PARIS: PEOPLE, PLACES AND BLING!

Theadora’s Field Guide to Paris Shopping

• ABOUT
• RING-A-BLING-DING!
• MEET THEADORA
• FLEA MARKET TIPS
• SPOTLIGHT: JARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG

BACKSTAGE AT THE MOULIN ROUGE BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

By Theadora Brack

Today we’re going to swap our Belle Époque frothy petticoats for some pencil skirts and starched Peter Pan collars. Maybe put a few Chubby Checker 45s on the Hi-Fi, too. That’s right, twisting time is near, so grab the vintage cocktails and the gingham-lined picnic basket. Dear Mad Men fanatics, this tease is for you. Here’s the squeal: Next week, we’re going to take a joy ride back up the hill of Montmartre, and visit my pet movie house, Studio 28 Cinema, the only theater in the historic ’hood.

And that’s not all, Folks!

I’ll also introduce you to one of my favorite photographers in the world. Flashback to August, 1956: While playing the trumpet with the 279th Army Band in France, Maurice Sapiro hit the cobblestoned streets of Paris running, with camera in hand. Inspired by the Lumière Autochrome color film process, he documented the Paris cityscape with fervor, ardor and zeal, capturing her dramatic skies, sunsets and glittering lights like no other. It was a game changer. After I got him on the horn, he set the scene:

“I bought a Leica IIIF at the Army PX for $99. I’d start each day with a coffee and a croissant on the Champs Élysées. Within view of the Arc de Triomphe, I’d begin taking photos from my seat at the café. It’s a memory so strong, it seems like it was just yesterday, not 58 years ago. I fell in love with Camembert, wine, paintings and photography. At the Louvre, I decided that painting and photography would be a major part of the rest of my life. Even then, I knew nothing in the future could compare with Paris.”

Like the old French adage says, “The more things change, the more they stay the same!” The city continues to captivate. Ever since spending my teen summers hawking balloons beneath the “Mini-Me” Eiffel Tower replica at Kings Dominion amusement park in Virginia, I’ve been obsessed with France. It’s true. So join us next week for a spin around Montmartre. Meet me at Studio 28. I’ll buy the corn. We’ll spend more time with Monsieur Sapiro, too. So be there or be square!

Thanks for sharing your photographs, Maurice!

In the words of Draper , “Live like there’s no tomorrow, just in case there isn’t one.” Mais oui!

PARIS AT MIDNIGHT BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

DRESSED TO THE NINES: MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956 (PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN BY HIS TWIN BROTHER, ERWIN)

CAFE DE LA FLAMME (NEAR THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE) BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

LOUVRE COPYIST BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

LOUVRE COPYIST BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

SAPIRO TWINS ON THE ROAD TO POITIERS, FRANCE, 1956 (RIGHT: MAURICE, LEFT: ERWIN)

EIFFEL TOWER BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

PARIS SUNSET BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

NIGHT, THE LOUVRE BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM BY MAURICE SAPIRO, PARIS, 1956