day trois: today i touched vintage chanel

day trois:

my day started at noon with a yoga practice to michael jackson's man in the mirror. went to bed around 3am and woke up at 6 for a couple of hours. this may explain my noon wake-up. not sure why my sleep patterns are so bizarre but i'm going with it. headed straight to the big 'ol outdoor market where all the photos came from. got on the metro for the first time like a big girl and bought two tickets. after touching the computer screen (think iPhone) and pushing a bunch of buttons with words i didn't know, i rolled a big middle bar and voila, that allowed me to buy a ticket. was quite proud of myself and laughed thinking how amusing it must have been to watch me pushing buttons and tapping a screen. silly tourist. the jaunt to the end of the metro line was full of interesting visuals. at the second to last stop a man was partaking in not-so-legal substances from a pipe while we were stopped and his "friend" was busily prepping it with his back to us. at the next stop was a police officer and drug dog. hmmm. i walked the aisles and alleys of the marche for hours. a highlight was meeting olwen forest who supplied the chanel jewelry for the vogue paris march 09 issue. this is where i touched my very first vintage piece. my favorites where the ones that included the sparkly bead i blogged about weeks ago. i've been attracted to this bead for about 2 years when i first came across it at a bead store near woodstock, new york. little did i know chanel used something similar in her early work. oh, and it was only 2000 euros! a great price she assured moi. sadly, i walked away knowing that that would be my budget for the next year and i felt eating was more important. cest le vie. there were two more vintage designer clothing shops that i stumbled upon in my exploration of antiques and sparkles. more chanel, dior, and more. fell in love with a haute couture chanel gown that appeared to be the perfect size AND had beads plus mesh around the 3/4 sleeves and neckline. 1200 euros. i kissed her french bulldog named ceasar and walked away blue. too addicted to bargain shopping. i snapped the photo of the eggshell chanel suit on my way out. headed back on the metro en route to tea and tattered pages for more english bookstore browsing. the kitchen was about to close so i decided to skip a pot of tea and head back to my apartment. tired feet and lack of sustenance (a croissant and yogurt only go so far). unintentionally stumbled upon my street, rue de grenelle. i can never find it when looking for it! figured i should play it safe and head toward chez moi but was getting weak so i stopped at a sidewalk cafe. sat under a heater and savored people watching. ordered a pot of tea and brownie since they weren't serving dinner anymore. boo. well, a brownie for dinner it was and, honestly, the most decadent brownie i've ever devoured. i don't think i could have had a meal, too. now, will catch some shut eye and hope for a full night's slumber. bonne nuit.