24 hours in Paris
What I saw, wore, ate, and loved on a whirlwind market adventure
Four times a year, we head to what’s known in the business as “market,” to see the latest collections from our brands, scope out new ones, and place orders for the upcoming seasons. Leading up to the trip, I spend about a month responding to hundreds of emails from brands and designers. Then the team and I narrow down which ones we’re going to move forward with and which ones we want to meet in-person. It’s an insanely busy time.
Since the start of the pandemic, so many of the brands we work with have moved their market schedule from New York to Paris. It’s odd to be such a small business and traveling so far from home, and yet I have found that meeting with brands in-person really helps with the success of the clothes in the store. It’s during these meetings that we get to talk to the designers, touch and feel the fabrics, and see the collections in their entirety. This is the women's main spring / summer market, so what we’re seeing now will arrive at the store between February and April 2025.
Fall in Paris is my favorite. Walking on the Seine on a brisk autumn day, eating a baguette, getting to see new collections in gorgeous showroom spaces…pinch me! This was my first time going alone, which took a lot of pep talks and taming of pre-travel anxiety. In the end, I loved it. I hadn’t realized how much I missed myself. Between three kids and three shops, I don’t get a lot of time alone.
So, without further ado, here’s a dirty rundown of a day in my life in Paris when I’m out buying for the store.
MORNING
I wake up at 7:50am. Jet lag from California to Paris is rough. I’d spent a few days in New York buying for the store before heading here, but honestly it didn’t make the jet lag that much easier. I need to find some good melatonin. I’m not the best sleeper to begin with, and I spent the night tossing and turning.
I’m insanely fast at getting ready. The trick for me is packing outfits so I know exactly what I’m wearing every day. I walk about 20,000 steps a day when I’m in Paris (roughly eight or nine miles) so everything is built around a comfortable shoe (hello Nike dunks that my 12-year-old picked out for me on a recent trip to NYC).
Today I’m wearing the outfit seen above: Gucci pants, an Engineered Garments button down shirt (sized up for extra length), a Polo sweater, Merci cap, Nike Dunks, Auralee socks, and the Lemaire Croissant Bag.
My dear friend, a travel agent, booked this trip. She has excellent taste. I highly recommend working with a travel agent — you get tons of perks, free upgrades, and it takes so much stress off your plate. My friend booked me at Hôtel Dame des Arts, a boutique hotel located in the heart of Paris, close to Notre Dame. It was perfect for a work trip. I’m out all day, so when I come back, I need a super clean and quiet place to crash. I love that they use Diptyque Paris bath products. They also have a private sauna you can book in advance, which I took advantage of on my last night. If I was in Paris for fun, I’d be at Le Pavillon Fauborg Saint-Germain. But really, the city has endless options. That’s an entire article in itself.
At 8am, I have breakfast at the hotel. Most hotels in Paris include breakfast and honestly, they’re usually great. At home, I always make myself a latte, but in Paris for some reason I drink cappuccinos. I have my first one of the day with breakfast, which consists of a croissant, some cheese, charcuterie meats, fruit, and scrambled eggs. I eat everything, all the time, with zero dietary restrictions, and France is hands down my favorite place to eat, since most of the food is so fresh.
At 8:30am, I head out the door and start walking. I walk everywhere in Paris. If it’s really far, I’ll opt for the metro, but I hate being stuck in a car. Walking this city is magical. It’s where all the ahhhhh moments come, especially early in the day when the city is still sleeping and the light is perfect. I try to walk on little side streets — they have the most charm and character. But by far my favorite is walking over the many bridges on the Seine. To take Paris in from the water is as romantic as it gets. I often stop, take photos, and have a little moment to myself. It’s pretty emotional and makes me realize how beautiful and fleeting life is. Maybe this is why Parisians live with such fullness…
My first appointment is at 9am at Caro Luna, a new brand I’m really excited about. Rarely do I get too jazzed about swim, but this line is so fun and makes me want to hang with friends at the beach. Leandra Medine Cohen of Man Repeller / Cereal Aisle fame recently wore one of their suits, so the brand is really having a moment. Get ready, Santa Barbara!
At 10am I head to Simone Rocha. SWOON SWOON SWOON and more swoon. It’s really just an insane experience for me to be in this showroom. Simone is in her own lane in this industry, and collection after collection inspires and impresses me. This one blows me away — from the dresses, to the suiting, to the denim (GAH!), the new bags, the shoes — all of it. It will be really hard for me to edit this down for the store, simply because I love all of it and the collection is giant!
I get to meet Simone this time, and we talk about work, travel, kids, and the constant balancing act of being a working mom. I love working mom conversations because it’s one of the big themes in my life right now — how little time we have to do all the things we love, and how we keep doing all those things anyway.
Simone’s showroom is alive. People are dressed head-to-toe in Simone, all ruffles and lace. It’s a dream. Here I work with Andi, who I met at the Simone store in Soho when I was shopping for myself. We got to talking, and when he heard I had a store, he encouraged me to bring in Simone. This is our second season, and I am thrilled.
At 11:45am, I’m ready for my second coffee. NOIR is one of my go-to places — it’s everywhere in Paris, and feels a lot like California, with oat milk lattes that taste like home. I also love this place called Matamata. It’s in a neighborhood very close to Rue du Nil, where you have a little alley of all-organic shops, from chocolate to produce to a boulangerie, to a restaurant and wine bar called Frenchie that has been on my list of places to go. There is another great coffee shop called Days, very close to Rue du Nil, which was opened by an American woman. It’s adorable and the coffee is fantastic. Then there’s the coffee, which is personally my favorite taste-wise. Really, it’s Paris — you can’t go wrong.
