elle LIVING TRAVEL CRUISING ON THE OSCAR DE NYC RIVER SEINE LA RENTA? TIMES TICK. SQUARE I’d decided to take some 26th Street, around the time off work and indulge corner from the Fashion PARIS REUN ION TWO in great food and fabulous Institute of Technology In a luxury apartment in fashion. For food I headed on Fashion Avenue and the sixth arrondissement, to the London Foodies Parsons The New School BAGS Festival at Battersea Park of Design on 5th, and a there will be champagne and tears next to the Chelsea River short walk from the bright ON THE OUTSIDE By ANNELIZE VISSER STEPS OF THE to marvel at Michelin- lights of Time Square. LONDON’S SACRÉ COEUR AND starred chefs like Gary First on the agenda FOODIES FESTIVAL Lee of London’s famous was 5th Avenue, New I set out from the Rue des Saints-Pères with two goals on the The Ivy whipping up some York’s famous shopping street where you’ll find Fendi, Salvatore Thursday morning. The first was to reach the Sainte-Chapelle the first had been the charming magic, taste cuisine from Ferragamo, Tory Burch, Banana Republic, Michael Kors, LUNCH IN A HOT before the crowds. The second was to buy some pain au chocolat: Perumal, a foreign student who MONTMARTRE all over the world, listen Victoria’s Secret, Chanel, Burberry, Dior, Armani, Gucci, I was expecting my sister for breakfast. works for Haven in Paris as a ‘greet- to live music and drink Valentino and, of course, Louis Vuitton, where I added to my My first objective took me to the Quai Voltaire and along er’, making arriving guests feel at Self-catering is an excel- DATE some champagne. LV bag collection, before heading for the top floor of Saks on the River Seine, where the book vendors were just arriving to home. The family-sized apartment lent way to experience a city Although I had vowed 5th – the shoe level. In shoe heaven, I fell for a pair of fabulous through the eyes of the locals. Annicia unlock their stalls, to the Île de la Cité, the teardrop-shaped was the last one left in the Haven Haven in Paris offers short-term Manyaapelo not to shop until I got to Oscar de la Renta heels, but spent most of my dollars at BCBG island that is the centre of Paris. I was too late: a queue of tour- in Paris portfolio when they rallied apartment rentals through their New York, I couldn’t help Max Azria. Favourite purchases: the Astria sheer maxidress and ists already stretched from the entrance to the Palais de Justice to my aid two days before I arrived, website, haveninparis.com, knows what she myself, so I headed to Old sky-high espadrille wedges. (where gendarmes search your bags) down the length of the and so it turned out that I would and tips and insights for visitors and New Bond streets I also found colourful sheer skirts, tops and belts at American on their Hip Paris Blog. Want wants – and Boulevard du Palais. This 13th-century Gothic chapel is world spend two nights in Paris in perfect to know how to flirt in French where to find it in and bought my very first Apparel and a beautiful Alice + Olivia shift. famous for the stained glass windows in the upper chapel: to see splendour and the third (since I was or shop for lingerie? The Chanel bag. I’d been cov- Colour-blocking and short shorts were the order of the day in their fragile beauty you must get up early or be prepared to wait. flying out from Nice) on a train. answers are at hipparis.com. London and eting this bag for a while, the sweltering New York heat. With brightly coloured jeans from To rent my apartment on Deciding to start earlier on the Friday, I headed back to Saint- My sister and I didn’t stay on the Rue des Saints-Perès New York so I beamed from ear to Guess and short shorts from Banana Republic, I was ready for Germain-des-Prés, getting lost but still ending up on the Rue de the Rue des Saints-Pères long on costs between 4 700 and ear on my way back to my spring/summer 2011. Buci, famous for its outdoor market. Found a bakery, pointed at Thursday morning: in our one 5 500 euros per week. hotel in South Kensington. Getting caught in a downpour on the way back to the hotel, I the pain au chocolate, held up two fingers, fumbled with the euros. day together there were dozens of That’s between R47 000 and During my short stay in London, I