Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Les Parisiennes


When I passed these two girls in the Latin Quarter yesterday, I immediately thought to myself "these are the typical 2009 Parisiennes" : elegant but not uptight, thin and sexy but not provocative, free but not wild, joyful but not foolish, rich but not ostentatious... Stereotypes? Well yes, probably a little bit, but you know that there is always a part of truth in all stereotypes! By the way, what's your idea of the typical Parisienne?!

95 comments:

  1. Parisians always look so put together. I hope to one day be as elegant as comes naturally.

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  2. By the way, I absoluely love the purse of the girl on the left. Her shoes...I'll let her suffer with those herself!

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  3. My, my, mon ami, a little more of you is revealed today! I approve. Though, of course, you will make all your female fans jealous and angry. C'est l'amour!

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  4. I agree too Christie.
    When I was over in Paris one of the first things I noticed Eric.Was how all of the Parisiennes dressed and carried themselves.Even the men were well groomed and dressed.I being a American was very impressed by this.

    It made me want to dress that good all the time.These ladies look very chic & well mannered. LOVE her LV!!

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  5. Also I've always pictured Parisienne women as chic.They just know how to dress and carry themselves.To me they have this confidence that no one else has.Not just the woman but the men too.While I was there I was very impressed by how sweet everyone was to us American's.Even when I couldn't speak perfect French.

    [[ at least I tried Eric :) ]]

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  6. oh sorry I made a mistake in the link just above: this is better!

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  7. The one on the left is definitely chic - a gorgeous head of hair, a beautifully fitted coat, and bien sur - a Louis Vuitton bag!

    A typical Parisienne is classically stylish, thin, has a petit chien on a leash in one hand, carries at least two shopping bags from designer stores in the other hand, and says, "pffft..." often :-)

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  8. Well I'm slightly concerned that thin is in the same sentence as sexy. Must one be thin? No hope for me then :)
    These ladies look lovely. I wanted some fashion shots Eric so I'm thrilled you should show them. Love the LV too. The coat on the left is gorgeous.

    To me, a Parisienne wears black. Her hair shines. Her lines are simple. The jewellery is glossy gold or silver, if stones they are diamonds, no fussiness. Her make-up is black eyeliner, no colours, apart from lips sometimes. Somewhere, there is always a scarf of some sort.

    LOL! Well I just realised I described my own choices of outfit in fact, but it's how I see the French lady. Classic. Maybe I'm old fashioned.

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  9. Eric, "what's your idea of the typical Parisienne?!" : Mais enfin, It's ME!!!!!
    LOL I'm kidding, but you just had to ask to have a wonderful picture of me, you know.

    Your description is good, and these 2 girls actually are really parisiennes. Nice colors and harmony, nice materials, nice gait... The simple frame is a clever idea.
    That's the French elegance.

    Reminds me a conversation here about wearing tracksuits (sweat suits for the Amirkins) in public places...

    You should take a look to the link provided by Angele, it's amazing.

    Jeff, " you will make all your female fans jealous and angry."... Mais non, pas du tout, pffeuu. Hm, okay, a little bit. ;)

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  10. Oh Guille, you see, you are secretly a little bit Elizabeth from P & P; talking about gait etc. Gait is very important, I've always thought. It's a delight that you should say so. Yes I thought of you when Eric asked about the Parisienne, honestly I did! You're the lovely young Parisienne for us!

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  11. Pont Girl, my "pffeuu" was not a reaction to your comment! It's a funny coincidence. I'm too parisienne, I should move from here!

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  12. Lynn, that's really nice from you. You made my day. :)

    I'm afraid that my literal translation of "trop parisienne" (Too parisienne) means nothing. So parisienne? Too much parisienne?

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  13. lol Pont Girl I just read yours! So right. Le petit chien. Avec la merde sur la trottoir - pfft!
    Oh yes the designer carriers I forgot those. Essential. MUST she be so thin though? Please don't ruin my day?

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  14. Too Parisienne, Guille. (too much in your opinion). So parisienne is fine too (emphatic). Too much parisienne is incorrect English. Hope that helps.
    In any case, we love you just as you are, our sweet and clever Little Parisienne: Guille. Don't move! :)

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  15. Although you can say "I am too much of a Parisienne." also correct.

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  16. Just to make you laugh, this is me, aged 21 with a Parisienne fixation! I was living in Switzerland actually but spent time in Paris too and, well, see what the wonderful Paree does to turn a young girl's head?! lol.

