VINGT Paris News

I V Y paris and Parisnormale at L'Orange Mecanique

IVY Paris and Parisnormale bring you Djay's Eclectic Dyspeptic: Gems and Oddities of the 20th century (and a few from the 21st).

DJay (Jayson Harsin of Parisnormale) gives you an eclectic mix of 20th and 21st gems from Fats Waller to Jerry Lee Lewis, Wanda Jackson to Roy Orbison, France Gall to Kim Wilde, Kraftwerk to the Klaxons, David Bowie to the Wombats, the Clash to Of Montreal.

At new Oberkampf bar L'Orange Mecanique from 8:30pm-1am . RSVP and for more details

5euro pint or Happy hour 6-8pm - 2.50euro a pint and Verre de St Esteve or Pastis à 1,50€

DJay, Jayson Harsin, was an indie rock dj in Chicago for six years before defecting to Paris, where he writes for IVY Paris - see "team" page, Parisnormale and Gogoparis on music and film.

Aller or be carré!

Aux Folies cafe, Belleville

Sarah-Neel Smith writes for I V Y Paris

Visible almost as soon as you exit the Belleville metro, this neon-lit cafe is a microcosm of the diverse, constantly-in-flux neighborhood it's located in.

A little rough around the edges, it is always packed to bursting on weekend nights with a crowd that is mostly made up of bohemian residents drawn by the area's lower rent and lively vibe, their (young) children at all hours of the night, and often a handful of foreign "authenticity-seekers.".

Needless to say, the people-watching experience is a bit different from what you'd normally see if parked at a more central Parisian cafe with hordes of chic, thin, black-clad Parisians.

Instead, the sidewalk drama unfolds in multiple languages (there are large local North African and Chinese populations) and in ever-new shapes and forms.

On a recent Saturday night, revelers lit a peanut-fueled blaze on one of the tables -- a stunt that would get you arrested immediately in New York, but met with nothing more than bemused looks from the clientele and, eventually, some disciplinary action from the waiter.

Staff are efficient and alert, recovering dropped wallets and filling orders with equal alacrity.

"Christian Lacroix, Fashion Histories" at Musée de la Mode (through April 20)

Sarah-Neel Smith writing for I V Y Paris

Unlike the Musée de la Mode's hugely successful 2025 Balenciaga show, which caught the attention of aesthetes the world over, this exhibit is really for pre-established Christian Lacroix fans, and true members of the fashion pack.

For existing fans, "Fashion Stories" is a thrilling exposé of Lacroix's private sources of inspiration: in the many wall texts, he waxes nostalgic about his grandmother's white dresses, and defiant about his dissonant color choices.

For other members of the fashion industry -- which can be so focused on the future that it sometimes loses track of the present (next season, next season, next season) -- being surrounded by 500 garments from the past can feel like a day at the spa.

(Visiting with a member of the New York Vogue team, I saw this effect in action firsthand: in fact, the show is worth a visit just to spot the elegant Parisian grandes dames who show up in pairs or the moody black-clad stylists taking notes.)

La Belle Hortense - Alcohol and Intellectualism

This is one of the best bars in the Marais and famously the place where Catherine Millet's "La Vie Sexuelle de Catherine M" was launched.  Combining books (it's a librairie) and wine is a great french combination if you ask me, plus there is a little gallery in the intimate lounge at the rear of the premises.   Just the place to meet an old flame....or pick up a new one.   Books stocked include french literary classics and tomes on art, psychoanalysis, history and culture.

La Belle Hortense
31 rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris

Les Salons du Palais Royal - Serge Lutens

Stroll into the wonderful Palais Royal, a few steps from the Louvre but quite off the tourist beat; in the Galerie de Valvois running down the right-hand side is Les Salons du Palais Royal. 

This exclusive perfume emporium conceived by Serge Lutens of Shiseido will take your breath away.

The boutique itself is a perle rare, the purple art deco finish makes it a seductive place to try the heady mixes.

Bruni dumped ....from I V Y paris Myspace

I would just like to apologise to anyone who has recently visited the I V Y paris Myspace site and heard the Carla Bruni song "Quelqu'un m'a dit". It will be removed in protest against the farcical antics of our President. Remember what Voltaire said Sarko - "The secret of being a bore is to tell everything."

It's getting too much like the UK here, not to mention the USA........ Intelligent people are starting to discuss these shenanigans in all seriousness at dinner parties. Where in the world can one escape to if Paris succumbs? Still, I have more faith in the French; Nicolas' popularity dropped seven points since his spin team told him to pretend he was shagging an "ex-model-turned-hit-musician".

The Paris Writers Workshop July 2025 - A New Era!

We are delighted to announce a new era for the Paris Writers Workshop, France’s oldest continuing creative writing event.  The brand new expanded ten-day program of Master Classes, Workshops, readings, signings, and face-to-face consultations with major agents and publishers will be a treat for the participants and the Workshop also inaugurates an annual $5000 prize for a work of fiction by a writer who has not previously had book publication......

This year’s faculty includes Nuala O’Faolain, Nahid Rachlin, Vijay Seshadri, Cole Swensen, Catherine Texier, Susan Tiberghien, Ann Snodgrass, Patrick McGilligan, Kevin Jackson and Karen Weir-Jimerson.  Jonathan Lloyd, CEO of the world-wide Curtis Brown Literary Agency, and Patrick Janson-Smith, London-based agent and former publisher of Doubleday/Transworld, will be special guests and available for private consultations with those looking to be published.  Sidebar events will include daily readings performances and Literary Walks. 

I must admit I'm most excited about the "Surrealist Dinner" the winner of the inaugural $5000 Paris Prize for First Fiction will be announced.  Maybe the Isabella Blow-esque lobster hat can have an outing!

INSTANTS CHAVIRÉS - avant garde music - from wednesday 16th

*The Ex curate 3 nights at Instants Chavirés, Paris *featuring Zea (experimental rock, Netherlands) Anne James Chaton (sound-poet, France) Wolter Wierbos (trombone, Netherlands) Colin McLean (bass, electronics, Scotland) Christine Shenaoui (saxophone, France) Api Uiz (instrumental rock, France) Emma Fischer (performance, Netherlands) Afework Negussie (masenqo-Ethiopia) Clayton Thomas (bass, Australia)

Studio Le Regard du Cygne

Studio Le Regard du Cygne encourages research, experimentation, creation and dialogue between amateurs and professionals.  Specifically created for a community of dancers and choreographers in the 1980's by Amy Swanson and Fabrice Dugied, the first programme began as a series of workshops for contemporary dance.  Later collaborations included those with Philippe Coutelen, musician and founder of Carnegie'Small.

Cartoucherie de Vincennes & Théâtre du Soleil

Sometimes we want to stray from the norms of theatre, to find theatre that takes place in a world that we are not familiar with, a world that is abstract.

The Théâtre du Soleil is part of the larger group, La Cartoucherie, a complex of five theaters (Théâtre du Soleil, Théâtre de l'Aquarium, Théâtre de la Tempête, Théâtre de l'Epée de Bois, and the Théâtre du Chaudron) in a former munitions factory.  The resident director is the revered Ariane Mnouchkine.