Odyssey 2006 : Chapter 3
Vanity trips down the shopping lane: confessions of a shopaholic
It feels strange, the fact that summer is at its final week and autumn had already announced its presence in advance. It has been raining since three days ago and there isn’t any sign of the rain stopping, at least not for those who have to suffer flash floods down South East of France. I’ve been told that this year, we are set for ‘un été indien’ because the heat is going to be prolonged into autumn, heralded firstly by a sudden cold period towards the end of summer. These last few years had seen rough weather, a phenomenon that’s obviously not restricted to France or Europe alone, many scientists citing global warming the culprit. I am personally for that but it’s the policy makers who need to take definitive actions. Here in Europe, recycling household garbage is a daily ritual and I am quite happy that everyone does try to make a difference. I would say that in general, the attitude is upbeat towards preserving the environment here, up to the point that there’s now a growing trend in buying produce labeled as ‘équitable’, ‘eco’ and without issue of OGM; ‘equitable’ meaning fair –fair for the producers who worked hard for it, and fair for the consumers because they are consuming a product with genuine interests for the people, culture and the environment.
Back to the subject of rain, it actually hindered my only so-called exercise of my rather docile life style – strolling around the centre ville and its parks in between the classes, self study and meal times. I don’t exactly remember how it all started but back in La Rochelle where I lived for a year in 2003, it was my only way of self distraction from the boredom of living in a foreign land devoid of familiar faces and culture. I actually used to walk about 6 to 10 kilometers a day and dis donc, it kept me in shape (I lost 7 kilos in a year, with a little bit of help from the stress of the unknown…). The cool weather too makes it agreeable to stroll around and observing; a habit that have since developed into a routine and finally a daily amusement, if not a sport and also for the fact that it allows a breath of fresh air from my 15 m² room. Rooms here are double glazed for climatic reasons and you can’t simply let in fresh air as you wish, especially when it gets cold. And then, there were those end-of-season sales with huge discounts…or the fact that I can’t rid myself of this obsession of wanting to ‘profiter de mon sejour’ aka buying French products not seen back home or at greatly reduced prices.
And so, for an hour or so everyday (much less on days where the hours for classes are heavy and Saturdays are reserved for the farmers’ market), I would stroll up the steep staircases from my residence at the quartier de la gare SNCF at the bottom of the hill towards the town centre to begin my ‘exercise routine’. Poitiers, now mostly known as a university town, was once a fortified medieval city that fought off the Ottoman invasion from advancing further into Europe and also the site of which the Maid of Orleans, Jean d’Arc, was kept prisoner, interrogated and burnt at stake (at a site not far from the city). The fortified wall is still visible in many parts of the city, especially at the quartier where I am residing towards the Parc Blossac where the towers are still intact on the structure. Because of over-familiarization, one tends to forget that the city is a living heritage, having at least a couple of dozen buildings, mostly of religious edifices dating back to 4th century AD, all under the protection of the French government and the UNESCO for world heritage. There’s every style from Gallo-Roman, Tudor, Gothic, Gothic flamboyant, Renaissance, Baroque and even a glimpse of Hausmanian and Art-Deco in its business district. A walk through its street is akin to reliving the steps from the dawn of medieval history to modern times. That is a plus point considering that most shops, regardless of brands, are housed in historical buildings and streets that they have no rights to alterations except for the interiors. And so, one can still see the gothic beams and vaulted ceilings in part of the shop that houses Zara, part of a building renovated to house a modern shopping complex called Les Cordeliers in the heart of the city. It is also interesting to note that structures from different époques are interlaced onto one another in some buildings. Like many smaller cities in France, the city center promotes pedestrian-only streets that are usually cobbled streets dating from medieval époque (which explains why the streets in Europe are often very narrow and badly adapted for parking AND automobiles moving in two directions).