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  17. Hee hee Guille! Mais ou est votre petit chien et shopping bags???

    Duchess Lynn, Eric did ask for "typical". I'm afraid I would look like a stuffed sausage if I tried to fit in most of the clothes at the shops in Paris! The only things that come in my size there are hats, scarves and shoes. Pffft!

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  18. My answer to Eric's question was definitely going to be "Why, Guille, of course!" (Sans blague, Guille.)
    A very chic French friend once accused me of being a snob who dressed like an American when in Paris and a Francaise when in NY. I have no idea what she meant—all I know is that I could never quite master the scarves. Seriously, most French women I know are smart enough to have a wardrobe made up of a few very good pieces rather than a whole closet full of crap. And they take very good care of their skin.

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  19. Almost forgot -- congrats on GF, Christie!

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  20. Yes, few classic pieces are far better than 'a whole closet full of crap' LOL Alexa Queen GF you did make me laugh there! So did your description Pont Girl he he!
    Hey GF Christie! Yay. Tell us the fashion on your crown tonight?

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  21. Ohhh I could talk fashion all night but I've been told I must sleep. Off to bed. Faire dodo maintenant. Bonne nuit. I've commented far too much already but fashion shots are great. More please Eric!

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  22. As an aging philogynist, i've always marveled at the ability of les Parisiennes to walk with such poise on les talons hauts over the cobblestones of Paris.

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  23. Oh, it's a skill to walk all over town in these heels!

    To me, when someone says Les Parisiennes, I will always think of this or that (scroll down for illustrations ) because I grew up with them, used to sneak out Jours de France from the doctor's or the dentist's waiting room so I could check out the latest jokes and illustrations of Kiraz's beloved Parisiennes.

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  24. In a way, these Kiraz Parisiennes were a beta version of Sex in the City.

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  25. Oh, I think the crown has a lovely scarf draped on it today! Hermes, perhaps?

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  26. Tomate, same for me, Parisiennes mean Kiraz. His girls are incredibly cute and awfully unbearable in the same time: like the parisiennes!
    Unfortunately I missed his exhibition last summer.

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  27. Guille, you really are the typical Parisienne, everything Eric mentioned and so much more (like highly intelligent, very sweet, etc)!

    My idea of a typical Parisienne? I seem to recall something someone onece tol dme about nose-pickers... :P

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  28. told me, even. Sheesh, my typing skills seem to be lacking today.

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  29. Chic of course but what says Parisiennes to me is that they are arm in arm. I was struck by that on both visits. Parisienne women old and young walk this way. I like that. When friends walk together it seems very natural. Wish that would be accepted here in the US. I think not though. What do you think?

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  30. French chicks or chic French are just plain classy, stylish, intelligent, confident, beautiful, and dig jazz. And probably drum solos too. ;-)(wishful thinking, non?) Hey Eric, merci for asking. Love this photo.

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  31. Eric just today as I was getting dressed to go to work I remembered how I used to love to watch parisians walk by in the streets. I love their sense of fashion, they are so creative and unique, and always manage to remain elegant.

    Lynn, Eric should post your picture age 21 here, you look pretty.
    But I must say I don't associate parisians women with black clothes. Quite the contrary. It's fun to watch how they combine a color scarf or a bag with several types of ballerinas.

    So for me a parisian girl wears the perfect haircut cut, never long hair, no no, an elegant scarf, a very cool trenchcoat in a colour that goes with her shoes. Oh and of course, inside her bag, a world of possibilities!

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  32. Check out this link to Paule Ka's webpage (a french designer).
    The videos shows several french women revealing what's inside their bags.

    Every girl knows that sometimes we carry our almost all our house inside our bags!!

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  33. I think French women are the most gorgeous women. Everyone has beautiful skin, blue eyes and brown hair. No one looks fake, like here in the states with the fake breasts, botox and bleach blonde hair. Everyone in Paris seems so elegant and stylish, even more so than NYC.

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  34. How elegant, Eric ... for me, especially the lady on the left, for whom the other creates a lovely foil. Impossibly high boots, a little leg hinted at but not fully revealed, a rustle of colour peeping under the coat. And an LV you can't possibly miss!

    Coltrane, perhaps something like Round Midnight and a drum solo with brushes...

    Tomato Farcie, thank you for the links to the Kiraz illustrations ~ gorgeous!

