Un Jour Dans La Vie
In collaboration with Sézane
Photographs by Liadh Connolly
There is a certain light and shade that is associated with Paris. The golden glow on sand-coloured buildings as the evening sun sets. A stoney grey dappled with the shadow of branches from bare winter trees. A dark cloud releasing its rain on top of a skyscape filled with slate-coloured rooftops. It’s all encompassing when you visit the city. Light, shade, brick, stone all mingle to create a sense of place unlike anywhere else.
Pictures help to keep Paris alive for me while I can’t visit. As does Instagram. And literature. My head is filled with pictures of Paris even if I can’t be there. One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s not the grand expeditions or typical tourist landmarks that stand out to me when I visit but the quotidian experiences: walking to the boulangerie for bread each morning; stopping for pause on a park bench as busy Paris bustles all around; hiding out in one of the city’s many wine bars on a rainy afternoon or sitting en terrasse on a sunny one; walking along the Seine morning, noon or night and feeling a sense of awe that a river and its pathways and bridges could hold so much beauty. I always find a way to walk along the Seine, even if it means a detour or elongated journey that could be reached far quicker by Metro. Speaking of Metro, another of the everyday banal things that become a thing of beauty in Paris - the Metro signs and lamp posts sticking out elegantly to guide the way. The Haussmann architecture with its particular shade of sandstone, weathered over years but still with a certain glow. And the undeniable joy when the Eiffel Tower pops up unexpectedly in the landscape as you turn a corner or climb another set of steps. The beauty of Paris for me is in the everyday. These are its charms that never fade.
Over the course of this year I longed for the city that I sensed a connection with from the first time I visited. But what if I told you that you could create an element of this at home in Dublin? This year has been an unusual (and devastating) one for so many. And a lot of our annual rituals were taken away from us. While in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t amount to much, one thing I missed were my trips to Paris which before 2020 were often a couple of times each year. So I began to analyse what it is that I love about Paris apart from all its apparent beauty. One thing I noted is that Parisians never seem to be in a rush. It’s a slower pace of life there, taking time to go to a café with friends before work in the morning, pausing properly for breaks and whiling away hours people-watching as a pastime. It is a city famously known for its work-life balance. Pre-2020 our lives were a constant rush, weekdays were rarely slow instead they were spent commuting for hours each day, evenings were filled with work events or dinners out while weekends were packed with social events planned months in advance. Where was the time to just breathe and walk around the city and stop and look and take in its beauty?
So I tried to recreate some of that Paris magic at home. An attempt to use the world’s enforced slowdown to my advantage. Going out for breakfast on a weekday morning is the ultimate indulgence but I took to going to my local French bistro (pre-lockdown) for a crossaint and coffee one morning a week. I embraced the time I was gaining from no longer having to travel to work and used it to my benefit each morning by reading or practising yoga or just sitting with my thoughts. I went for walks around the city as I would do if I was abroad with no end destination in place. And I learned to look up rather than staring at my phone.
What I found is that often you can discover what you need much closer to home if you take the time to seek it out. You can see the city through new eyes, it just takes a little imagination…
Joe coat; Fitz Jumper (Octobre Editions); both Sézane. Levi jeans, vintage. Boots, Isabel Marant. Hat, Anthony Peto.
When Paris-based brand Sézane contacted me to be a part of their virtual Dublin pop-up launch I was excited to recreate a little slice of Paris in Dublin. Sézane are offering Irish customers free shipping and returns as well as a surprise treat with each order when you use the code ‘BONJOURIRELAND’. They are also donating 10% of sales generated from this code (from November 29th to December 18th) to Irish children’s charity Variety. The items you’ll see me wearing in this story that are from Sézane were gifted as part of this collaboration. I look forward to wearing them for years to come - and hopefully someday soon in Paris…
Christie Jacket; Gaspard Jumper; Tomboy Shirt; Arthur Pants; all Sézane.
