubt a success in Paris. It has been so popular that sometimes it is difficult to find a bike at a given station. And the city continues to install more and more Vélib stations (some less than 50m apart) throughout the city. But on the rue petits ecuries the bikes seem to have another other than transportation. They have become impromptu outdoor barstools, and the baskets, tables for food and drink. Each time I walk past there are ten to twenty men (and they are all men) sitting on the row of bikes, drinking and eating in the early evening.

The walk home is quieter and less amusing. The streets have emptied, though still quite a few people are still in the cafés. But the atmosphere is more subdued and less carnivalesque.

I feel lucky to live in such a diverse neighborhood.