Richard Nahem

Richard, The Paris Insider - Expat New Yorker and good time bon vivant, Richard Nahem is a fashion and trend insider reporting on what's nouveau in Paris. Richard is the founder of the wildly popular blog, Eye Prefer Paris and leads private shopping tours of Paris via Eye Prefer Paris Tours. He is a chocolate truffle hound who knows how to get to the front of the line. www.eyepreferparis.com / www.eyepreferparistours.com

French Chic Christmas Tree Inspiration- from Mary channeling Lady Gaga to Stella McCartney yarn tales

Christmas in Paris: Les Sapins de Noel des CréateursWho doesn't need a little edgy style boost for their holiday tree? And why not make it a very French chic designer one at that? Richard Nahem takes on a visual tour of some very Parisian inspired Christmas trees for a bit of design inspiration and to benefit a very charitable cause . --S.H. SEE: Holiday Windows It's that time of the year again, tis' the season, HO-HO-HO, and all that to focus on the magical lights, done-up store windows, and abundance of trees, all to celebrate the Christmas spirit of Paris. MORE ABOUT: French Chic Les Sapins de Noel des Créateurs, now in its 16th season, is a collection of original Christmas trees from

Read More »

Fashion Meets Interiors- Martin Margiela designs La Maison des Champs Elysees Hotel in Paris

La Maison des Champs Elysees Hotel by Martin Margiela
There's no secret around here at FoS that I'm a huge Martin Margiela fan. There's a minimalistic, yet futuristic simplicity of perfectly pared down, yet well-designed pieces that are always timeless, yet still maintain an avant-garde edge. So when a favorite label fashion expands it's aesthetic to interiors, like Rick Owens or Jean Paul Gaultier, I'm sold... well, more so if that winged back chair was perched in my living room. Let Richard Nahem take you on a tour of the super stylish hotel in Paris. -- S.H. I have always loved designer Martin Margiela's obsession with the color white. And while Margiela retired as chief designer from his eponymous label a few seasons ago, the brand continues to flourish with his design signatures. Maison

Read More »

Paris Style- An interview with Sally Perrin of Perrin Paris luxury handbags

The Capitale Clutch from Perrin Paris
Inside the atelier with Sally Perrin... Sally is glamorous, chic, and fun. She spends about 2/3 of her time in Los Angeles and the rest in Paris with her husband who is originally from Limoges and their two daughters. She recently started to design a line of sumptuous handbags and leather accessories and invited me to the atelier, where I went ga-ga over the gorgeous leather goods. Later that afternoon Sally kindly invited me to her apartment for tea and we chatted for hours about love, life, and of course, Paris.   Sally and Michel Perrin A few years ago you launched a new luxury line of handbags and leather accessories, reviving a multi-generational family business of  your husband Michel. Can

Read More »

French Dining Glossary- Is it a Brasserie, Bistro, Café, or Salon de Thé… definitions s’il vous plaît

Brasserie
Whether in Paris or stateside, sometimes the name of French restaurant is more than simply, "restaurant."  In a country where food is supreme, Richard Nahem provides the what's up on the types of French restaurants. --S.H. I was asked to explain the different distinctions of French eating establishments by a client last month, and I thought it would make an informative blog post. Below are four categories: Brasserie, bistro, café, and salon de thé.  
Brasserie 

 A brasserie is a restaurant that serves the same menu all day, sometimes with a few specials/plat du Jour. The cuisine is classic French with dishes like charcuterie, plats de mer, steak tartare, onion soup, and confit de canard.   Brasserie also means brewery and many of them serve a good selection

Read More »

Once a Pop Up Pavilion for Chanel, Architect Zaha Hadid’s Work Is Displayed in Paris

Cutting-edge woman architect's is work on display at Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris In the courtyard of the Institut du Monde Arabe, in the Latin Quarter at the start of Blvd. St. Germain, is a shiny, curvaceous white structure resembling a spaceship. It's the mobile art pavilion designed by Zaha Hadid and features a retrospective of the last 30 years of her cutting-edge architecture. Hadid originally designed the structure for Chanel in 2008 as a traveling art exhibition showcasing artists designing special edition handbags for Chanel and toured Hong Kong,Tokyo, and New York before arriving in Paris. Recognized as one of the most respected architects in the world right now, Hadid was the first woman to win the Pritzker

Read More »

Get Some Style Inspiration From Paris Flea Market Finds

Of course, Parisians style their flea market displays! Ordinary rummage sale? I think not!Leave it to the Parisians to cleverly style the way they present their vintage wares at the Paris Flea Market. It's one of my favorite places to visit in Paris, even if only for some interesting inspiration. If you find some large items, like the perfect chandelier or chaise lounge, most venders are pretty savvy to help you ship them back to the States... for a price, of course. Luckily inspiration is priceless. The last time that I was in Paris, I tagged along on one of Richard Nahem's walking tours of Paris and we had the most incredible time looking for fashion and some rather glamourous