met amazing people, stopped at Madison Square Garden for a Cuban music concert R55 000 per week, but it’s Then I hung over the balcony overlooking the Rue des Saints- memories to go in search of and a meant to be shared among six lunched with a good friend and even managed to meet someone, in the rain – incredible. And because a girl should not just look Pères, waiting to catch a glimpse of my sister. birthday to celebrate. There was a or seven and at the luxury end flirt and go on a hot date. I was sad to leave so soon, but excited good, but stay stylishly connected, I spent an evening at Apple on We would eat our pastries, not in a tiny hotel room or on a Metro to catch to Montmarte for of their offering. There are also to show off my brand new Chanel in New York. 5th Avenue and played with my brand new toys. park bench, but at a vast round table in the dining room of ‘my’ the Sacré Coeur Basilica and a side- studio apartments that sleep up Here, the plan was simple: fashion and shopping. With my I spent my last day in Central Park, enjoying spots I recognised to three from around 700 euro Paris apartment. My first visit to Paris since I was 12; her birth- walk lunch of crepes and onion soup per week, and a range of heart still in London, I checked in at The Hilton New York from Friends, Sex and the City and The Wedding Planner. This was my day – the third since she moved to France. served by a cocky waiter; another options in between, all in the Fashion District, one of the city’s most fashionable new hotels and second trip to New York and it won’t be my last: I will definitely The eager but unruly gods who’d contrived this reunion had Metro to the Notre Dame; a walk to coolest parts of the city. Their the perfect launch pad for my mission. It’s located at 152 West be back for some more retail therapy. made some unusual arrangements, of which the apartment was Rue Bonaparte where we took pic- service is highly conscientious and thoughtful. one. Its three bedrooms, two bathrooms, dining room and what tures of ourselves in front of number I had no objection to calling my ‘salon’, took up an entire floor 40, our childhood address; a last beer at a café on the corner; LESSON 1: ‘DON’T in one of Paris’ most fashionable arrondissements. The luxu- then she caught the train back to her village and I sat down in TOUCH THE GPS.’ rious furnishings included curtains that could’ve kept Scarlett the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. And cried. DRIVING LESSONS O’Hara in ball gowns for a year; three flat-screen TVs and a I knew my apartment was close to La Grand Épicerie: it was Miele kitchen that could do everything. If you pressed the right close to everything. And yet, allowing myself to get lost in the Cheska Liackman hits the road from Wales button, it even made very good coffee for washing down your vicinity of the Rue de Sèvres that evening, I was surprised to to Liverpool in the new Range Rover Evoque pain au chocolat and the slight headache that invariably follows find myself outside the famous food hall of that venerable Paris the discovery of a complimen- department store, Le Bon Marché. Pretty much the only thing I knew about Wales was that Prince lookout for a certain prince) all the tary bottle of Veuve Clicquot in I took my time picking out the food for my supper. It cheered William and Kate Middleton used to live in Anglesey. What I way to and around Liverpool, here OUTSIDE 40 RUE the fridge. me up to think about the gas hob in my Miele kitchen. The knew of Liverpool, despite not watching soccer, was their foot- is what I learnt: BONAPARTE The Veuve had been the sec- leftover Veuve in the fridge. The macarons on the dining-room ball team and Anfield (thanks to my brother-in-law who’s an 1. Don’t touch the GPS. Let’s ond surprise waiting for me at table, placed there by Perumal. And the Sainte-Chapelle in overenthusiastic fan). But after driving a Range Rover Evoque just say I saw a whole other side of the top of the red-carpeted stairs; the morning… from Anglesey (okay, I will admit that upon landing I was on the the Welsh coastline than intended 154 ELLE | DECEMBER 2011 For more armchair travel and Nikki’s Buenos Aires contact list, visit elle.co.za DECEMBER 2011 | ELLE 155.