Tag: Paris

  • Fans of Netflix series ‘Emily in Paris’ flock to Place de l’Estrapade

    By Associated Press

    PARIS: The immense success of the Netflix series “Emily in Paris” has transformed a quiet, untouched square in the French capital into a tourist magnet.

    In the historic Latin Quarter and just a short walk from the magnificent, domed Pantheon, tucked so deeply away that you could easily miss it, lies the Place de l’Estrapade. For diehard, beret-wearing fans of the show, this sliver of a neighborhood has become a landmark of its own.

    That’s because this is where the fictional character Emily Cooper, a 20-something American portrayed by Lily Collins, lives, dines and savors French pastries from the local bakery.

    The newfound attention can be disruptive for the real people who live and work here, but the show is also igniting a new passion for Paris — and even anti-Emily graffiti has become part of the attraction.

    The romantic comedy, whose third season was released in December, traces Emily’s adventures and misadventures in her Parisian career and love life.

    On a sunny weekday, the square bustles with tourists from the U.S. and far beyond, taking photos, video and selfies.

    It’s all here: Emily’s apartment building at 1 Place de d’Estrapade, where she lives next to would-be love interest Gabriel. The restaurant where Gabriel — portrayed by French actor Lucas Bravo — is the chef. And, of course, the bakery she loves.

    Dancer Riskya Octaviana from Jakarta, Indonesia, came directly to Paris after performing in Germany because of how much she loves the show. After twirling on the square, Emily-style, she said, “Emily is my big friend.”

    A woman walks past a graffiti reading “Emily Not Welcome” scrawled on part of the facade of the building where the fictional character Emily Cooper lives, at 1 Place de d’Estrapade, in Paris, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Photo | AP)

    Elizabeth and Ruben Mercado celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Paris and visited Emily’s neighborhood as part of their trip. Elizabeth Mercado said she prepared by binge-watching the show just before they left.

    “We’ve been trying to practice the small bits of French that we picked up during the show,” she said.

    Tourists make a point of stopping and snacking at Boulangerie Moderne, the Modern Bakery featured in the series. The tourist infusion has boosted profits, acknowledges owner Thierry Rabineau.

    But the flipside to fame has come in online comments. Some people, many posting anonymously, have slammed the quality of his bakery. Rabineau thinks the show has mistakenly given viewers the impression that he’s running a luxury pastry shop instead of a standard local bakery selling croissants at 1.30 euros ($1.43) each.

    “People are writing comments, saying it’s overpriced, it’s not good. It’s disgusting. This baffles me,” Rabineau said. “It’s a modern bakery, a small neighborhood bakery.”

    He’s aware how lucky he is that the show came along. “We are profiting from a current situation. … But in two or three years, there won’t be any more tourism and we will have to be here to survive,” he said.

    Stephanie Jamin, who lives on the square and crosses paths with the throngs of tourists on a daily basis, has had to adjust to residing in a go-to place on the tourist map. She says the people themselves aren’t a nuisance, but the crowds can be imposing.

    “We have become an ultra-touristy district, whereas it was a small square still a bit preserved from tourism,” she said.

    Another resident emerging from Emily’s apartment building said they were allergic to the show. “Emily Not Welcome” is even scrawled in red graffiti on part of the facade.

    But the graffiti, too, is drawing fans, with visitors taking pictures of themselves pointing to the disparaging remark. Among them was Abdullah Najarri, a medical internist from Berlin who calls the series “entertaining.”

    “I got to see a lot of Paris through that series, actually, and the lifestyle and and the clichés — partly true, partly not, so that it’s nice,” he said.

    People walk in the Place de d’Estrapade, in Paris, Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo | AP)

    Croatian digital creator Sladana Grzincic, touring Paris wearing a white beret, sunglasses and a striped blue and white sweater, was photographed taking a jump and a twirl in front of Emily’s apartment.

    Seeing the real neighborhood makes her eager for the next season, which she said she will watch “a bit differently because I was here and on the same spots where she’s filming that.”

    Season four is in the works, but the release date remains unknown.

    Resident Jamin remains philosophical about the fascination with her neighborhood.

    “It is as ephemeral as the series is,” she said. After the Emily frenzy subsides, “there are people like all the shopkeepers of the district who will have benefited enormously from it, and it allowed them to start up again after COVID. They needed that.”

    “There will inevitably be an end. Emily is not Victor Hugo. She will not be inducted into the Pantheon,” Jamin said. “She will go home and everything will be fine.”

    PARIS: The immense success of the Netflix series “Emily in Paris” has transformed a quiet, untouched square in the French capital into a tourist magnet.

    In the historic Latin Quarter and just a short walk from the magnificent, domed Pantheon, tucked so deeply away that you could easily miss it, lies the Place de l’Estrapade. For diehard, beret-wearing fans of the show, this sliver of a neighborhood has become a landmark of its own.

