ColumnConscious life, hear me roar.

Even when I was little, I knew my grandmother was a deeply sad woman.

In fact, my earliest memory of my grandmother is the one of me listening to her weeping quietly in her bedroom when she didn’t know I was hiding in her closet (having just found a bevy of beautiful hats in striped hat boxes).

“Why is memere sad?” I may have asked my mother and father, but only they knew at the time the weight she carried, and they never answered me.

For years, my grandmother and I would play War with miniature playing cards that had images of Paris on them – the Moulin Rouge, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame – she in her comfy rocker in the corner, me on the piano bench she positioned for when I’d come over. With my three brothers and three male cousins playing touch football outside, there was no room for girls, but Memere would sit me down with some strawberry soda in a fancy glass and always make me feel special.

“Who cares about the boys,” she’d say in her French Quebecois accent, smiling, “for we’ve got each other.”

Through the years, I’d share and teach her from my reading texts from school (she with only a fourth grade education), tell her winsome stories about life as a tween, teen and finally, when she came to live with us, how much I just had to get away. Having lived in the same house my entire life and at that time, attending a local community college, I longed for travel and a chance at adventure and freedom, far away from the confines of anything comfortable, familiar.

“How much do you need to get away?” She asked.

“I feel like I’ll die if I don’t,” I said.

My grandmother told me a story of why she was going to give me money to get away, and I have never forgotten it.

Having grown up in Montreal, my grandmother was very stylish and worldly. She had big dreams of doing big things and shirked many a suitor, not feeling that commitment was her primary responsibility in life. She left Canada in her twenties and ended up in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where she waitressed at a mom-and-pop restaurant until she met my grandfather. She was considered a spinster, not having married yet, and my grandfather cured her of that with a proposal for marriage.

From here, the story changes. My grandfather was, simply, a bastard. He left her alone on their honeymoon to attend an electrician’s conference, left her alone in her home for years while he had an affair with a paraplegic woman (my grandmother explained how she’d watch them from a corner drug store as they had daily lunch), left her alone as she vomited out windows from her descent into alcoholism, left her alone as she raised two children. Left her for the circus when he retired.

Left at home, she subscribed to National Geographic and collected all the center-folded maps, wrote to nuns and priests at the Vatican and Paris’ Sacre Coeur to give her strength, was never taught to drive so watched mass on television – going through the motions of blessing herself, kneeling and never getting the body of Christ placed in her mouth.

At some point, she just gave up. Gave up that she would ever see Paris, gave up drinking, gave up romantic love and settled into her rocker to play solitaire.

“I always wanted to do what you are going to do,” she said, and told me I had $10,000 to do what I wanted with. It otherwise would be mine when she died.

There was one condition: “I want to see this,” she said.

Aren’t we all destined for greatness thanks to our grandmothers?

With her money, I went to school for Italian Literature and Art in Florence, Italy, and lived in a castle with artists. I backpacked Europe by myself, exploring 13 countries. I slept in the Sahara in a goat skin tent during Ramadan. I roamed every European city’s streets, drinking strong coffee, having affairs, and when I went to Paris? I called my grandmother collect.

“What do you see? What does it smell like?” Memere asked through strangled sobs.

Jammed inside a pay phone booth staring at the Notre Dame I didn’t know what to say except: “It’s beautiful.”

When I would arrive home many months later, I would surprise them all at a family party. I would run in and my memere, so stunned, could only grab me and bury her face in my hair to see what Europe smelled like.

A few weeks ago, I was on a flight to San Francisco and passing over a very cold middle America: snow capped Rocky Mountains, frozen rivers and cities dotting the landscape out of nowhere. My grandmother died years ago, and yet I still think of her when I travel. How she would’ve felt to be all alone on a plane, touching down on another coast. How the Kerouac blood runs deep when you need to travel. How the spirit of her roams with me in every city I explore.

Between the Lines is a weekly column navigating the sometimes-sharp, sometimes-blurred lines of life and culture between city and country, between inner worlds and outer.

Image: friedchuckles

French puffs of pastry for the breakfast averse.

