French Heritage

Whether she's in search of design influences or wants to browse the latest fashions, Eloïse Gilles looks to the historic Marais district in the third arrondissement. The ArtMetal Framex (17 rue Pastourelle, 3rd arr.) is a must-stop for decorative costume jewelry, hand-made, military-style buttons, and antique metal furnishings and fixtures.

For bolts of intricate French lace and layers of crisp tulle, the designer heads toward the Sentier garment district to the House of Sophie Hallette (3 rue Saint-Fiacre, 2nd arr.), a top supplier to couture designers like Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, and Alexander McQueen for the past 130 years. Both Kate Middleton and Amal Clooney's wedding gowns were constructed entirely from Sophie Hallette lace, as were many dazzling garments created for fashion icons like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

For an avant-garde dining experience in the trendy Oberkampf neighborhood, try Clown Bar (114 rue Amelot, 11th arr.), down the street from the Cirque d'Hiver. In homage to the establishment's roots as the preferred watering hole of off-duty entertainers, the space has been immortalized with spectacularly clownish kitsch.

Taken over by Sven Chartier and Ewen Lemoigne in 2014, the dining room features circus-themed ceramic tiles, juggling light fixtures, and a hand-painted glass ceiling showing a triste moonstruck Pierrot. The food however, is no joke. You can count on expertly prepared dishes by chef Sota Atsumi whose seasonal French dishes with the occasional Japanese twist—as in the fresh langoustines with tempura, or trout sashimi with raspberries—have been recognized by restaurant critics as some of the city's finest.

Even on the busiest of days, it's important to find time to rest and recharge. When in need of meditation and relaxation, Gilles hits reset at Rasa Yoga (21 rue Saint-Jacques, 5th arr.), a boutique studio offering ashtanga, hatha, and vinyasa yoga instruction, as well as holistic spa treatments and soothing massage therapies.

After class, with a clear mind and restored energy, Gilles likes to stop by Shakespeare and Company (37 rue de la Bûcherie, 5th arr.), an English language bookshop and Left Bank institution across from Notre Dame.

Founded in 1951 by American expat, George Whitman, the shop is known for its vast selection of books, and the estimated 30,000 Tumbleweeds, transient writers, artists, and intellectuals, who have lived at the store over the years.