December 22, 2025
Happy Winter Solstice, to all who celebrate! I know, I’m a day late, but winter will hang around to remind us…
The Passage Vivienne, decked out for the holidays
Paris was wonderful. I did NONE of the “normal” tourist things, but as I think this is about my 50th (seriously!) trip to Paris, I felt comfortable eschewing the more expected activities in favor of just hanging out in my neighborhood and pretending that I live there. Delusions of a late middle-aged American woman, but I don’t apologize for a second of skipping long lines in favor of walking slowing, smiling a lot, sitting in cafes and watching the beautiful world go by…
I’m just going to dump a bunch of things from my brain onto the keyboard for you; I will try to be coherent! I promise that on Friday I will share a little bit more organized thoughts about the current scene of French personal style, shopping, and the overall “feel” of the city.
First, and most important, I have finally learned:
All women are beautiful, and all men are handsome. You just have to look at their hearts and their lives, and quit concentrating so much on what they’re wearing, and if they’re fat or thin, or how they did their hair…
This means that you are beautiful. Trust me. Take it into your heart and live like the beautiful person you are.
Secondly, you’re always warned when you go to Paris “don’t smile at anyone – if you do, they’ll think that you’re flirting.”
- So what if they think you’re flirting – is that bad?
- This isn’t true; very few people will jump to that conclusion; and
- You will probably get a smile in return, and maybe a “bonjour”. Nothing nicer that sharing a split-second of the human condition with a total stranger.
Third, you can eat ANYTHING you want in Paris. Yes, I had French onion soup,
French onion soup at Brasserie Balzar, 49 rue des Ecoles
and rillettes (gross squishy shredded pork mixed with pork fat and packed into a wee crock; spread on bread, with the unctuousness cut by a bite of cornichon, it’s divine…). And yes, no matter what you order to eat, you’re more than likely to get a wee green salad on the side. It’s a habit worth bringing home…
Rillettes, cornichons, bread and a wee salad at Cafe de la Mairie, 51 Rue de Bretagne
I also ate hamburgers at the same place THREE TIMES (within a block of my hotel, the highly recommended Little Apple.)
Absolutely the best burger, from Little Apple, 27 rue de Saintonge
And I had some stunningly good Thai food at Sabai Monkey on the rue Bretagne. It’s your vacation, and you are answerable to nobody!
Shrimp in basil sauce from Sabai Money, Rue Bretagne, Paris. Yes, it’s supposed to be beef, but I asked for shrimp and I got shrimp! People want you to be happy…
And oh yes, I had sushi! No photographs for some reason – I think maybe I was so hungry that I didn’t even pause…
All In Sushi, 40 Rue de Turenne
Sometimes. I was even able to eat dessert! I found Mont Blanc (a squishy mess of meringue and riced mashed candied chestnuts…), and of course I had to have floating island. This has no calories, because the floating island is just meringue, and too light to have calories. Right?
Floating Island, at Brasserie Balzar
No, I didn’t take all of these pictures just to share with you; when I left Chicago, Belovedest was with me. He was, sadly, only able to stay in Paris until Monday… So every time I sat down to eat, or saw anything I wanted to share with him, I took a picture. Our text messages from the last few days are epic!
FWIW, he said that it was worth it to fly over for just three days. He’s a tough cookie, is my Belovedest!
It wasn’t a Chic Sighting, but I can report that on a 50 degree Fahrenheit day, I saw a man take off THREE black down jackets, and continue to wear the 4th. I don’t know if that’s personal style, or a medical condition, or just nuttiness. Watching him eat lunch, I’m suspecting that it was the last.
One of the best outfits I saw? Utterly predictable striped tee and skirt, with black boots, but then…
Her tights and leather jacket matched perfectly. It was an impressive spin on making good use of a great leather jacket, while keeping your existing wardrobe. If I had been gifted a jacket like this I would have been tempted to go out and buy brown pants, and brown shoes, and a brown sweater. But NO, this heroine just got some matching tights and looked gorgeous…
I gained a new understanding of the wardrobe of someone who lives in Paris, when I was chatting with one of the women who works at my very lovely hotel. (Hotel du Petit Moulin, 29/31 rue de Poitou).
We were discussing the sizes of the rooms in the hotel; I personally felt that my room was pretty… well… roomy! And the young lady (who lives in Paris) assured me that my room is larger than HER APARTMENT. And larger than many apartments in Paris…
Which means that she had no more closet space in her home than I had in the hotel:
closet in room 203 of the Hotel de Petit Moulin, Paris
Of course, if you don’t have a safe and a refrigerator in your closet, it might be a little bit easier to store you wardrobe. But when we talk about the 33-piece wardrobe for a season, THIS is the reality that many people face.
I’m pretty sure that this might be the experience of some people in New York and San Francisco too.
As I regain control of my brain, and my sleep patterns (such as they are…) I will share my other observations.
But first: Christmas Eve, and the unveiling of the six paintings for next year!
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, I shared with you some information about… wait for it…
MY MOST RECENT TRIP TO PARIS!
It’s a theme…
Postcards from Paris
Welcome home, Janice.
I enjoy your ramblings and photos of your travels almost as much as your wardrobes.
I’ve never been to France. My scheduled trip was cancelled by Covid. And then, life happened. So I really appreciate your posts.
