Posted July 1, 2009 by Kate Hamman
From couture collectors to darling divas, people from all over the world come to bask in Paris' trend-setting glory. Come see what all the hype is about by paying a visit to some of the hippest joints in town, including a vintage boutique, a fashion museum, and a stylish brasserie.
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Musée Galliera: Walk in the high heels of fashion's history at the Musée Galliera. Housing a collection of more than 90,000 items, the museum invites visitors to learn about three centuries of fashion. Guests will encounter 18th century costumes, couture gowns, and designer accessories. Admission costs €7 (about $10 U.S.; check XE.com for current exchange rates) and includes entrance to a library on the history of Western dress.
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Café Marly: Overlooking I.M. Pei's pyramid, Café Marly lives up to the Louvre's reputation by bringing fashion to the level of high art. Paris' top fashionistas and trendsetters mingle alongside its dark wood paneling and velvet drapery. The Pacific-Mediterranean cuisine is modeled after the clientele, with simple yet elegant dishes such as tomato-basil penne.
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Free "P" Star (site in French only): Located in the fourth arrondissement, this labyrinth of forgotten trends, retro accessories, and high-fashion finds attract the city's premier shoppers, including the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Sofia Coppola. If you have the patience to sift through the chaotic mountain of clothing, you may just encounter a hidden treasure. The bargain-basement prices make this vintage shop even more attractive. Open until 11 p.m., the store encourages you to take your time and shop your heart out.
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(Photo: Patrick Breig, iStockphoto)
Posted June 18, 2008 by Zak Patten
What's in a name? In the case of OpenSkies—the new mostly-business-class subsidiary of British Airways—a whole lot. When first announced, the airline's name was inspired by the new deregulating treaty that allows airlines to operate on any routes they choose between the U.S. and E.U. Today, OpenSkies might also be taken as a comment on the lack of competition in the air, particularly since the demise of all-business-class carriers Eos, Maxjet, and Silverjet.
Sure, OpenSkies only has one airplane, a 757 that holds 82 passengers, but the Little Airline That Could has big plans for that one plane. We're talking three classes of service, with the top of the line being Biz, which boasts "truly lie-flat seats." Don't want to sleep that well? No worries. OpenSkies has Prem+, which must denote its premium-economy class, because I doubt it’s a typo (unless OpenSkies is planning on professionally curling its passengers' hair en route). Last but not least (well, actually it is the least, but OpenSkies swears it's not too bad at all), is the economy cabin. There are only 30 seats (genuine leather ones) there, so you should get plenty of attention, assuming there's also a designated flight attendant (kidding!). And everyone, regardless of class, will have access to the 50-plus hours of audio and video programming on their personal entertainment systems, so that's a step up from my favorite in-flight game: staring at the back of the seat in front of me.
So where exactly will OpenSkies fly? Let's just say it doesn't have a massive worldwide route network. In fact, there are just two cities involved, but they're pretty decent ones: Paris and New York. The plan is to scale up by adding new destinations as business results allow for it. Currently on the list of potentials are Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, and Milan.
In these days of cutbacks and fee increases, any airline looking hopefully toward the future should cheer us all up. No matter what it's called.
(Photo: AirFlights.to)
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