    That’s because this is where the fictional character Emily Cooper, a 20-something American portrayed by Lily Collins, lives, dines and savors French pastries from the local bakery.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The newfound attention can be disruptive for the real people who live and work here, but the show is also igniting a new passion for Paris — and even anti-Emily graffiti has become part of the attraction.

    The romantic comedy, whose third season was released in December, traces Emily’s adventures and misadventures in her Parisian career and love life.

    On a sunny weekday, the square bustles with tourists from the U.S. and far beyond, taking photos, video and selfies.

    It’s all here: Emily’s apartment building at 1 Place de d’Estrapade, where she lives next to would-be love interest Gabriel. The restaurant where Gabriel — portrayed by French actor Lucas Bravo — is the chef. And, of course, the bakery she loves.

    Dancer Riskya Octaviana from Jakarta, Indonesia, came directly to Paris after performing in Germany because of how much she loves the show. After twirling on the square, Emily-style, she said, “Emily is my big friend.”

    A woman walks past a graffiti reading “Emily Not Welcome” scrawled on part of the facade of the building where the fictional character Emily Cooper lives, at 1 Place de d’Estrapade, in Paris, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. (Photo | AP)

    Elizabeth and Ruben Mercado celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Paris and visited Emily’s neighborhood as part of their trip. Elizabeth Mercado said she prepared by binge-watching the show just before they left.

    “We’ve been trying to practice the small bits of French that we picked up during the show,” she said.

    Tourists make a point of stopping and snacking at Boulangerie Moderne, the Modern Bakery featured in the series. The tourist infusion has boosted profits, acknowledges owner Thierry Rabineau.

    But the flipside to fame has come in online comments. Some people, many posting anonymously, have slammed the quality of his bakery. Rabineau thinks the show has mistakenly given viewers the impression that he’s running a luxury pastry shop instead of a standard local bakery selling croissants at 1.30 euros ($1.43) each.

    “People are writing comments, saying it’s overpriced, it’s not good. It’s disgusting. This baffles me,” Rabineau said. “It’s a modern bakery, a small neighborhood bakery.”

    He’s aware how lucky he is that the show came along. “We are profiting from a current situation. … But in two or three years, there won’t be any more tourism and we will have to be here to survive,” he said.

    Stephanie Jamin, who lives on the square and crosses paths with the throngs of tourists on a daily basis, has had to adjust to residing in a go-to place on the tourist map. She says the people themselves aren’t a nuisance, but the crowds can be imposing.

    “We have become an ultra-touristy district, whereas it was a small square still a bit preserved from tourism,” she said.

    Another resident emerging from Emily’s apartment building said they were allergic to the show. “Emily Not Welcome” is even scrawled in red graffiti on part of the facade.

    But the graffiti, too, is drawing fans, with visitors taking pictures of themselves pointing to the disparaging remark. Among them was Abdullah Najarri, a medical internist from Berlin who calls the series “entertaining.”

    “I got to see a lot of Paris through that series, actually, and the lifestyle and and the clichés — partly true, partly not, so that it’s nice,” he said.

    People walk in the Place de d’Estrapade, in Paris, Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo | AP)

    Croatian digital creator Sladana Grzincic, touring Paris wearing a white beret, sunglasses and a striped blue and white sweater, was photographed taking a jump and a twirl in front of Emily’s apartment.

    Seeing the real neighborhood makes her eager for the next season, which she said she will watch “a bit differently because I was here and on the same spots where she’s filming that.”

    Season four is in the works, but the release date remains unknown.

    Resident Jamin remains philosophical about the fascination with her neighborhood.

    “It is as ephemeral as the series is,” she said. After the Emily frenzy subsides, “there are people like all the shopkeepers of the district who will have benefited enormously from it, and it allowed them to start up again after COVID. They needed that.”

    “There will inevitably be an end. Emily is not Victor Hugo. She will not be inducted into the Pantheon,” Jamin said. “She will go home and everything will be fine.”

  • Ukraine crisis figures in talks between Jaishankar and French foreign minister

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: France on Monday said the “rigorous dialogue” with Russia for respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity figured in talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris.

    Jaishankar arrived in Paris on Sunday on a day French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a marathon telephonic conversation to defuse the crisis in Ukraine amid apprehension of a Russian invasion of the eastern European nation.

    A day after the talks between Jaishankar and Le Drian, the French foreign ministry on Monday said they exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the situation in Ukraine.

    “The ministers exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the rigorous dialogue with Russia for the respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the discussions with Iran for implementing the joint comprehensive plan of action,” the French foreign ministry said.

    A press statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two ministers exchanged perspectives on the situation in Afghanistan, Iran nuclear deal and the evolving situation in Ukraine.

    “They reiterated their shared commitment to the principles of multilateralism and a rules-based order, and agreed to coordinate in the UN Security Council on issues of mutual concern,” it said.

    Though the US and its Western allies have been severely critical of the massive Russian military build-up near the Ukrainian border, India has not spoken against Russia as it has been pitching for “quiet and constructive diplomacy” to resolve the crisis.