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  35. These women look comfortable with themselves, and it shows in how they dress.
    Wish we could have seen how the women on the right has her scarf tied - I am picturing a wonderfully tied only in paris style scarf!

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  36. I really love this photo Eric.I would like to see more fashion photographs as someone else has mentioned.We've commented on how Parisian women dress & how chic,elegant,classy they are.I also would have liked to of seen what these 2 women look like from the front?? What they must look like??
    How does this other woman have her scarf tied?? So many questions and curiosity.

    But mmmm her Louis Vuitton <3

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  37. I can't define it, but I certainly know it when I see it.
    Americans are too groomed with perfect teeth and I can spot them a mile away.(BTW, I happen to like that about us).
    Brits have a sense of abandon when they dress.
    I think the Parisians take one thing, work it in an unexpected way, and then accessorize it with a lot of thought that looks like it just happened.
    I've tried and tried, but you have to be born with it...or had a French mother to train you.
    PS I loved the links you all provided.

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  38. I'm with Virginia - the first thing I notice about these women is that they walk arm in arm. We don't do that in the States. It would be nice if we could.

    When I was in Paris as a young teenager in 1976 our teachers instructed us to walk arm in arm if we didn't want to be bothered by men. And we WERE bothered when we didn't do it. I didn't find that to be the case in 2006. Of course I wasn't 16 anymore...

    I like to dress well. But when you're a tourist you just can't do all that walking, walking, walking in spike heels! Still - no tennies. You can get good-looking flats that won't kill you.

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  39. les Parisiennes (et aussi les Parisiens) = confidence
    And that's what makes them so cool, so stylish.

    The first time I was in Paris, I was amazed to see that everyone looked effortlessly cool - which phx-cdg rightly pointed out. It seemed to me they just put on whatever they pick up and still look better than anyone who TRIED. I guess they're really born with a stylish gene.

    Regarding what Petrea said about being bothered by men. I think les Parisiennes are used to being looked at (admired by?) and pursued by men. One time I was in the Metro and saw a young and pretty girl walked with her head held high as two young boys doing the "bothering".

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  40. The last time I was in Paris, it was just plain wonderful to see all the people (men and women) so well dressed. I think I have not seen this in any other city.

    Every city seems to have a bit of casual dressers but even the casual dressers in Paris are way better.

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  41. Shell...like soft brushes sweeping the music along, oui that's a perfect description.;-)

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  42. Wow these women are beautiful - real Parisiennes, and you just said it all yourself, Eric. And I can understand why they made you and your camera turn around ;-D lol.

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  43. :) :) :)

    A sweet kiss from a parisienne who loves your caption ;)

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  44. The Parisiennes are always thin, with beautiful eyes and direct to their manners.

    They are adorable!
    ;)

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  45. Anonyme a dit...

    :) :) :) A sweet kiss from a parisienne who loves your caption ;)

    I want a name!! LOL.

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  46. LOOOOOOOOOL Eric !
    I have all the names you may wish as a Parisienne of yours ;)

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  47. Tomate is right, who better than Kiraz ever portraited Les Parisiennes? His website http://kiraz-artworks.com/en/lesParisiennes.html is worth a visit

    (I wish I knew how to make links active in blogger comments - anyone cares to teach me?)

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  48. All the women you described are parisiennes, no doubt: whatever they wear, they look nice (I'm not speaking about me). They have their own style. Different from the Brits (more crazy in the way they dress, at least in London).
    Yes PHX, it's probably in the genes LOL. BTW, you can talk about wonderful white-teeth-smile!

    Sasha, I'm blushing...

    Monica, don't you think that the bad stuff is international, peculiar to women all over the world?

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  49. Bad stuff?

    Ooooh Eric has a sweet kiss from a Parisienne Anonyme! Oh, Anonyme, you don't know WHAT you have started! How very delightful.

    Thank you so much Monica for saying that x

    he he Phx the white teeth; so true. Sometimes they are ridiculous.

    Petrea et al: I sometimes walk arm in arm with my girlfriends. I notice that more and more young English girls also walk arm in arm. It's very nice I think. Girly and affectionate. Sweet.

    Phx, we 'Brits have an abandon when (we) dress'? Eek! How so? Do tell? What does that mean? I'm bracing myself... Holding onto my Chanel purse for comfort and spraying Jean Paul Gaultier, straightening my scarf, I await your reply. ;)

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  50. Ohhh Monica I can't see the handbag link. What a shame.
    I once wrote an article about the contents of a woman's handbag for a magazine. Most interesting. Most of us carry around hugely sentimental things too, such as a lucky charm or an old love letter, card from our child, etc. If lost, it would be disastrous but still we carry them...
    That article was a long time ago. Think I'll do another one...;)!

