Ma Vie en Franglais
 
Who didn't love a good field trip when they were a kid? No one, that's who (unless you were one of those weirdos who actually enjoyed sitting in a classroom for eight hours a day.)

This weekend I discovered that field trips also exist in grad school!

And when your grad school happens to be in arguably one of the most beautiful and fashionable cities in the world, this highly increases your chances of experiencing a totally awesome educational excursion (which is just another fancy way of saying "field trip.")

On Saturday, along with a group of about 15 other students, I went to look at store design and window dressings at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, both located on Boulevard Haussman in the 9th arrondissement. 

As they often do during the holiday season, the shops really went all out with some amazing in-store and outside window displays.

Check out the slideshow below, and enjoy!
 
 
Saturday night I got the chance to mix and mingle with some Parisian (and American/British/Italian) interior design buffs at the 2011 Paris Déco Off, held from January 20-24 at design showrooms and ateliers throughout the city.

This nearly week-long affair is basically an excuse for all major interior designers, buyers and magazine editors to schmooze and tell the designers how marvelous/stunning/amazing their creations are.

Aside from loving the bottomless flutes of rosé champagne (and I mean real champagne, not the cheap "sparkling wine" I often buy) and the delicious hors d'oeuvres, it was great to experience a different crowd of people who are so passionate about this industry.

And of course, let's not forget the gorgeous fabrics!

I got to visit the showrooms of Pierre Frey and Jim Thompson (Merci to Sharon from Scout Paris for inviting me!) both known for their luxury fabrics. It definitely gave me the urge to re-decorate (And believe me, if I had more room in my 11m2 "apartment," I probably would.)

Below is a short slide show of photos I took from the event. Enjoy!