Sacred art, artisanal threads & seasonal surprises … A Week in Paris
Celebrating life in Paris, Paris Makers, and the strange, new, true and beautiful – forever !
🙏🏾 Opening Wednesday at the Grand Palais, a dialogue between two contemporary French artists explores the sacred and the profane. Eva Jospin presents Grottesco, a fantastical carved labyrinth inspired by Antique myths, incorporating embroidered panels for the first time. In an adjacent but connected gallery, painter Claire Tabouret shares her monumental designs for Notre-Dame’s new stained-glass windows, commissioned by the French President — a “message of hope and harmony” amid the controversy over updating Viollet-le-Duc’s medieval-inspired 19th-century panels.
🧵 Two Paris exhibitions celebrate the artistry of textiles. At the Mobilier National, Textile Matters : Woven stories between France and India (until 4 Jan) explores centuries of dialogue between Indian and French hand-woven and embroidered fabrics, with Christian Louboutin as creative director, and a pop-up from local fashion luminary Charlotte Chowdury. Across town, Tisser, broder, sublimer opens Sat at the Palais Galliera, highlighting fashion’s ornamental savoir-faire – weaving, embroidery, lace and floral motifs – from the 18th century to contemporary haute couture.
☕ Sant Ambroeus opens in Paris today! The cult Milanese café and pasticceria, beloved in Milan and a fashion week favourite, opens a new satellite in Saint-Germain-des-Prés (11 Rue Saint-Benoît, 75006), following openings in New York. From espresso to osso-buco, lobster rolls to cotoletta, the 80-seat café brings classic Milanese style and 1930s-inspired interiors to the Left Bank.
✨ JR’s tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s legendary Pont-Neuf Wrapped (1985) now has confirmed dates. From 6-28 June 2026, La Caverne du Pont Neuf will transform Paris’s oldest bridge into a monumental cave – an installation free and open to all. “Art is a transformation, and a way of renewing the way we look at the world around us”, says JR.
🍴 Don’t forget, Iñaki Aizpitarte, founding chef of the game-changing Parisian bistro Le Châteaubriand, is doing a last hurrah before handing over the keys, hosting a series of special four-handed dinners this month with chefs including Alexandre Gauthier (La Grenouillère) tomorrow and Cyril Bordarier (Le Verre Volé) on Sun 14… Follow their Instagram for updates, or call 01 43 57 45 95 to book.
💝 Lastly, a handful of Christmas pop-ups are serving up the strange, new, true and beautiful this season: exceptional bean-to-bar chocolate from Plaq at 43 rue Charlot; our friends at En Vrac showcasing their new upcycled cashmere range alongside the vintage shirts we love at 17 rue Saint-Roch; Moismont’s accessories bridging India and Picardy at 15 rue Debelleyme; illustrator Nathalie Lété opens her atelier by appointment this week, Wed–Sat; a special holiday edit at the art-meets-retail concept store Item Idem; Big Stuffed XXL toys open until Christmas at 10 rue de Crussol; and Magasin Vivant! bringing its curated world of slow living – outdoor gear, garden, and kitchen objects – to Oddity.
See you there!
Thanks for reading :)
Kate x
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 will eventually be paywalled, but Life in Paris will remain free).
What a thoughtfull roundup! The detail about Claire Tabouret's designs for Notre-Dame's stained-glass windows is facinating because it touches that perennial tension: when does restoration become erasure? Viollet-le-Duc's 19th-century panels were already an interpretation, not pure medieval work. Now Tabouret's contemporary vision adds another layer, turning the catherdal into living palimpsest rather than frozen artifact.