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  51. UKLynn: The sense of abandon is a positive thing about the Brits!
    As Guille said, there is more crazyness in Br. dressing when compared to the French. I think there is more of an underlayer of elegance as the thought behind French dressing.
    The English who dress well have avante garde as their underlayer of thought. Among the young people I have observed on the street besides women in the magazines like Kate Moss, Agnes Dyn(sp?), Daphne Guinness etc.there is that disconsonant cord that they somehow ingeniously make work in their dressing .
    Sheesh,Lynn, you made me think!
    Now let me ruin it by relaying a story about holding hands.
    While going to school in Rome many years ago, my sister came to visit me. Those pesky Italian men started to follow us(oh, do I long for those days now, but I digress).I figured if we would hold hands,we could get rid of them but that meant nothing. I whispered in her ear what I decided to do next, figuring it would act like garlic to Dracula for them. I turned to my sister and gave her a big long kiss on the mouth. Forget it. They clapped. The stayed around hoping for more.

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  52. LOL very funny Phx. I bet they did!

    Oh that's interesting about the Brits. Yes some are very stylish, not Kate Moss in my view (scruffy and rough) but still. Kate Winslett, who lives near me though I've not seen her yet!, always looks great I think. Stylish, classic.

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  53. In a word Sophistication. I agree with Lynn, Kate Moss is a scruffbag,(not to mention a bad role model) but the equivalent Parisan, French in general, would carry the style with aplomb. Americans alway think I am French. I can see why looking at this image, but slim rather than thin. You can be too thin, even the French but you can never be too sophistcated.

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  54. lol well said, Babooshka! Yes, Kate Mess I'm afraid. Hugely overrated.

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  55. I always think of Parisienne women as possessing natual grace and elegance -- the perfectly coiffed hair, the scarf so effortless tossed over the shoulder, etc.

    In my travels, however, I have found that it is not just Parisienne women. My husband and I were in the Bahamas on a mini-vacation last year and we could instantly spot a European woman. Agai, it was just that effortless grace & beauty -- the way they wrapped a sarong around their bathing suit, the chic sunglasses and beach bag, etc.

    I think they're just born that way!

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  56. Absolutely adore this photograph, Eric. Well done. Seems to me French women who look like this find their way to Monaco! So snap.

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  57. Et bientôt une petite photo des Parisiens ?

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  58. Did you know fashion week in Paris started Monday. I especially am enjoying all the optimism of the designers. Many of them have gone so far as to say, "crisis, what crisis". Gaultier won't allow the word, "crisis" in his fashion house. And concerning the recent events in Iceland, one Paris designer said, "revolution, I do not feel like it; maybe more like, evolution."

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  59. Hey mais c'est moi à gauche !!!! :)
    C'était dimanche dernier dans le quartier Latin!

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  60. YAY for Maty! I was hoping we'd hear from one of the Parisiennes!

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  61. Hey Maty...
    You have nice taste in clothes. Can you come shopping with me next time I am in Paris? lol

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  62. Les Parisiennes...Ahhh! What I find absolutely charming about "Les Parisiennes" is the fact that they don't surrender their style even when they become "Women of a certain age"!! I have encountered many older women in Paris extremely well "put together" even though in America they would be considered "over the hill"...and they are flirtatious in a charming way that could only be acquired through years of experience and knowing what works for them. They may have grey hair, but it is beautifully coiffed and they have accessorized themselves perfectly. Many older American women act like they are ashamed of the natural progression of age and do everything they can to look younger. They will dress, wear their hair and act like they are 29 instead of 59. It comes off as being totally grotesque and yet they think they look "great" because everyone tells them they do...well, at least the sales people tell them that; so they will come back and buy more ridiculous crap I guess!

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  63. Hey Maty! You look wonderful! It's great that you are here. How did you find out you were on PDP?
    Comment est-ce que vous avez trouvez les nouvelles que vous etes ici sur le blog PDP?

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  64. une collègue a vu cette photo sur le blog et m'a reconnu (oui même de dos ;)).

    voilou

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  65. Alors, Maty, you will attend our next picnic, n'est-ce pas?

