La lettre d'Ines

25 january 2024 / Letter 431

I know, we were supposed to talk about boxing today, but it’s strange how I always manage to find an excuse to put off my sports sessions, no idea what’s the reason… However, I went back to 2 boutiques that I love, one of which will undoubtedly appeal to the male gender. In this letter, I’m also recommending a must-see series and a top address for vintage furniture.

I’ve noticed that many of you were male readers (right Olivier ?!), so here is an ideal address for you, and for ladies all the same… Anatomica has been around for years, rue du Bourg-Tibourg, but it’s my friend Priscille who reminded me of it (thank you Priscille…) telling me they had exactly what I loved. Indeed, among the tweed or whipcord coats, the lace-up ankle boots, the Brady bags, the down jackets with 80s-style leather patches, the velvet or tweed jackets … in short, only timeless, indestructible and superb things which will be perfect on you Olivier and even on my sweetheart. It’s clearly not always what you’d call cheap, but elegant little bears like you two buy clothes less often than we do, and keep them longer… At Anatomica, you’ll also find socks, hats or small leather goods that can make lovely little gifts.

It’s there !

Brady jackets & bags

Very ‘80s !

Wide choice !

Gift ideas

And even chic boxer shorts

In the series of timeless, beautiful, guaranteed products that suit both women and men, and are also perfectly French : The Gardiane boot is top list. The advantage of these boots is that they look good even when worn and go with pretty all kinds of clothes. Today, you can find them fur-lined and of all heights. I loved them so much that I couldn’t choose, which rarely happens to me in a store !

A great classic

Low & suede version

So cute !

Classic & fur-lined version

Impossible to choose !

And a sublime storefront !

As you know, just because young people dress in t-shirts, sneakers and down jackets doesn’t mean they’re wearing just anything… At Starcow, you’ll find a fine selection of everything from Dickies pants to rare sneakers. So if you want to show off to a teenager, this is definitely the place to take them. It’s just behind the Bourse de Commerce, rue Berger. Personally, I wanted to buy khaki Converse, but they were no longer available in my size. I still came out with a North Face vest that I wear under my coat. Moral : no store is reserved for just one age group !

For all ages

Colour !

I love this look !

And here's a vest

A very fine selection

The famous Dickies pants

Baudoin and Gaëtan are professional bargain hunters. They hunt everywhere in France, in the ‘réderies’ of Lille, Amiens, Crèvecœur… But also during flea market fairs like in Chartres, Le Mans or in consignment sales. They restore all the furniture and objects, sometimes completely dismantled, cleaned and put back into service for many years to come. They have a showroom adjoining their workshop in Tessancourt-sur-Aubette (1 hour from Paris) where you can come to browse around and have a drink. But they also offer furniture and lighting restoration workshops open to individuals in their workshop, where they advise and help with renovation projects on the furniture that you bring, or give techniques on furniture that they’ve found. And if we’re looking for a particular piece of furniture, they can find it for you. Finally, if you can’t make the trip, you can buy their finds directly on their site, Le Déchineur. I discovered them by chance and immediately found them very friendly.

Desk before restoration

Desk after restoration

Drawer cabinet, front

Cabinet with drawers, after

A nicely restored counter

And even a beautiful safe

So here’s a series not to be missed Cristóbal Balenciaga that traces the career of this immense couturier (nicknamed ‘the only true couturier’ by Coco Chanel) during his Parisian years from 1937, 20 years after the creation of his house. I happen to know very well one of the actresses in this series, Nine d’Urso, and here is what she tells us about it : It’s a series made in San Sebastian, the region where Balenciaga was born. I play a woman called Colette, his muse when he arrived in Paris in 1937 and until 1948. The main actor is called Alberto San Juan, and as well as being a fantastic person, he’s a great and amazingly fine actor. The costumes are crazy, perfect reproductions of made-to-measure period dresses, imagined by Sabina Daigeler (a great award-winning costume designer whom I adore) and Pepo Ruiz Dorado, who, like his name suggests, has gold in his fingers. The archive work is pretty crazy, nothing was left to chance. Visconti used to say that even if the wardrobes in his films were never opened, they had to be full of laundry; here it’s the same : in the studios you could open any drawer, it would always be filled with sewing accessories. They made a real workshop, it was crazy. ’ The series has been broadcast on Disney+ since January 19. You know what you have to do…

This series

In the workshop

In a 1950 Balenciaga coat

My daughteeeeer !!!!

Magnificent Alberto San Juan

Nine & Sabina Daigeler

For the December box, I thought that since in winter we spend a lot of time at home, having a pretty incense holder didn’t seem bad to me. I chose this one from Bloom. It is made of concrete and manufactured in south-east France. And as each piece is handmade, they are all unique. To complete this first object and quite logically, I added incense sticks from Bloom as well. They smell very good of jasmine and are 100% natural. And since our complexions tend to be slightly dull at the moment, a good cream will definitely come in handy. I chose the Sève Miracle cream from the Académie Scientifique de Beauté, which, as its name suggests, is … miraculous ! In addition, 5 golden tickets have been slipped into the January Boxes giving the lucky ones the chance to win a Le Jacquard Français tablecloth worth €309. Finally, the Box is still on sale and you can take advantage of a 10% discount on all subscriptions with the code ABO10, plus free maxi Box worth €220 for any 6-month subscription.

Pretty simple incense holder

And its incense sticks

Anti glum look

Well, I promise next week I’ll show you my uppercuts and my right hook. You’ll see, it’s impressive ! I wish you a very good week and look forward to seeing you next Thursday.


	© La lettre d'Ines 2023 \| Se désinscrire \| CGU 3-9 avenue André Malraux, 92300 Levallois