My automatism will lead me to the city hall, known as Hôtel de Ville and it houses the city’s administration like the Dewan Bandarayas in Malaysia. At just across the Place Marechal Le Clerc, named after the populist general from the two World Wars, is the unlikely block of a Bauhaus type square concrete building occupied by Printemps, a chain of fashion retailer in France. That would usually be my final destination as the adjoining road descends directly towards the staircase and the little WW2 memorial park near my residence in Rue Solferino. From the town square, I will normally take the street leading towards Les Cordeliers. My favorite stop, a pen shop that sells all types of pens, lighter, pipes, knives and their paraphernalia ranging from the humble and sturdy Zippo to the refined products of Mont Blanc. The sight from the beautifully crafted Meisterstück pens and leather wares never cease to delight me. Their latest attraction – a platinum plated black fountain pen with an 18 carat gold nib plated with platinum and a floating diamond cut in Mont Blanc’s insignia in the pen’s cap of the Starwalker 100 year’s edition. Sublime, if only one can afford it. A few shops away, there’s a shop called à l’ombre des Marques (meaning in the shadow of brands) that sells ‘degriffé’ products, its merchandise are normally sourced from overruns, outdated or even bankrupt retailers and are resold at a very huge discounts and reasonable prices. Unless you’re a big time fashionista that only sticks to the in things every season, this is a good shop to source for very good brands at very unreasonable low price (they can’t sell imitations here as the law against imitation goods are very stringent in France). I once bought a pair of mint condition hand made Testoni for a mere 70 euros that would have retailed at more than 300 euros at its single brand boutique in Rue Royale in Paris.
Next, my trajectory will usually lead me towards Les Cordeliers. Sometimes, I come here for a quick stop at the Monoprix, an urban supermarket that caters to urban needs but otherwise decidedly more expensive than other supermarkets that are usually situated at the periphery of the city. I suppose that it is the price to pay for convenience since going to those supermarkets will eat up quite a bit of your time especially if you have to travel in bus. My favorite shops in this complex are Zara (for its not too expensive but stylish copy of high fashion); Nature & Découvertes that sells everything nature inspired - cool; Access-Hommes, a tiny boutique that sells men’s accessories and my regulars are hats for I almost build my entire collection of hats from this tiny boutique as they have an amazing collection of hats – Stetsons of all types, provincial hats and caps, modern, panamas, sailors, tops, chapkas, bowlers, and whatever you name-its; FNAC, a chain of electronic and office equipments; my preferred hair salon, Jean Louis David and an odd once–in-a-while visit to high street brand boutiques in the complex like Chevignon, Armand Thiery, Devred and Laurent Cerrier.
Cobbled street of high street brands, the rue Gambetta in Poitiers. The dome at the end is Eglise St. Porchaire, a gallo-Roman church from medieval époque.
On leaving the complex, my trajectory will continue towards the Place de Notre Dame. Just before the place, there’s a boutique that sells rugby themed fashion called Serge Blanco or Quinze. It sells quite expensive but client-specific products. I am personally not a rugby nor sports fan so sportive chic doesn’t interest me. On remarking this particular fact, I found that the French have a fetish for the rugby sport (it is the numero uno sport in France) and there is another brand called Eden Park that sells similar products but with a specific color signature – deep blue, aqua blue and pink on most of its designs! I won’t comment on its color signature but it is very popular and expensive. The rugby men themselves never shy from the attention given by the French public and they usually publish nude calendar of the rugby men to haul in the euros. These are hot items at the bookshops at the beginning of the year…
Publicity signboard of a popular rugby themed apparel brand at the end of rue Gambetta
Passing towards the market square, the prominent feature of the 10th century Gallo-Roman Church of Notre Dame Le-Grand transports its spectators immediately into its medieval past. Flanked by a cobbled market place and streets, Tudor-styled buildings and typical French bistros on its streets, it is probably the most significant icon of the city. Its streets are lined with pubs, bistros and fashion retailers but my favorite is an Indian restaurant down La Grande Rue that I frequent on days when it’s too tiresome to cook and a little gallery that sells paintings, artisan jewelry and sculptures on a parallel road that descends towards the enormous gothic church of Eglise St. Pierre; a church built and dedicated to Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitane , Queen of France and England and mother of Richard the Lion Heart (who, according to some was more French than English because of his French matriarchal roots…). The little gallery, owned by a charming lady in her sixties, had exhibited some of my works and we became friends since then. She is an absolute incarnation of personal style and she is very sensitive to colors, forms and designs. I usually stop there for a good 20 minutes or so – to chat about art and fashion and also to practice my French. Otherwise, I would turn towards the other direction towards the Médiathèque Francois Mitterrand and make a loop towards the Palais Justice. Just in front of the Palais Justice, there’s a square with bistros and shops. Favorite stops – the bookstore Gibert Joseph (called librarie in French) and a jewelry boutique at a corner that sells watches too. It is not a big boutique but it sells a good collection of costume jewelry from Baccarat and Kenzo beside some high end brands like Chopard. My latest acquisition was a Frédérique Constant Heart Beat movement wristwatch, a generous birthday gift from a family member this summer.
