Paris Scene: New Haunts to Check Out During Couture Season

Here are some ideas of the latest places to shop, eat, view art and get pampered in the City of Light, in between couture shows that begin on Monday.

DOWN THE MOUNTAIN: Rossignol has come down the mountains and planted its ski batons — and apparel to match — in the center of Paris. The new Left Bank store was designed by Luca Azzoni’s architecture firm with the sporty heritage of the label in mind and includes touches of the dark slate rock used at the company headquarters in the Alps. Spread over 1,000 square feet, the space offers a mix of technical gear and contemporary street fashion, reflecting the label’s push from ski stations into urban areas. A longstanding collaboration with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has produced more playful pieces in the boutique. The store also offers click-and-collect services. — Mimosa Spencer

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Rossignol
138 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006
Tel.: +33-1-42-01-18-72
Open Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

EATING OUT: Whether you’re looking to discover new cuisines, dine on the Seine or party the night away, these four new Parisian spots have got you covered during couture week.

In between shows in the Marais, head over to trendy Rue Charlot to sample Baba’s Mediterranean cuisine. Chef Liran Tal, who arrived from Tel Aviv four years ago and trained at Balagan and Dersou, prepares seasonal dishes inspired by Lebanese, Greek, North African and Italian recipes. Expect falafels, taramasalata, grilled squid, lamb-filled pita bread and a beautiful selection of desserts, including a mouth-watering chocolate and halva mousse.

You’ll have to leave the mainland to access Alain Ducasse’s most recent restaurant, Ducasse sur Seine, sitting on a canal boat on the Seine. Two two-hour cruises are scheduled per day, allowing one to discover chef Francis Fauvel’s creations for lunch and dinner, while taking in spectacular views. A fun tip: the “Paris Tout Chocolat” dessert is shaped like the oval boat, designed by architect Gérard Ronzatti.

For a more traditional setting, French brasserie Astair is the place to go. Tucked away in a beautiful Parisian covered arcade, the pink-hued brasserie, which opened this fall, serves classic French dishes, such as snails, frog legs and bone marrow.

Fans of hit Broadway musical “Chicago” rejoice: Opened by the team behind speakeasy Piaf, the new nightclub Roxie was inspired by the story’s main character Roxie Hart. Beneath the stunning Art Deco ceiling, the music hall features a live band playing classics from the Fifties to more recent tunes. — Fleur Burlet

Baba
17 Rue Charlot, 75003
+33-1-48-87-04-54
Open Tuesday to Thursday, Noon to 2:30 p. m. and 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Noon to 2:30 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Noon to 4 p.m.

Ducasse sur Seine
Port Debilly, 75116
+33-1-58-00-22-08
The boat leaves daily at 12:45 p.m. for the lunch service and 8:30 p.m. for the evening service

Astair
19 Passage des Panoramas, 75002
+33-9-81-29-50-95
Open Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to midnight

Roxie
23 Rue de Ponthieu, 75008
+33-53-75-31-00
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

THREE-IN-ONE: For J-beauty aficionados, Japanese giant Kosé has opened a boutique selling three of its iconic brands — Decorté, Sekkisei and Kosé Cell Radiance — a stone’s throw from the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

The 500-square-foot boutique, called Maison Kosé, marks the first time the three brands are housed under one roof anywhere in the world. The store was conceived to allow western consumers to discover the products.

One way is by trying out a 30-minute facial, which is free of charge, in the treatment room on site.

The Maison Kosé is located on Rue Marbeuf, which is morphing into one of Paris’ beauty hot spots, with the likes of Hermetica and Le Labo also on the same street. — Jennifer Weil

Maison Kosé
24 Rue Marbeuf, 75008
Tel.: +33-1-43-63-62-22
Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.

SPA SERVICE: A new spa has recently opened its doors in the City of Light. Located in the minus-one level of the five-star Hôtel Bowmann, which was inaugurated in September, the 555-square-foot space features two treatment rooms — one single and one double — and another for hydro massages and scrubs.

The rooms are spacious with streamlined decor. Aestheticians here use French beauty brand Lacure Officine during a variety of treatments, which include an hourlong “detox” facial that goes for 170 euros and antiage facial, which lasts 105 minutes and is priced at 270 euros. The 60-minute signature massage, meanwhile, involves a product with a formula containing black orchid. There’s an hour-long version and a 90-minute version of this, which cost 190 euros and 250 euros, respectively.

Some of the treatments integrate access to the sauna, hammam and jacuzzi. Spa-goers can also sign up to use them and the 28-foot pool separately. — Jennifer Weil

Hôtel Bowmann
99 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008
Tel.: +33-1-40-08-00-01
Open with advanced booking seven days per week, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Walk-in appointments available Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

ART BEATS: On and off the runway the King of Pop is having a major moment right now in the City of Light. His impact on contemporary art is being examined at the Grand Palais in a show featuring more than 40 artists, from Andy Warhol to Grayson Perry, depicting Michael Jackson in a wide array of media.

Across the street, at the Petit Palais, Belgian painter Fernand Khnopff, a key figure of the Symbolist movement, is the subject of a retrospective. It displays 150 works in a remarkable environment that re-creates the atmosphere of his atelier and house, including an olfactive component.

French photographer JR is collaborating again with the Maison Européenne de la Photographie 12 years after they had their first interaction, back when he was creating art illegally in the streets of Paris. This exceptional exhibit offers a rare behind-the-scenes opportunity to examine the process of his magic urban installations throughout the years.

While black-and-white might be one of Vivian Maier’s strengths, her fascinating color pictures are on view at the Galerie Les Douches. The street photographer captured American cities such as Chicago and New York with unique sensitivity from the late Fifties through the mid-Seventies.

The Centre Pompidou is shedding light on one of the most important founding movements of modern art: Cubism. The first show on the subject in more than 60 years in France goes beyond the iconic creations of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque by presenting an exhaustive history of the movement, from its sources in primitivism to the impact on contemporary artists. — Anne-Aymone Gheerbrant

“Michael Jackson: On the Wall,” through Feb. 14
Grand Palais, Galerie Sud-Est, Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008
Tel.: +33-1-40-13-48-00
Open Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“Fernand Khnopff – Master of Enigma,” through March 17
Petit Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008
Tel.: +33-1-53-43-40-00
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“JR: Momentum – La Mécanique De L’Épreuve,” through Feb. 10
Maison Européenne de la Photographie, 5-7 Rue de Fourcy, 75004
Tel.: +33-1-44-78-75-00
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“Vivian Maier – The Color Work,” through March 30
Les Douches La Galerie, 5 Rue Legouvé, 75010
Tel.: +33-1-78-94-03-00
Open Wednesday to Saturday, 2 to 7 p.m.

“Cubism,” through Feb. 25
Centre Pompidou, Place Georges Pompidou, 75004
Tel.: +33-1-44-78-12-33
Open Wednesday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Launch Gallery: Paris Scene: New Haunts to Check Out During Couture Season

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