I’m really excited to see what you’ve picked for 2026.
I have a version of this outfit you posted today. My leather jacket is a beautiful black blazer my wonderful mother gave me 25 years ago for Christmas. Black isn’t one of my “colors “ but the blazer goes with everything. It’s very well made and just heavy enough for cool days, so most of winter in Florida. And the best part, it’s from my mom.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to everyone!
Dear Janice,
I’m so happy that your trip went well! I found your post so interesting and uplifting. I agree totally with your comment on all people being beautiful, no matter the size, age, etc. The shell is not what matters to God, so we shouldn’t focus on that either!
Then, your eyes always find things out of the ordinary and it’s fun to peek at your most recent experience.
Can’t wait for the next post!
Hugs and blessings!
I am so happy that you had a lovely time! There is nothing like the food in Paris. While my own family is from Nancy (due East of Paris, near the German border province of Grande Est), we have all spent a great deal of time in the City of Love. My mother actually lived in Paris for many, many years and my daughter’s in laws rent an apartment every spring. It’s a city close to my heart.
On a crazy note–my daughter, Caroline, had a festive weekend and basically wore the exact outfit you posted in Boston. I wasn’t sure about the brown tights with a black skirt to go ice skating, but she assured me that it worked…now, I see she was just channeling her French roots.
I hope you can rest well and enjoy the peaceful bliss of this week….
For a look into a tiny Parisian apartment I really enjoy the shorts of Ainsley Durose on YouTube. She is an American pastry chef who bakes so much delicious stuff in her tiny, tiny kitchen! (With occasional trips to the local markets and countryside.) And her clothing style is great, too! And her tiny dog is cute 🥰
I love Ainsley — so comforting and inspiring to watch her reels!
Welcome home, Janice! SO happy you were able to make it to Paris and had a great time. Interesting observation about the brown tights because, like you, I also would’ve been tempted to search for other brown items. Your food looks delicious.
Hi Janice,
I really love reading about your trip to Paris!
Oh floating islands! How I miss you! It takes me back to my student days in Lyon when I would eat that as often as I could.
I’m glad you enjoyed your trip to Paris!
I enjoyed reading your post today, like everyday, but golly your trip sounds fantastic. I try to drop in a day off just being in our trips but the entire trip of just being had to be spectacular.
And you discovered a cute outfit.
Happy Winter Solstice! And Yule, and whatever you celebrate.
Glad you are home safe and sound from your well deserved Paris trip. As always thank you for sharing. I really expected you to take this week off so thanks for this fun post. These pictures are mouth watering for sure. Happy winter solstice and Merry Christmas to you and all your wonderful VF community who have made me feel welcomed and able to learn at the same time.
Thank you for such wonderful descriptions of your Paris trip and all the delicious-looking food! What great fun to read! Please don’t ever leave us!! If only just to maintain a diary of sorts of all things Janice as you travel, or just general Janice ruminations, please stay in our lives somehow!! ❤️
I may have to figure something out; I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you all!
love,
Janice
What a wonderful trip! Regarding closet space, over the years I’ve seen several video looks at European wardrobes and closets, and the sorts of clothes many women actually wear–a teeny, teeny selection per season, often with with only one or two sweaters, one pair of jeans, etc. And I’ve seen several accounts from Americans trying a “10-piece European wardrobe.” The latter often seem oddly forced, even though I’m quite willing to believe some women wear wardrobes with little more than 10 pieces per season, and even that I could probably do the same quite happily. Somehow, when it’s a choice vs. what you just DO, things seem to take on a different and artificial flavor. Hmm.
What a joyful post! Thank you for sharing.
Janice, did you really wear those ara sneakers you had listed? how were they? I usually travel with my big, clunky HOKAs. they have great cushioning and arch support but i’d like something a little cuter. thanks.
I wore those ARA sneakers more than any other shoes; I should have packed my silver sneakers too! On Friday I’m going to share with you all how my packing worked, and what I saw on the streets on Paris too.
hugs,
Janice
Welcome home, Janice, and so glad you, and your husband, had such a lovely trip! Looking forward to more highlights later this week for Boxing Day.
Compliments of the season to you, and thank you for all the wonderful articles you compose.
Every good wish to you and your readers.
So glad the trip worked out and you enjoyed (the food).
Very cute combination,
and I’ve seen that quite often too. 🖤🤎
Janice
I’d also be happy with one (or two) posts a month.
So happy it all worked out so well this time! The food looks delicious. There’s no reason not to enjoy some wonderful Thai, Italian, “Enter your favorite food here”, without having to visit that country. I’ve had some amazing food in Paris and New York that are not “local”. This all looks so yummy. As to the packing, I agree that in most of the world the spaces to store our clothes is so much more limited and women still look amazing. Sometime having less space is a blessing in disguise.
Looking forward to your choice of art for next year’s wardrobes. I will miss you but understand perfectly if you need to move on to something different.
Hope you get back to “normal time” soon.
I’m so happy you had a nice trip.
What a delightful report on your wonderful stay! The food report is quite informative. I feel as if cafe owners bringing their cuisine to Paris are going to offer their very best flavors.
Welcome home! My friend is staying the month in Chicago (her home city). She tells us the decorations are lovely and bright. Happy winter solstice, merry Christmas, happy Hannukah, happy Kwanza and happy new year to all!
❤️