    On the overall talks between Jaishankar and Le Drian, the French foreign ministry said the ministers agreed to deepen the Indo-French strategic partnership and cooperation in areas of defence, civil nuclear energy, space, and security.

    The two sides also adopted a “bilateral roadmap on the blue economy and ocean governance” through which France and India commit to joint actions to make the Indo-Pacific an area of sustainable growth, rule of law and oceans protection, according to the French readout.

    “They recalled the importance of intensifying people-to-people ties between France and India. In this regard, Le Drian recalled the goal of welcoming 20,000 Indian students in France by 2025, and proposed the establishment of an ‘Indo-Pacific’ campus in India focusing on training, research, and innovation in healthcare,” it said.

    The French foreign ministry also said that the two ministers reaffirmed their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific governed by the rule of law.

    The situation in the Indo-Pacific and possible areas of cooperation are likely to be delved into at a ministerial forum for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, being organised by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union on Tuesday in Paris.

    The French readout also said that in view of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, a declaration of intent in the field of sport was finalised.

    “Minister Le Drian welcomed the many upcoming cultural events, including the cross-participation of France and India as guests of honour in the New Delhi World Book Fair and the Paris Book Fair respectively, and the launch of the 4th edition of the Bonjour India festival,” it said.

    “With over 130 cultural events taking place in India from March to May, Bonjour India 2022 will celebrate the friendship between France and India, thus marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries,” it added.

  • Paris Fashion Week: Catwalks to make a comeback after Covid spurred two-year hibernation

    By AFP

    PARIS: The industry is determined to get back on the catwalks after nearly two years during which most brands were forced to retreat online.

    Despite the complications caused by the pandemic, the fashion community is stepping out regardless. Most fashion houses are returning to live shows as the menswear week kicks off, followed immediately by haute couture shows.

    Some 17 of the 76 brands of the official Paris menswear calendar — including big names like Dior, Hermes, and Rick Owens — will be back on the catwalk, up from just six last summer. Nearly 30 others are opting for other types of in-person events — inviting journalists, buyers, and other taste-makers to less formal gatherings around the French capital.

    There will be a bittersweet taste to the first week, however, as Louis Vuitton presents the final collection from US designer Virgil Abloh, who died in November at the age of 41 after a private battle with cancer.

    Such is the interest around Abloh, a close partner of Kanye West who helped break through glass ceilings for black designers, that Louis Vuitton is presenting the show twice on Thursday.

    Many are also excited to see what streetwear veteran Nigo does as the new artistic director of Kenzo. And there is hype, too, around French label Egonlab, launched two years ago with a series of arty videos and now making its first foray in the official calendar.

    “To present your work alongside the big houses that greatly influenced us — it does something to you,” said co-founder Florentin Glemarec.

    Nonetheless, like many fashion newcomers, Egonlab is embracing both the live and online worlds, with a line of NFTs and Metaverse digital clothing that it is developing in partnership with footwear brand Crocs.

    ‘Caught in the crossfire’

    Haute couture designers are also returning to the catwalk, with 18 of 29 houses planning live shows — albeit with the now-common caveat that the virus might throw a last-minute spanner in the works.

    Some changes have already been announced: the Sidaction charity evening to raise money for AIDS research, which traditionally marks the end of the haute couture week, has been postponed until July.

    Giorgio Armani canceled his menswear show in Milan and haute couture show in Paris over the latest surge in Covid cases.

    That decision sparked a sense of deja-vu as it was the 87-year-old Italian maestro who was first to cancel his catwalk shows in the early days of the pandemic in February 2020.

    ALSO READ: New Covid variant in France not a worry right now: Experts

    “It’s their choice,” said Pascal Morand, head of France’s Federation for Haute Couture and Fashion.

    He said the federation makes several recommendations including the use of FFP2 masks, but he was happy to see brands returning to the live sphere.

    “We have learned to live with the virus,” he told AFP. “Digital enriches the physical, but it can’t replace the emotion and sensory side of the runway shows.”

    Some still feel uneasy about returning to in-person events. “I feel caught in the crossfire,” said Jean Paul Cauvin, director of haute couture brand Julien Fournie, who has had to deal with the disruption of positive tests among models and workshop workers.

    “We would be frustrated not to be on the catwalk, but I hope we don’t create an haute couture cluster,” he told AFP.

  • Indian passenger travelling to Paris held with fake visa at IGI airport

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A Paris-bound Indian passenger was apprehended by the CISF at the Delhi airport on Monday for allegedly using a fake visa to exit the country, a senior official said.

    Amjot Singh was scheduled to take a Qatar Airways flight to Paris through Doha but he was intercepted by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel during checks at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

    “Immigration officials confirmed that the visa affixed on his passport was fake,” a senior CISF officer said.

    The passenger was handed over to Delhi Police that booked him on charges of cheating and forgery, he said.