Rue de Rivoli in the spotlight…

The Musée des Arts Decoratifs is a museum with astonishing resources: decorative arts since the 12th century and design, displaying not only objects and furniture but also jewelry, fashion, graphics and advertising. The period rooms that punctuate the permanent collections -such as the one devoted to Jeanne Lanvin's bedroom and boudoir- are worth a visit in themselves. But the MAD also programs exhibitions, the current one, Marche et Démarche, is as original as highly interesting! Focused on the theme of shoes, it questions the status of these accessories in our daily life, and what they reveal about society’s evolution since the Middle Ages -the oldest model on show dates back to that time- and their different cultural uses around the world. Visitors will see that the comfortable aspect of walking as opposed to fantasized aesthetics have been driving but sometimes contradictory themes through the eras. Remember how Chinese women used to tightly wrap their feet like ballerinas during the small feet fashion, which was not just a Chinese fantasy… Nowadays, a woman can wear sneakers during the day and a pair of Louboutins with skyscraper heels in the evening: is this the ironical result of greater freedom or fashion’s ultimate revenge?

Do not miss MAD's other treasures, a boutique-bookshop full of rare and original gifts, and a restaurant, Loulou, boasting a privileged setting and terrace to savour "French and Italian Riviera style” southern cuisine. 

The district, between rue de Rivoli and the Royal Palace, is also rich in gourmet places. One of them, Astara, recently opened, tries to “democratize” caviar. Caviar has held a very special place in Parisian gastronomy since 1919, when the Petrossian family set up shop in Paris and decided to import sturgeon roe from the Caspian Sea. Arnaud Vachet’s Astara, a seafood restaurant behind the Comédie Française, focuses on freshness and offers baeri caviar from a recognized Italian organic farm at very reasonable prices. Special mention to the Isigny fresh cream (PDO) roast potatoes with caviar! A catering service and grocery complete the offering of this place concerned with responsible, high standard supply.