AFTERNOON
At 12pm, I have a 25-minute walk to Hai. This brand is going to kill it at Jake and Jones, I just know it. The price point is sharp, the design is spot on, and the team is a dream. Tessa Vermeulen, founder and designer, is so wonderful. She lives in London and previously lived in Shanghai, and has this wonderful, excited energy. Right now, she’s adorably pregnant with her first baby. Alex, who works with her, has such great style. Being with the two of them makes me excited to get dressed. Hai started with silk dupion pieces and this still remains a key theme in their work. They showed in an adorable suite at Hotel Cinabre, which is in a very cool part of town. The room was dreamy, another great option for a more eclectic and hip type of stay.
At 2pm, I have a 50-minute trek over to Eleph / Bergfabel / B Sides. Some of the designers have these giant, multi-label showrooms, and these three stars are in one called Rainbowwave. Personally, I don’t love the bigger showrooms. They are chaotic and buzzy, two things I just don’t enjoy. But I love these brands and so for them, I go. This showroom is near the Eiffel Tower, a rather high-end, touristy area. The highlight for me was meeting Fleur, the founder and designer of Eleph, who’s from Amsterdam. We could easily be friends. She’s easygoing, fun, creative, and super down to earth. We watched models try on her collection and talked about how we would wear the items, what we liked and didn’t. She is talented and really speaks the same language as our core Jake and Jones customer. While her prices are up there, I think people will love her pieces and wear them over and over again. I personally will be buying the yellow-and-white striped dress. Can’t wait!
At 4pm, I have a 45-minute walk over to St-Germain to see Copenhagen-based designer Cecilie Bahnsen. On my way, I order a pizza from Agata and have it delivered to CB. I eat my pizza in the backroom with all the sales girls, and we talk about Copenhagen and what each of them will be ordering from the collection. I always try to ask the sales reps what they are personally ordering — it’s a good indicator of which pieces simply can’t be missed.
Once I have some food in me, we go out on the floor where the collection is like stunningly beautiful candy you want to admire and eat at the same time. The flowers, the layers, the romance — it’s jaw dropping. I found some really great options for summer weddings and beautiful tops to dress up jeans. I think of these items as heirloom pieces, ones to hold onto forever.
At 5pm it’s time to go to Sandy Liang, Overneath, and Yan Yan. It took me two seasons to fully accept my love for Sandy Liang. At first, there was a feeling of “I can’t wear this,” but once I tried it on, I fell in love. Similar to Simone and Hai, Sandy is in this world of school-girl-meets-ruffles. It’s fun and on trend, and I am here for it. The miniskirts, the pleats, the mini dresses — again, gah! I am personally ordering the ruffle sweater with the black miniskirt.
I also found this new line for the shop that I am loving so much. Yan Yan is a newer brand, designed by former Rag and Bone Director of Knitwear Phyllis Chan, with Hong Kong designer Suzzie Chung. It’s so fun and soft — I’m really looking forward to wearing it myself. Then Overneath, which has a beautiful take on intimates. Her color story is perfect. Sitting well with Baserange, it will help round out our intimate offerings at the store.
My final appointment of the day is at 6pm with Nu Swim, Coming of Age, Simone Wild, and P. Nina. After walking nine miles, I fall into the couch at this insanely gorgeous space. Sachiko, who lives in Tokyo, brought this amazing group together. She’s so delightful and really has her finger on the pulse when it comes to what people want. Nu Swim (a staff favorite) was great. Again, it just makes me want to get to the beach and wear something that at age 44 feels both mature and fun. I also really fell in love with Simone Wild, particularly the velvet navy shorts and all the socks and tights. I’m really looking forward to having this in the shop.
Evening
Dinner is at 8pm at Jones. I ate here the last time I was in Paris with Darcy, Taylor, and my baby. I happened to be just around the corner from the well known foodie 11th Arrondissement when I finished up with Sachiko, so I pulled up a barstool and enjoyed a delicious glass of red, along with a yummy bowl of bolognese. Sitting next to me was a photographer and videographer who had just shot behind-the-scenes footage for Victoria Beckham. We had a lovely conversation about fashion, surfing, California, New York (where he lives), video games, and other things that two people traveling talk about.
By 10pm, I’m back at the hotel and ready for a sauna. At this point, I’m so tired but also energized. I mull through all the things I’ve seen, who I spoke to, which clients I can see liking a brand or an item, and envision the shop for next season.
Paris is truly a dream — gorgeous options for food, art, music, and shopping. It’s really the best city to get lost in. To work here is such a privilege.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Cordera had a very pretty summer collection. I absolutely love the people who run this brand and the direction they’re moving. They showed in a gorgeous space in a neighborhood I wasn’t familiar with and will need to check out more when I’m back.
Baserange had one of my favorite showrooms, a little apartment on the Canal Saint Martin with beautiful views of the water.
Cawley showed in a bigger showroom called Awaykin. I love these people and got to have dinner with them one night at a place called Rives, also in the 11th.
Casey Casey showed in the designers to-die-for apartment in Pigalle. I loved this neighborhood, close to Sacre Coeur and one of our favorite Jewish bakers, Babka Zana, where we often stop for a yummy sandwich and a babka.
Lauren Manoogian had another stunning apartment in the Marais, very close to my favorite falafel place, L’Aus du Falafal.
Stay tuned for our next buying trip in January, where we will meet with all of our menswear brands for their fall and winter 2025 collections.
Merci et au revoir!
Jen
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love seeing the behind the scenes!!! and v excited to welcome these pieces to the store in the spring...
Love this Jen! You are a great writer. Felt like I was right there with you in Paris ❤️