Read More »

Another Must-See Costume Exhibition- Madame Gres Exhibit at Mus

That Grecian draped dress that you love was probably inspired by Mme. Gres! Most eyes may be on the Alexander McQueen retrospective in New York, but don't miss this exhibition from one of the masters in fabric draping. If I could only have just one vintage couture piece, something from Madame Gres would be on my wish list. The extraordinary and timeless designs of this French couturier are on exhibition in Paris. Richard Nahem takes us there. --S.H. Madame Gres was one of the great couturiers of the 20th century with a career spanning over 50 years. Born in 1903, Gres trained as a sculptor and later said that working with fabric was the same as working in stone. Madame

Read More »

Tres French Chic Store Windows Approved by La Parisienne Ines de la Fressange

Retail Remedy: A homage to the stylish women of Paris Who better than French style icon Inès de la Fressange to be the ambassador for La Parisienne? That's the event at Galeries Lafayette department store to promote the stylish, urban women of Paris. Inès de la Fressange is a former top model, a muse to Karl Lagerfeld, and once the visage of Marianne, the national emblem of France. More recently she is also had a successful career as a designer, a fashion consultant, and currently the brand ambassador for the renowned French shoe brand, Roger Vivier. But the big store window homage is to push her new style book, Parisian Chic: A Style Guide, or as she describes, "a user's

Read More »

Home Style- French Furniture House Taillardat Adds a Fashion Touch to Marie Antoinette, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Empire and Directoire pieces

Style Where You Sit: A modern spin on high-end 18th century furniture reproductions You all must know that I cannot possibly imagine living in a home without the benefit of having something beautiful to look at and inspire by way of its furniture. For me, in particular, the chair can take so many artistic and creative forms that I wish I could collect as many as my other obsession- shoes and boots! >>MORE: Home Style I've almost run out of any possible space to add another "interesting" chair in our loft, so I've come to admire from afar, particularly ones that have a different design aesthetic from my home. Richard Nahem, who has a pretty fab pad in Paris, came

Read More »

House of Dior Homage Exhibition for Paris Fashion Week

Retail Remedy: Le Bon Marché in Paris showcases the Eternellement Dior We know how much Richard Nahem loves the Paris that he shares in his walking tours, and he will be tipping FocusOnStyle during Paris Fashion Week. Designer John Galliano has been certainly in the news this week for his rather horrific alleged comments caught on a cell phone video. I've been interviewed a bit for my opinion on this and, based on what I have seen thus far, personally support the House of Dior in its termination of the designer as its creative director in the wake of this situation. You can see the video on The Sun, here. Le Bon Marche Rive Gauche, a major Parisian department store

Read More »

New Hermes Store in Paris is Ultra Modern Luxury

Retail Remedy: Is it possible to outdo a classic? Our intrepid expat and now Parisian, Richard Nahem, drools his way through the new Hermes shop on the Rive Gauche and shares some yummy tidbits for you to savor, whether in Paris or abroad... it's the chic side of Paris in another arrondissement. -S.H. Hermés on the rue St. Honoré is my favorite luxury store in Paris. When I visit, I bask in all its luxuriousness, feeling the softness of the silk scarves against my cheek and running my fingers across the supple leather products giving myself goosebumps. I rarely buy anything but it's fun to fantasize. so warm, cozy, and chic In fact, I have a collection of classic Hermés

Read More »

Christmas Windows Paris- Chanel and Lanvin Holiday Displays

Retail Remedy: Rag dolls & dogs make for whimsy rather than traditional holiday window displays Not so traditional Christmas, c'est si bon! There's nothing that I love more on my walking tours of Paris than to spot the unexpected, especially during the holiday season. Take these whimsical windows, for instance... Lanvin Okay, the windows at Lanvin are not your conventional Christmas windows by any stretch of the imagination. Instead of cutesy dancing bears and marionettes gaily prancing, there are dogs wearing top hats, spectacles, and bow ties and bald headed mannequins spattered in white paint. Nonetheless, I think they are the cats meow and the dog's bark. And, almost as cute as the Printemps Loves Lanvin windows! Lanvin Love the

Read More »

Christmas Windows Paris- Printemps Loves Lanvin and Alber Elbaz for Holiday

Retail Remedy: Everybody loves Lanvin! Can Alber Elbaz do no wrong? Window shop these Paris holiday windows and see... Noel au Chateau where Mr & Mrs Lanvin once lived is the theme of this year's haute Paris Christmas windows... Printemps Paris The windows at Printemps are delightfully enchanting this year. Alber Elbaz, head designer for Lanvin, was chosen to create the windows this year. The theme is Noel au Chateau, and represents the famous Chateau Mr. & Mrs. Lanvin lived in. Marionettes styled after Mr. & Mrs. Lanvin dance their way through the various rooms of the chateau in each window with one of them being haunted by ghosts. >> LOOK at more beautiful store windows from Printemps Paris Actress

Read More »

Scroll to Top