10th century Gallo-Roman church of Eglise Notre Dame - Le Grand
From here onwards, I usually stroll towards Rue Gambetta that will finally lead me back to the town square and Printemps. Along this cobbled street, one can find many high street brands like Morgan de Toi, Burton, Jules, Celio, Taneo, Beryl (for shoes), Alain Manoukian, Eden Park, and even a shop that sells a mix of Hugo Boss, Marlboro Classics and Kenzo. During this summer’s sales, I snapped a pair of Christian Pellet hand-stitched Boston moccasin in glaze leather at half price and was absolutely charmed by its finishing. On the same street, the Eglise Saint Porchaire is seen tightly sandwiched by the shops and boutiques around it and on the little parvi, there’s a sculpture of a dragon called la Grande Goule from local folklores. I sometimes stop here for a rest and an ice-cream before passing on to my final destination, the Printemps. It is not a big supermarket by any Malaysian standards for shopping complexes but it does offer a huge selection of known brands, both local and foreign as the local high street brands tend to keep their own single-brand boutique. My all-time favorite is the Lancel counter because they are quite updated in designs without piercing a deep hole in your wallet. As I have started collected some leather wares since coming to France, it has become my favorite brand in regard to its price and quality. In France, it is considered a ‘grand marque’ , not to be confused with the upper crust of the retail brand market like Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Dior that are considered as ‘marques de prestige’. From here onward, I would walk down the road that heads towards the post office and finally down the hill towards my residential quartier opposite the TGV station. If days are cool and the sun is shinning brightly over clear skies, coupled with a longer stretch of free time, I would then head towards the Parc Blossac via Rue Carnot. It is a tree-lined park for strollers with a calm sanctuary and it has an exit that leads directly down flights of very steep staircases called les escaliers de diable (Devil’s staircase) towards Le Boulevard du Pont Achard, where I live.
Cultural notes:
OGM – abbreviation of Organisme Génétiquement Modifié, meaning genetically modified organism. The sale of genetically engineered plants for food is banned in France and all canned food must issue a clear health and nutritional label of its contents.
Centre ville in French means town center, usually a business district with retailers and single-branded boutique and of course, the town hall in the middle of it all.
Dis donc means ‘say’ or ‘heck’ in French
‘profiter de mon sejour’ literally means to take advantage of my stay
SNCF – abbreviation for Societé Nationale de Chemin de Fer aka the railroad company
Dégriffé means unlabelled designer goods, sometimes factory overruns or last season's goodies
Jean d’Arc – Joan of Arc. No need for further introductions to this famous historical figure as even Milla Jovovich took a shot at the interpretation of the character on the silver screen.
Chapka – a Russian word for a cap made of fur with retractable ear mufflers to protect them, so often seen worn by the stereotypic Russian army in films. Usually in mink, fox, beaver, rabbit or turned over sheep leather.
Palais Justice – court house
Parvi – court yard
TGV – abréviation for Train de Grande Vitesse aka Bullet train.
Winter’s sinful hoard of goodies: (from left to right, top to bottom) single gusset grained tanned colored leather briefcase from Lancel, black cotton velvet blazer by DeFursac , besace PM in Antigua Canvas for the Louis Vuitton Cup by Louis Vuitton, hand made wing tip leather loafer by Testoni, billfold in Damier Canvas, Louis Vuitton, gold-plated pocket watch from Tissot, wallet with coin compartment, collection MontBlanc Nightflight and 48 hour travel bag from Lancel in treated canvas and vegetal tanned leather.
Summer’s sinful haul: (from left to right) Olav PM messenger in Damier Canvas by Louis Vuitton, natural straw panama with leather trim, note book cum business card holder, collection Meisterstück from MontBlanc, summer moccasin with foldable ankle and contasting stitches, Miu Miu; document carrier in canvas with leather trims, Lancel for Roland Garos; hand-stiched Boston loafer in glazed leather from Christian Pellet, heart beat movement automatic wristwatch from Frédérique Constant.
No comments:
Post a Comment