Hi, and welcome to Paris, Puces. 🇫🇷
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👑 Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette is everywhere you look right now in Paris. On the occasion of the cult film’s 20th anniversary, Versailles is presenting a “making of” exhibition at the Petit Trianon, opening tomorrow! and designed in collaboration with the director. It brings together original costumes, props, storyboards, photographs and set elements, with screenings in the very rooms where the film was shot. Meanwhile, Andrew Durham’s new book Making Marie Antoinette gaathers his photographs from on and off the set, alongside an oral history and a new conversation with Coppola.
🪶 The glorious, wild and ferociously independent Leonor Fini (1907–1996) is having a long-overdue reassessment as one of the great artists of the 20th century. Galerie Minsky, which has championed her work for decades, presents a new exhibition bringing together paintings, portraits, theatre designs and drawings from across her career. It’s the first act of a much bigger Fini moment, with major retrospectives coming soon, including at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris next spring.
👒 Maison Michel brings the art of hatmaking to life at 19M. Founded in 1936 and now part of Chanel, the historic milliner has been making hats for the great fashion houses for nearly a century. Métamorphoses explores the forms, materials and highly specialized savoir-faire behind the Maison’s hats, alongside archive pieces and new collaborations with young designers. Plus Michel Gondry’s fabulous Home Movie Factory sets up shop in a recreated Maison Michel hat shop, inviting visitors to make their own short film throughout the exhibition – every Sat (2–5pm, free with reservation).
👖 A new exhibition at the Palais Galliera explores a key moment in fashion history when women began pushing back against prescribed roles by borrowing from the male wardrobe – at a time when French women technically needed police permission to wear trousers. A Wardrobe of One’s Own: Dissident Femininities in the 19th Century looks at the growing adoption of trousers, tailored suits, cravats and top hats as a statement of freedom and liberation, with nearly 500 pieces, including French queer icon Rosa Bonheur’s complete wardrobe. Opens Sat.
🌝 And finally, the annual night-time takeover of the flea market at Saint-Ouen, Fête des Puces, is back this Thursday. The different markets stay open late, each with its own theme, music, performances, exhibitions and other surprises – from a Second Empire ball at Biron to a world tour at Paul Bert Serpette and a new Hyperloft installation at Dauphine. A rare chance to experience the Puces after dark. From 7pm. Download your invitation here, here or here.
See you there!
Kate
Welcome to Paris, Puces. on Substack. Expect the best of : LIFE IN PARIS 🇫🇷 each week, plus expert intel and tips from the world’s most epic FLEA MARKET✨ Art, Fashion, Design !
On Mondays: Life in Paris postcards - a curated mix of sights, bites and delights, celebrating Paris Makers, and the strange, new, true, and beautiful, forever!
On Fridays: Flea market intel - in-depth guides, behind-the-scenes stories and practical tips (this content is now paywalled, but Life in Paris remains free).
👉🏽 After years exploring the Puces de Saint-Ouen and researching for my book ‘The Paris Flea Market’, I now share that insider knowledge through bespoke buying and research tours – for collectors, decorators, architects, or anyone who wants to explore the markets with a deeper eye. Hit me up!