Town & Country features the latest in luxury, from beautiful homes, sumptuous dining to exotic locations. In 11 gorgeous annual issues, Town & Country covers the arts, fashion and culture, bringing the best of everything to America's trendsetters
1938 BEMELMANS IN FRANCE Ludwig Bemelmans may have owed his career to bad luck. It all started in the winter of 1914, when the 16-year-old, already noted for his rebellious nature, got into so much trouble he was given a choice: reform school or America. He chose the latter, finding work at the Ritz-Carlton in New York, where he discovered his true calling: sketching the guests. Fast-forward to 1938: Bemelmans, who had begun writing and illustrating regularly for T&C (he would continue to do so until the ’60s), took off for a summer holiday in France with his wife Madeleine and their young daughter Barbara. Misfortune struck again: A bicycle accident landed him in the hospital. But while there he met a plucky little girl who had had an appendectomy. Guess…
The thing about Paris, of course, is that everyone has their places, and the beauty of it is that you often find a new one each time you visit. So take this issue as a guide—eat and shop and stay at the places the T&C mafia recommends, and then add your own. Here’s my take: Before I leave, I book Laurent or Antony at JUSTASK-FRANCE.COM, the best drivers and fixers in the city. They have saved us during multiple fashion weeks, set us up with excellent guides for the Louvre, and figured out how to do Normandy in one day. I make sure there’s a room for me on the seventh floor of the Plaza Athénée, my home away from home, and that I have a morning for breakfast there…
WHERE ARE WE GOING? It’s clichéd but true: Paris is always a good idea. During the Olympics, too, despite what the Parisians tell you. The opening ceremony on the Seine! Fencing in the Grand Palais! Dressage at Versailles! Even the biggest cynic can be swayed. But make no mistake: We may be Francophiles (as this issue makes clear), but when the games begin we’re Team USA—with the Ralph Lauren outfits to prove it. WHAT ARE WE WEARING? Selfies at the opening spectacle from your seats on the quai are one way to capture, and brag about, this experience. A great merch haul is another. This special edition Omega Seamaster Diver, with its Paris 2024 stamp, was created exclusively for the games—and it’s available only in Paris boutiques. Speaking of, a…
It’s not a comprehensive guide, but it’s highly opinionated. What else would you expect? The Peninsula Paris 19 Avenue Kléber “Anywhere in the world where there’s a Peninsula, I’m there, because it reminds me of my childhood in Asia. I can be assured that the room will be exquisitely appointed, with the Peninsula-only bells and whistles, and the breakfast buffet will be incredible.” —Kevin Kwan, author PENINSULA.COM Hôtel Plaza Athénée 25 Avenue Montaigne “Maybe it’s because a beau took me there in my twenties and told them it was our honeymoon and all was over-the-top indulgence, but even after marrying my Paul, I still have the same delicious feelings.” —Bridget Gless Keller, philanthropist DORCHESTERCOLLECTION.COM La Réserve Paris 42 Avenue Gabriel “It’s the perfect combination of luxe and intime. I sent…
Last June, after three decades of making perfect martinis at the Bar Hemingway in the Ritz Paris, Colin Field announced he was retiring. But a life of leisure didn’t quite stick. “I’m always thinking about cocktails,” Field tells T&C. “It’s not entirely about the drinks, though, it’s also about the people.” Luckily, his new gig—a residency that finds him behind the bar at Maison Proust, a boutique hotel in the Marais, every Friday night—gives him access to both. Now the challenge for Field lies in creating recipes that live up to the property’s namesake. “Proust is intellectual,” he says, “whereas the cocktails at Hemingway were more pretentious.” BYO madeleines. 26 RUE DE PICARDIE…
Go ahead and ask your friends. Everyone has a list of favorite Paris restaurants. Some will even drop you a Google Map. And, who knows, maybe they’re on to something. But you should also have a list of bulletproof greats. L’Arpège 84 Rue de Varenne Three Michelin stars for a vegetable-based menu? Alain Passard was the first to figure out how it’s done and the most adept at keeping it surprising by constantly updating the dishes. ALAIN-PASSARD.COM Pierre Gagnaire 6 Rue Balzac How has he stayed on top of Paris’s fine dining heap? “Gagnaire is still inventing, still walking a tightrope,” says longtime fan Ruth Reichl. PIERREGAGNAIRE.COM Septime 80 Rue de Charonne The food skews more nordic than traditional French, and the dining room, a favorite of locals and…
