Reading List

Paris: Made by Hand by Pia Jane Bijkerk

Paris: Made by Hand celebrates shops that exemplify the Parisian fait main aesthetic by offering truly one-of-a-kind items, produced or restored entirely by hand. Pia Jane Bijkerk is the ideal guide to shopping in the city—herself a stylist and a true insider, she delights in sharing the little-known stores from which she sources items for her own fashionable clients. And with its beautiful photography, the design of the book makes it an art object unto itself.


I was SO excited to receive Pia Jane Bijkerk's new book in the mail. As tempting as it was, I stopped myself from ravaging the brown envelope the second it came through the door, not coz I wasn't dying to, but I wanted to save it for Saturday morning. A time when all is quiet, including my mind. A rare pocket of time when I actually get to enjoy my first cup of coffee as opposed to gulping it down while frantically writing my post for the day or battling it out with gmail.

Paris: Made by Hand is a romantic novel / self-help inspirational book disguised as a shopping guide. I sat for two hours curled up on my favorite couch wrapped up in a cuddly throw, imagining, discovering, and dreaming as I flipped through each one of Pia's tales. It was like hanging out with that friend, you know, the one who always knows just THE perfect place...

In short, run out and get a copy asap. Get lost in the wondrous world of fait main (handmade), use it as a practical guide (lucky you!), or be inspired (one day I will own a shop as magical as Tombées Du Camion p.179 or Rouge p.109 or Grench Touche p.173 or....).