When it comes to food, we have a bit of a French obsession. Is there anything better than a cafe au lait and a pain aux raisins on a Sunday morning? Not a lot, but this recipe for choquettes from French Revolution just might give that menu a run for its money. So bring a little joie de vivre to your kitchen table this weekend and enjoy.

***

I still remember my first chouquette.

I’m not big on breakfast. While it’s most people’s favorite meal, it’s something I usually resolve to eat around this time every year. Mostly, I fail. But one fine morning, I was in Paris and on my way to cooking school. Cooking school is not for the faint of heart or the empty of stomach. You need calories to burn. So as I passed by the bakery around the corner from Le Cordon Bleu, I gazed into the window for some inspiration.

In a little cloth-lined basket, I saw a stack of something I’d never noticed before. Puffs of crisp dough, covered in a crust of pearl sugar. I asked what they were. That baker was never friendly and replied with a terse, “chouquettes.” I realized I was on my own, so I ordered a handful. With my first bite it hit me: profiterole shells. They are profiterole shells, without all the sweetness of cream and chocolate. Just the simple, air-filled, balloon of a shell, crisp on the outside, airy pocket inside, and covered in sugar. A little bit eggy, just a little bit rich. But light enough for a girl who hates breakfast.

They’re so easy to make at home, and so charming to serve in a little basket at brunch. I add a slight American twist by serving them, and sometimes even injecting them, with an assortment of jams.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup water
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• A pinch of fine sea salt
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons pearl sugar, or more to taste
• Assorted jams and preserves

PROCEDURE

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium sauce pot, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil in a covered pot over medium heat. Take the pot off the heat, and dump in the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated. Return the pot to medium-low heat and stir for 60 seconds, until the dough comes away from the sides of the pot and forms a ball.

Turn the dough out into a bowl, and add 1 egg at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until the egg is completely incorporated. The dough will be thick and sticky. Use a tablespoon measure to place balls of dough on a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet, spacing out the chouquettes. Dip your finger in a bowl of water, and pat down any spikes in the dough that might burn. Sprinkle with pearl sugar.

Bake 10 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the heat to 350°F for 30 additional minutes. Take the chouquettes out of the oven, pierce the bottom of each pastry with a skewer, and cool on a wire rack. The hole in the bottom allows the steam to escape without making the chouquette soggy. Serve in a cloth-lined basket.

Sunday Brunch is an ongoing series featuring brunch recipes from some of our favorite food blogs around the web. New recipes every Sunday, so that you’re ensured a gourmet weekend. Bon appetit!

Image: French Revolution

A discreet eco-luxe hideout in the city of love – ideal for a clandestine romance with a French lover.

One normally associates French design with Louis XIV furniture or Provençal-country style, but the Hidden Hotel in Paris is minimalist chic that is also très planet friendly. The French are well-known for their love affairs, so where better for a secret rendezvous with your amoureux(se) than a hotel that is virtually invisible, tucked away down a tiny alley?

Everything is exquisitely natural – not a hint of plastic or metal – and the textures are super-tactile. Even the facade of the building is clad in recycled floorboards. In the 23 wood-paneled guest rooms and suites on six floors, you can swathe yourself in organic linens after showering in the earthy ceramic, stone and slate bathroom. Rather than hard doors, there are floaty curtains dividing sleeping from bathing space. Handy for a spot of suggestive dancing.

The beds have mattresses made from organic coconut fibers and private terraces are wood-decked (naturally).

Want to invite your amis round for a cosy dinner chez toi? You can book the private kitchen and 12-seater dining room to whip up moules marinières and citron soufflé (or splash out on your own chef); if that all sounds too complicated, the bar has cocktails and amuse-bouches.

Take home the low-key rustic-chic with some furniture and clothes from their shop. What do stylish French people wear over the weekend? Linen shirts and simple knitwear that scream effortless elegance.

Rates from $181 including tax, organic breakfast and an innate sense of Parisian eco-chic.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

Seven photos to inspire your culinary travel adventures. 

Do you travel to eat?

That might be taking it a little far, but if you’re a food lover, culinary experiences probably make up a large part of your travels, from tracking down macaroons in Paris to pasta induced food comas in Italy to yak butter tea in Tibet. Ok, maybe less so on the latter.

