Wm Brown HQ has been stationed in the Eurozone - traveling, working, exploring and story collecting since the first of the year. We started out in Italy, were derailed with visa issues getting into India (go figure), pivoted, headed to Spain for Yolo Journal and then France. (Stand by for Yolanda’s soon to be published travel guide!)" to be published travel guide!) We were invited to Nice to stay at the Anantara Plaza Nice managed by my friend Gaudéric who showed us a great time despite the all the rain. We took advantage of the shitty weather to visit some of my favorite museums in the South of France (Léger, the Matisse chapel and the Fondation Maeght to name a few) and then a one night stay and an epic meal at one of my favorite hotels in the world—La Colombe d’Or. We rounded out the Cote d’Azur stay at The Negresco (I last stayed there over 25 years to photograph it for Wallpaper magazine and its unique quirky style and art collection does not disappoint!) Then off to what was essentially a bar crawl in Spain, consuming copius amounts of draft beer, the best potato chips in the world, and piles of anchovies (to name just some faves!) Then back to France—first off Paris for a visit with Clara and a stay at the new-ish Cheval Blanc (OMG), train to Bordeaux to meet with the architects for the Chateau Médoc project, dinner with vintner friends on the development of the William Brown wine (more on that later), a couple nights in St Yzans with meals by the kitchen fire, then a delayed flight back to Rome. Since the Paris visit is the freshest in my mind I thought I would jot down a few discoveries I made there on this trip, and will do a deeper dive on all the other discoveries soon. Next stop NYC, just in time for Spring.
Jinji Shop I’ve been following this shop on Instagram for a while, and have known founder Julien Lipszyc casually from Pitti, but I’d never visited the shop in Paris’ 6th arrondissement (there’s one in Biarritz as well). It’s a very smart collection of vintage inspired military and Americana (think The Real McCoy’s)—lots of denim and chambray, easy wearing outerwear many made in Japan. They also carry Alden. Since I can never own too much chambray I picked up one of his made in Japan Jinji branded, shirts.
My friend Gaudéric recommended I meet the co-founder Cyril Derveloy of 41 Watch, a by-appointment-only watch dealer. He has an impressive collection of vintage Rolex sports models (all the greatest hits—Submariner, Seadweller, Daytona), as well as a great selection of Royal Oaks and Patek Philippe. I was happy to see they had a copy of my watch book, which I signed, and then I was happily gifted Watches: An Identification Manual for Contemporary and Collector’s Pieces, by the author Fabrice Guéroux, who just happened to be there. It’s comprehensive deep-dive on the identification between real and fake watches—a great reference book for any watch collector.
I loved Céleste, the winter rooftop bar at the Hotel Cheval Blanc Paris which specializes, to my delight, in rare vintage bottles of spirits. Campari and chartreuse from the 60s, vintage vermouths, and digestifs. We ordered two vintage Negronis made with that Campari, and they were incredible. As were the 360 degree views of the city from the 10th floor!
I’ve enjoyed Cap Gin in the past—it’s a gin made in the Côte d’Azur, but I was happy to receive a few bottles with their new packaging when I got home to St Yzans. It’s such a lovely gin, a blend of selected herbs, spices and fruit that they feel encapsulates the flavors of southern France. It’s not quite a classic London dry—but I love this flavor profile for a martini. It reminded me of one of my other favorites, Harris Gin. It’s complicated to get in the States right now, but they’re working on getting distribution there. I highly recommend getting a bottle if you’re in France, or ordering a martini with it if you see it in a bar. Next up a Cap Negroni.
I first discovered the Sjostrand Coffee machine when I was staying at the Dorchester Hotel in London—it was the in-room coffee machine. I was impressed by its simple design, its uncomplicated mechanism, and the unparalleled result of the coffee that it made. This is way beyond your everyday pod Nespresso style coffee maker. I saw it again when I was in Genoa at the Via Garibaldi 12 store, ordered it, and had it shipped to France. The increased bar pressure and temperature makes for a superior version of Nespresso style coffee—and it takes any pod.
Sounds like an epic trip! Thanks for the tip on "Watches: An Identification Manual for Contemporary and Collector’s Pieces" - need that!
Truly enjoying your substacks! Keep them coming...