Paris. Its artistic heritage is paved into Haussman’s boulevards, spans the Seine across historic bridges, and populates the stately museums. But this legacy can become a millstone when the city is also expected to tread the cutting edge of art. Paris has often been criticized for relying too much on its past. Still, after a hiatus during the 1980–90s, a brand new Paris is starting to shine: ripe with fresh takes on fashion, food and modern art. This renaissance is most obvious in the culinary scene where the starched white tablecloths of Michelin-starred restaurants are whipped aside in favour of a local, uncomplicated cuisine based on quality ingredients. Meanwhile, a magnetic fashion scene shows there’s enough room along- side major houses for a multitude of free-thinking creators. Because in the end, it’s the people who make the place. In Paris, we spoke to a minted fashion legend, a creative couple about their well-trodden paths and a design curator with an eye for beauty. Which is something the French capital has in spades. A modernist spaceship on the outskirts, seafood from another dimension, natural wines with supernatural pairings, 19th-century shopping and tales from the high fashion archive… Get lost in the city that keeps going above and beyond.