In honor of all the good food we love to eat when we travel, and to inspire a little sense of wanderlust, this week we are bringing you some of our Foodspotting faves from around the globe, from Vietnam to Denmark.

Pho, Vietnam

Nutella Crepe, France

Chole Poori, India

Moroccan Pastries, Morocco

Strawberry Cake, Denmark

Chile en nogado, Mexico

Happy traveling and eating!

In Foodspotting Friday we highlight one of Foodspotting’s – or our own – top picks from our Foodspotting guides. Be sure to check them out and tip us off to your own favorites in our Readers’ Picks guide. Want to start spotting food on your own? Join Foodspotting and take part in the food spotting revolution. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.

Images: Bay Area Foodie, Thirsty Pig, ButtercupD, amits, charline, annemette, Aleito1

Soak in the androgynous details of this space.

Does your interior have a sexual identity? Lounging in Paris, is an interior with a perfect mixture of masculine strength and feminine daintiness. The harmless over-generalization of sexual characteristics is rampant within the walls of this Paris flat, home to fashion designer Martin Grant. The resulting androgynous space is a balance of everything distinctive and nothing inconsistent.

The crisp white walls are the attic enclosure of a house from 1880. Just in case a historic attic in Paris isn’t romantic enough, he also boasts a view of Paris ridge from this humble home in the Marais district. The private sixth floor home is entirely detailed, right down to the olive tree on the patio. Grant’s interior mimics his fashion style, “Both reflect his refined sense of texture, volume, and choice of classic fabrics.”

More contrasts in the form of rugged wooden beams and the earthy, rustic textures of natural wood planks are the definition of masculinity while the soft glisten of silk drapes and sensual curves of the Parisian fireplace are classically feminine. While when it comes to sexuality, more androgyny sprinkled throughout with polished stainless steel surfaces adjacent to a supple pink counter top and clean modern lined upholstery embellished with floral prints and delicate patterns.

Martin loves to peruse second hand stores, flea markets, and antique shops. His home even contains a Scandinavian chair he found in a trash container (which proves my theory that everything is better in Paris, even the trash).

What about your home-Is it masculine? Feminine? Brilliantly androgynous?

(Images beautifully shot by Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer for Vartnya Hem.)

Fashion’s royal court is only for a small percentage of Americans with royal salaries.

One has only to look at last night’s Oscar results for The King’s Speech to see that when it comes to royalty we are smitten. But where we cheer for stuttering kings and their noble supporting cast, new-found love and endearing visions of the past, do we really need a new court?

“Fashion is royalty,” a friend said to me over dinner last week in New York.

Is it possible that the most consumer-driven part of our society could seriously be considered royalty? And do we really want to consider the most irresponsible of our designers the new court’s kings and queens?

My friend may be on to something. How many stories did we have to endure over New York Fashion Week detailing obsessive information about what courtesan celebrities were wearing in the front row to see their noble (king or queen) designer? Humbly though they sat to admire the breathtaking fantasies from legends like Karl Lagerfeld, Versace and Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta, we undoubtedly heard (or maybe cared) less about the looks coming down the catwalk as the star-studded sidelines.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article that peeks inside the closets of those rarefied shoppers of fashion weeks in New York, Paris and Milan, the world’s most expensive clothes may only be made for those with royal salaries. “But many of the runway styles are actually purchased by a small group of customers, not all of them from the isle of Manhattan. And unlike celebrities and socialites, who often get designer clothes at no charge in exchange for publicity, these customers pay full price,” says WSJ writer Elizabeth Holmes.

Is this the royalty my friend, a struggling young designer, is referencing? Yes.

A rereading of this fairy tale might encourage us to ask why fashion’s royal court is being led by people purchasing clothes with heavily gilded price tags. A Balmain gold mini-dress at $74,000? Especially in a still-tepid economy, such displays are garish. The era of bling bling and logomania among the peasants may have abated in step with the financial times, but decadent fashion still wears its crown.

Fashion is royalty, she reiterates. Heady, worked up and a little intoxicated, she glares and says, “Ha! You’re just like a peasant with the clothes you love,” and takes a conclusive sip.

