A Postcard from Paris with La Redoute – La Deuxième Partie

Part two of my trip to Paris in my role as a La Redoute brand ambassador – this was the day we had a tour of the boutiques and experienced yet more amazing food (well, you know – when in Rome…)!

It was the best day weather-wise – we missed the rain and had a beautiful spring day to hit the shops: La Redoute had arranged for a guide to show us round and take us to all the best places. If you really want to do some serious clothes shopping whilst in Paris, I can thoroughly recommend getting a guide to take you round. We went to smaller boutiques which were perfect for spending the money myself and the other ambassador Nicolette were given to treat ourselves with; I’ve already posted about the sequinned stripe top that I ended up buying from Les Petites which you can read about here.

 

I am a brand ambassador for La Redoute after winning a competition to find two bloggers to represent the brand for 2014-15. La Redoute paid for the trip and all expenses. All content is original, however, and opinions are my own and 100% honest.

For another day of walking and sightseeing I wore my comfy sandals with my trusty nude pleated maxi skirt and my – pretty neutral for me, but it did have the most amazingly bright colours in the detail. So until next weekend where I’ll show the photos from day three, here’s a few shots from our shopping trip day and a day of Parisian foodie treats.

Above left: Myself and Nicolette of Archie and the Rug – La Redoute’s two brand ambassadors for the year. Plus the most gorgeous accessory of the trip: four-month-old Sebastian. Above right: Our wonderful chaperones from La Redoute, Sarah and Annie. I couldn’t have spent my time with three nicer girls!

The window displays and flower stalls are just as beautiful as you’d expect – peonies have just come into season so they were everywhere, and in every shade imaginable. I desperately wanted to buy a ton of them, but it’s not the sort of thing you can take back on the train and carry easily with luggage 🙁

If you make a trip to Paris, you simply MUST visit Ladurée. Known for their macarons and jaw-droppingly beautiful selection of cakes, it also boasts a stunning restaurant – we went to the one at 21 rue Bonaparte. The interior is nothing short of exquisite, and as we were saving our tummies for a much larger meal in the evening we all went for something lighter, and my Salade Concorde (below) was almost too beautiful to eat. In fact I sat admiring it for quite a while until I had the heart to dig in. The French really, really know how to do food and how to present it in the most stunning way.

So as the sun came out we took in the architecture, spent our day at a leisurely pace and thoroughly enjoyed spending some money on clothes and having a proper girls shopping trip out. I wore the top I bought that evening and took a quick selfie in the bathroom when we went out for dinner. I can’t think of a better place to do all that than Paris, can you?!

Part three next weekend – I hope you’ve enjoyed my pictures of the trip, and I apologise for the fact that I’ve probably made you very hungry with those pictures of the food…! Have you ever experienced wonderful French cuisine, either in Paris or elsewhere? Or have you ever had a private tour of a city, and how did you find it? Do share in the comments!

Sweater: La Redoute*, Skirt: New Look (old), Sandals: Lulus*, Bag: La Redoute*, Sunglasses: Lulus*