4 things that made our Paris trip better

We found ourselves with 4 child-free days free whilst grandparents took our kids and their cousins camping, our plan was to really tackle our spare room of doom but local friends invited us over on Saturday and we had a break for lunch with old friends on Sunday, went on a prebooked trip to Paris Mon/Tues and we achieved…well, we hung one shelf and a drying rack.

I have never been one for lots of friends, my best friends are from uni and we meet up maybe four times a year, I have pals I met travelling and then work friends I catch up with on a one on one basis and the main problem is that none of these groups or inidividuals know each other. I think my crazy job schedule didn’t allow for many friendships to bloom in my twenties, I was always the flaky one on a last minute 5 day shoot in South Africa or at Fashion Week or a work dinner. Most of my later friendships have been with colleagues or people from the industry who get it. I never did NCT and felt quite cut off in our last home as we didn’t have friends living near, we were either working, decorating or it was COVID. Then when things took off with my Instagram it became a bit weird to make friends? Maybe this is projecting but I did feel like some people didn’t know how to talk to me, like I might share their secrets online? I’ve always been very independent and our family unit is enough for me, I’m happy with a handful of friends but I vowed to be more flexible with new friendships when we moved. I’ve often been seen as aloof, perhaps because I’m rather self sufficient and enjoy being on my own. I’ve also been on the receiving end of parasocial relationships so tend to take a step back.

But recently I’ve asked grown adults if they’d like to be my friend and told them how much I like being around them which feels SO ALIEN to me growing up in a family who don’t really humour people. We’re not big on talking about feelings or saying love you at every opportunity and I overcompensate with my own family because of it (my daughter is constantly saying ‘I know, you don’t have to say you love me all the time’ which I think is the loveliest thing to be annoyed about). As a consequence I’ve been invited to things, I’ve been spontaneous, I’m known as Alex not just someone’s mum, I’ve relied on others in a way I’ve never let myself before and we’ve become those friends people call on when they need help. I don’t believe I’ve really had that before, and it’s quite lovely.

And that’s a really long-winded way of saying we didn’t sort our spare room and that’s okay.

Embarrassingly, I have been to Paris countless times, and I still do not know my 9th arrondissement from my 2nd but I do know I like walking around it as a city, there are so many gorgeous boutiques and cafes to stop by on your journey to nowhere in particular. These are the things/bookings/decisions that made our 24 hour trip:

We stayed right by the train station.

Les Deux Gares (which I saved from _Kristabel's Burner stories last year) was also really reasonable for Paris (our room was €110), our room was tiiiiiny and great if you don’t mind hearing your roommate pee right next to you as you unwind from your day (also no lock or fan so the entire room steamed up when one of us showered). It’s intimate! I’d say our particular room was better suited to single occupancy but it was stylish, the staff were courteous and it took us 8 minutes to walk from the Eurostar whilst everyone else queued for their taxis. It was above a popular cafe with decent coffee and for us, turned out to be the perfect place from which to set off.

This shop was closed but they make the most wonderfully frivolous organza bags for all your needs: groceries, baguettes, passports etc!

I didn’t buy any new outfits for the trip

Instead I packed some tried and tested separates I’ve worn before and know I feel good in. I did buy this Damson Madder crossbody bag and wore my TK Maxx £6.99 sunnies to which I added prescription tinted lenses (via Lensology).

I take great comfort in visiting places I know for European minibreaks: dinner at Cafe Charlot (sadly the food was not as good as I remembered but ambience still buzzy), browsing (and buying expensive tat) at Merci, strolling through St Germain. I always believe a city is so much more enjoyable if you’re not trying to do everything.

We did only one new to us thing, and it was free

Thanks to Carrie for sharing this tip on Instagram as I was on the Eurostar - the Bouquet of Tulips sculpture by Jeff Koons, behind Petit Palais. Set amongst beautiful gardens surrounded by benches, I couldn’t stop taking photos - the details on the skin and fingernails was astounding. Our plan was to see the Hilma AF Klimt exhibition at Grand Palais after but it was such a gorgeous day and we only had a few hours, so grabbed an iced coffee to stroll through Jardin des Tuileries instead.

We both traveled with old fabric suitcases

I’ve had these Kipling ones for around 10 years and if I were buying a new case in 2026, I’d pick this over the now ubiquitous hard case every time. We were all sold the dream of solid cases but the amount of times the corners of mine have cracked and they are just so hard to stuff and overpack (something which is encouraged on the Eurostar with barely any weight restrictions). Yes I took way more clothes than were necessary, we ended up shooting for a brand whilst there so needed outfit options and I get paranoid about layers for the evenings (isn’t it crazy that 26 degrees now feels like it could be chilly at night?!). But in a small hotel room, having a case where you don’t need floorspace to open both sides is a gamechanger. It also has numerous front pockets where I can slip in a folder (I still use plastic folders with tickets, itineraries and confirmations like I am from 1998) or that still damp muslin face cloth I almost left in the bathroom, that I shoved in the external mesh lined pocket without it touching the rest of my clothes.

This Sezane jewellery pouch is my go-to for packing quickly, I have a roll one too but there’s something about throwing it all in together which makes it simpler (also a great gift idea). The internet is currently going crazy for Sezane’s rebrand and not all of it positive. But I like it - there’s less flounce, less florals and more practical, well-cut clothes in the edit and it’s not wildly different. There’s always a certain amount of discontent when brands evolve and a few are understandably concerned about price increases, but their prices have been steadily increasing way before this announcement (for transparency: I work with Sezane, they’re a great brand to work with but my opinions remain my own) - I’m interested to see what comes next.

I immediately bought these Falcon Enamel deep plates after using them at Cabu Cabins (ad PR stay). Perfect for curries, kids plates - hard to break - and so easy to clean! They’re also currently on sale.

When I first spotted the Marks & Spencer x Aries collab on social media, my intial thoughts were ‘wow, that’s a coup’. The green leather tote looked slick and I LOVED that they had reignited the iconic St Michael branding. I had heard next to nothing on this upcoming collaboration (which isn’t unusual, my contact with M&S tends to be rather hit or miss), and was surprised to learn it was available to buy immediately. So I logged on expecting my bank balance to be hit but it was all a bit…weird? Granted, I have never shopped Aries before, assuming it was just a bit out of my price range but the collection felt a bit haphazard - a baby pink cropped sweatshirt that is tight at the stomach? Silk tie pants? A plush teddy bear keyring?

I caved, in the name of research, and purchased a black hoodie to try, size Large, useful for cold beach mornings or school runs, I thought. As soon as I opened it I knew I had made a mistake (this is why I shop in real life!), it was so cropped and tight that Chris asked me if it was for our 8 year old. Needless to say its going back.

Decided I’d test out exactly how long Vinted purchases take to arrive from Australia and….it didn’t arrive in time for this newsletter.

I finished All Her Fault (Now TV) which I enjoyed but, turns out, there is such a thing as too many twists - it all felt rather exhausting by the end. Finally caught up with Heated Rivalry and now totally get it - what a tender (and very horny) love story. We switched off The ‘Burbs (I adore Keke Palmer but even she couldn’t hold up this mess of a show - a masterpiece already exists!) and I’m now onto Outrageous about the Mitford sisters whom I’ve always found fascinating (BBC).

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