Indeed I am, and in fact, we all are. What comes down the catwalk and drives fashion magazine editorials is not the ready-to-wear, (much less the mass-produced fast fashion that will show up in stores in the months after fashion weeks), it’s the thin slice for the royals and their royalty. This can be confusing for the average American fashion consumer, seeing the gaudy and glamorous creations of fashion week and the fantastical spreads soon after in glossy publications. Is this a level of fashion the typical consumer can ever attain? Yet this is what drives fashion, and all young designers must visit the high design courts to pay homage to those patrons on whom their success hinges. Whether they want to or not.

Regardless of whether you are an ardent follower of sartorial comings and goings, there is a possibility that news of upcoming fashion week events just might coax you to venture beyond your winter lair. Seasonal runway presentations can definitely be a turn off to those who are rightly critical of the waste generated from the perpetual shedding of must-have designer collections. If this is your point of view, we might have a cure for what ails you. One fashion event that consistently rises above this cloud of cynicism is The NOW Showcase, held bi-annually in NYC.

NOW’s co-founders Eileen Moran, Raina Blyer, Nina Valenti, and Marcus Hicks have been working diligently for the past several years to highlight and promote some of the brightest names in sustainable style. For the first time ever, this dynamic team will be showcasing a selection of U.S fashion labels at So Ethic/Prêt a Porter Paris during late January. We caught up with Eileen, a respected fashion veteran to find out why NOW will be a key addition to So Ethic.

JAI collection by Kizzy Knight

NOW’s organizers and designers work collaboratively each season to cultivate a devoted community of buyers, editors, and eco fashion followers. The bi-annual gathering in NYC’s Chelsea district is a trend-defying occasion to generate dialogue about the aesthetic and ethical mission of sustainable fashion and retailing. In this continued progressive spirit, NOW Showcase  2011 Paris will be featuring original collections by Ailin activewear; ARTAYA jewelry; Fleabags; heidiroland jewelry; JAI and JAI Activewear by Kizzy Knight; and Kelly Lane. These U.S-based designers demonstrate a range of innovative approaches to resourceful design, from the recycling of cast-off studio materials to the incorporation of slow fashion textile techniques – as in the case of Kizzy Knight of JAI, who uses fruits and vegetables to hand-dye garments into sumptuous hues of delectable goodness.

We chatted with Eileen to find out why the timing is right for NOW to  jump into the ethical fashion scene in Paris. She had this to say as a three-year veteran of promoting sustainable fashion and style:

“I first attended Prêt à Porter Paris in 2008 and was very impressed with how many incredible designers from a variety of countries were showcasing ‘their take’ on ethical fashion, particularly gorgeous Brit-designer collections like Ciel and Enamore. I was curious, though, about why there were so few eco designers from the U.S participating. Since starting up NOW Showcase in NYC three years ago, our community of individuals committed to working fairly and sustainably has grown exponentially. It’s amazing to see. The designers that we have invited  are a dynamic and diverse sampling of what the U.S has to offer right now.”

For the record, Eileen also shared that So Ethic is an essential stopover for buyers from specialty stores, multi-branded retailers, mixed concept stores and international department stores such as Merci, Dupleks, Bazar Ethic, Ana Maria, and Green in the city, to name a few. I visited both Merci and Green in the city this past December, and they are genuine oases for chic, design-savvy essentials.

Fleabags limited-edition, sustainably chic tote

The six featured designers at NOW Showcase Paris cover a range of eco fashion attitudes with their unique offerings of ethical handbags, jewelry, women’s ready-to-wear, outerwear, and accessories. Fleabags limited edition, vintage style totes offer a fresh take on the luxurious carry-all, and the hand-written edition number makes them all the more American in the branding of the (fair) work ethic spirit.

Recycled materials cuff by ARTAYA/Dana Ayanna Greaves

I was particularly intrigued by the decoupage quality of ARTAYA jewelry. Not all “creative-repurposing” measures up as covetable fashion, but these colorful designs by designer Dana Ayanna Greaves make great accent pieces. Similarly heidiroland jewelry breathes new life into re-purposed leather and found objects with handcrafted accessories that speak to the creative spirit of organic keepsakes.