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  66. Maty! This must be a first for Paris Daily Photo!! Someone in a photo that is recognized and then writes in.
    How exciting. Your Academy Award will be in the mail for Best Costume (in the nicest sense) in a Foreign Film.

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  67. Is the idea of a "typical Parisienne" anything more than an idea? I suppose it is.

    And yet, I live in the hope it isn't. Not so much because I loathe stereotypes (which we simply have to live with), but because I love surprises and mystery (which we shouldn't have to live without).

    Variety is the joyous offspring of la différence, whereas sameness, of almost any kind, is the glum orphan of la indifférence.

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  68. Bienvenue Maty! Vous etes tres jolie et nous sommes heureux que vous nous avez trouver. Pouvez-vous aller avec Eric pour le diner ce weekend??? :-)

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  69. Pont Girl! Are you keeping Eric's schedule now? HAHAHA!

    Pencil me in for next Tuesday for a picnic under the ET. Yup, right there on the concrete. It'll help keep the champagne cold.

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  70. Maty...welcome to PDP! What style you have, plus now you are famous the world over. :-)

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  71. Pont Girl! Tres amusant! So Maty's colleague saw her on the blog. C'est chouette, Maty!

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  72. ET Suzy & Duchess Lynn - we've got to look out for our Eric, n'est-ce pas? A little matchmaking never hurt anyone :-)

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  73. JELOUS JELOUS JELOUSSSSSSSSSSSS

    VERY VERY JELOUS....

    MONTERREY MEXICAN GIRLS WE TRY TO DRESS LIKE THAT... BUT IS EXPENSIVE AND TIRED... LOL...

    NY GIRLS ALSO DRESS GOOD...

    IM JELOUS... THANKS ERICK... IM KIDDING

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  74. Really incredible. I swear I did not know Maty before!

    I'll do my best to meet her and take a "real" photo, facing the camera this time ;)

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  75. he he! How exciting. See Eric I told you fashion photos would be fun!

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  76. They say it's a small world...and Paris has immediately become a little smaller...because of Eric and his camera! Soon everyone will be watching out for you Eric.

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  77. Yes indeed, Lynn! That Eric Tenin plaque becomes a finer idea by the day ...

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  78. Yes Shell and we will one day be saying to people, "You see that Eric Tenin there on the tv? I knew him when..."....sigh....;)

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  79. As wonderfully classy on the inside as she is on the outside. Not trying to call attention to herself but does so just by being herself. Good question!

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  80. Oh my isn't this great! Maty you have to arrange a meeting with Eric so we can see your face. If your dos is famous now, imagine when Eric captures the whole you!

    Guille, oh yes, now that I know what you meant I totally agree with you. It's a universal thing.

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  81. Merci d avoir immortalisé ce moment avec ma Maty Eric !!!

    & j'ai hâte de vous rencontrer pour finir ce diptyque des "parisiennes" !!! :D

    Laure

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  82. Hey hey, je suis la collègue de Maty, celle qui l'a reconnu, oui oui même de dos :)

    And I agree with you: she is awesome!

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  83. Bienvenue Maty, Laure & Mag!!
    Can we meet all three of you??!
    Oooh, this is so much fun! : )

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  84. Alors, maintenant nous avons Maty...et Laure...et Mag aussi ici! Tres amusant ca! Eric, coucou! They are calling you!! Eric! Eric! Eric? :) Ils ont besoin de toi! Pffft...mon Francais...desolee...! LOL J'essaye, j'essaye...

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  85. I used to think the uber-fashionista stereotype of Les Parisiennes was just an exaggeration, but now that I've been here for two weeks, I see it's definitely true! The same goes for les hommes, too. There's something about men's shoes in Paris that blows my mind every time I ride the Métro. If only American men were as fashion conscious...

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  86. Robin but I wonder how these people are able to afford all these gorgeous clothes? Eric, is clothing generally cheaper than in England or US do you think? I wouldn't have thought so, so what's the answer?

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  87. I'm just getting around to reading all of the comments Eric and it looks like you've had your hands full. Great for you to meet another subject of your photos and hopefully you can see her in person. This is a wonderful story of discovery isn't it?

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  88. Ethereal - Paris is my dream city and so all those live there don't belong to this world:).

    My first time here. Love the pictures!

    -Sparsh

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  89. Eric, your desription is so great that!! I think it describes a confident and stylish woman anywhere! You phrased my imagination :)

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