Do you follow Meghan Donovan on Instagram? If you do, you’ve likely seen her Paris adventures as she does research for her business Paris, Perfected. And, perhaps, like me, you’re feeling the pull of the City of Light.
You see, my parents and I were supposed to go to Paris in 2020. Then, the pandemic came. By the time it was safe to travel, the prices were way up, and I was pregnant. Now, all I can think about is going to Paris. I have croissant and cobble stone streets on the brain in a big way. But sadly, there is no Paris in my immediate, or distant future.
If you also have Eiffel Tower dreams, let me introduce you to the French Martini. During the early pandemic, I made so many of these. I mean, pineapple and raspberries are good for you. So it’s basically a salad.
The key to getting the froth on top is to shake the s**t out of it. The pineapple will give you egg-white froth, sans eggs, but you have to work for it. A friend recently upgraded my cocktail shaking tins because she thought that was the perfect gift for a pregnant woman. (You’re going to be a mother, I assume you’ll be drinking more, not less.) So I’m ready to shake it like a Polaroid picture, in September 2022.
This cocktail also demands a coupe glass for the full Paris experience. Beautiful glassware can be found at Anthropologie and your local thrift/antique shops.
Now would be the perfect time to post a flirty tulle dress to glide down a Paris street in, but I did that yesterday. So let’s focus on a great French-inspired basic that you can wear all the time.
The Breton Stripe tee is a must-have. No, not like an influencer must-have that they talk about for weeks incessantly and then, never mention again when the sponsor money runs out. A real must-have.
Striped tees like this Theo + George tee from Wolf & Badger are timeless. You can wear it with jeans, with shorts, with slacks, with a pencil skirt. Versatility is on the Breton tee’s family crest.
Have navy? Theo + George makes every color that I can think of. But they sell out fast, so grab your wallet and go now.
Need it under-$50? Boden. Prefer a dress? Boden has you covered. Want a little whimsy with your basic? Hit up Selfridge’s.
Tall, petite? Try GAP. Plus or plus-petite? Talbot’s. Maternity? Ingrid & Isabel.
I think that covers everybody. Because like I said above staple, versatile, must-have. Wasn’t kidding.
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Love this! As a native Parisian, I wanted wanted to give a shout out to two of the original Breton top brands: Saint James and Armor Lux. They can be found online in the US. The original breton top is thick, kind of between a top and a sweater, but they also make thinner, lightweight version. And I also wanting to mention that, assuming my OB clears me to fly, DH and I are doing a babymoon in Paris in May (5 months along). There will be no martinis or wine involved but plenty of pastries 🙂
Agree, Amor Lux have my holy grail breton top. I wish they did it in black/white too though, not just navy/white, but I guess you can’t get everything you wish for 😛
Don’t totally give up on the Paris dream! My sister and hubby went with their baby and enjoyed it., they rented an air b&b with a view of the Eiffel Tower and drank wine at night in the balcony when the little one went to bed!
I have family members who swear that international travel with a baby is very easy before the baby is old enough to be moving around very much. I remember they did Romania and Bulgaria when the baby was about four months (remember you have to get a passport for the baby!). Maybe you guys could make it work too!
You should treat yourself to a pastry and a cafe au lait at Madeleine’s downtown…it will feel a bit like Paris.
I agree with others – don’t give up on Paris! We travelled in Spain for a month with a five month old and had a wonderful adventure. I’m not going to suggest it’s anywhere near as “carefree” as travelling sans kids and we definitely encountered some challenges and bad days, but overall it was lovely and we are so glad we did it then. (Also it would be harder if formula or formula supplementing is required, but at that stage, for us, the kiddo was pretty portable!)