Kelly Lane’s use of eco-friendly fabrics and her support of fair-wage garment workers in NYC illustrates her determination to make a family business out of creating beautiful, wearable designs. Compassion also abounds in Erin Bell’s Ailin label, with her environmentally friendly apparel and outerwear designed for female climbers, surfers, skiers, riders, runners, yogis and explorers.

Now Showcase at So Ethic/Prêt a Porter will be on view in Paris from January 22^nd through the 25^th. Contact their website for details and visitor registration.

Stay tuned for our detailed coverage of Now Showcase 2011 in NYC in late February.

Top Image, courtesy of Ailin

We’re still knee deep in a week of home tours and today we’re going abroad again, to France. There’s something about a Parisian apartment that makes my heart flutter. They’re intricate, delicate, and versatile. Here are two abodes with similar details, but entirely different feelings.

The common ground is literally common ground – perfect little herringbone puzzles. The walls are framed with an abundance of crown molding and punctuated with gaping glass windows.

The first home is full of vintage finds and tulip chairs. An eclectic collection of artwork, furniture, and accessories is highlighted by a gorgeous chandelier for an artistic and comfortable interior. This is the home of landscape architect Gabriel Wick and partner Olivier (read more about this enviable home here).

The next home is elegant and graceful with soft monochromatic textures. Slip covers and fireplaces lend a certain romance to this Parisian haven.

Both of these interiors began with a blank canvas, a beautiful blank slate. This is aesthetic verification that interiors are made by the occupants and their style, not the canvas (but a lovely Parisian canvas never hurts).

Tomorrow we’ll look back at our favorite home tours of 2010.

Catch the rest of the New Year home tours here or enjoy our home tour archives here.

(First interior spotted on Design Sponge – images by Braden Perkins. Second interior spotted on This is Glamorous – images by Amador Toril.)

With time, things change. Not too long ago, I shared my (once) beloved interior – the home of Liza Giles. Ms. Giles’ home is still lovely, but no longer holds the title of my favorite. I’m not fickle, and I don’t use the word favorite frequently. Meet my new love – this ravishing home is wooing me with unique details and vintage embellishments. The combination of charismatic artwork and industrial elements is inspired. Totally my new favorite.

These beautiful walls enclose the dwelling of Virginie Denny and Alfonso Valles in Paris (in case you needed another reason to visit Paris). The vignettes of imperfection create a cohesive and deliciously livable perfection. There is something charming about a space that screams with personality and boasts vintage botanical prints. I would love to take a seat at this desk, stare into a wall of wire typography, and churn creativity daily.

These gorgeous photographs were captured by Petra Bindel for Elle Interior Sweden. The talented Emma Persson Lagerberg is the stylist and writer behind this feature. Is it too much to ask to have coffee with both of these artistic geniuses (preferably in Paris)?!

(Thank you for introducing me to this interior Pure Green!)

The streets of Paris exude that je ne sais quoi…  Everywhere you look there is a perfectly-styled ensemble worthy of Scott Schuman’s lens!

It’s an effortless chic that only French women can pull off, in which a thrifted t-shirt layered over another tee and under an oversized blazer achieves the perfect mix of fashion-forward street chic dressing while still firmly grasping the ethos of a classic French woman. The thing I love most about Paris is that there seems to be an invisible line between unspoken but strictly understood rules of dressing that all French women keep secured in the back of their mind. This is countered with a playful exuberance to stand out and style something different when putting together an outfit. The result is unabashed fashion genius! Hm, no wonder it is the fashion capital of the world.

So, here are my humble (et hem, American) observations of la mode a Paris for fall 2010.

- Layering is essential, especially long layers. Have a look at Lily Cole’s ethical line, The North Circular, for all the key pieces for bundling up in style.

- Hats are loved just as much by the French as their compatriots across the channel. You can still sport that fedora going into fall. Get a high grade organically produced one from Livity.

- Black never goes out of style. A classic blazer goes a long way and gets you extra style points in Paris. Scoop one up from Beaumont Organic.

- A beautiful bag makes the woman. The Sway is an new eco-leather line that uses leather scraps to produce lush bags in classic color ways that will last a lifetime.

No matter where you are in the world, a little French infusion is always good for the soul and may even prompt a coup de foudre!