His pictures can be read as a guide to his favorite [...]]]> i stopped by colette last saturday to see olivier zahn’s photo exhibition, the purple diary. zahn is the editor-in-chief of purple magazine, the former art director of YSL, and a full-time hyperfashionable badass. the description that colette provided is as follows:

His pictures can be read as a guide to his favorite places: the Montana, the Brasserie Lipp, and the Café de Flore in Paris, Standard hotel and the Omen restaurant in NY. His diary, figurative as it is, complements the magazine and holds up a mirror to our times. Find Natacha, Aurel, Camille, Jennifer, Caroline, Irina, Olympia, André, Terry and many others, but also food, street, nature and all the things that might attract this night owl.

i had high expectations for the exhibition, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. although i’d love to post more of his photos, most of the best ones score a zero on a scale of one to appropriate. feel free to check them out for yourself at zahm’s photo blog here.

KC&CO,

Bessie

remember when i used to post about food all the time? it was a way for me to satiate my inner fat kid, which isn’t much of a problem anymore- i’m writing from a city where bread, cheese, and wine are the three main food groups. however, i had to share this oh-so-french arrangement by [...]]]>

remember when i used to post about food all the time? it was a way for me to satiate my inner fat kid, which isn’t much of a problem anymore- i’m writing from a city where bread, cheese, and wine are the three main food groups. however, i had to share this oh-so-french arrangement by sunday suppers, one of my favorite food styling and photography blogs . . .

fruit, sharp cheeses, crusty baguettes and. . . honeycomb? somewhat unexpected, but it sounds like a parfait combination to me.

KC&CO,

Bessie

photos via

paris fashion week is in full swing: PETA is screaming “fourrure, torture!” all over the city, and models-off-duty are swarming the metros. the latter came as a surprise to me, as i hardly had them pegged as the public-transportation types. anyways, i’m loving photographer tommy ton’s new project for style.com, which [...]]]>

paris fashion week is in full swing: PETA is screaming “fourrure, torture!” all over the city, and models-off-duty are swarming the metros. the latter came as a surprise to me, as i hardly had them pegged as the public-transportation types. anyways, i’m loving photographer tommy ton’s new project for style.com, which opts to focus on the pretty people attending the shows, rather than those who are in them . . .

to see more of tommy tom’s work, check out his blog here.

KC&CO,

Bessie

just a little gem to start off your week. try not to die from the cuteness.

KC&CO,

Bessie

hot chip is coming to paris on monday, whoop! have a happy weekend . . .

KC&CO,

Bessie

photos via

i started Keep Calm & Carry On last summer as a means of sharing the things that interest me- with my friends and anybody else who stumbled upon my site after a failed search for this WWII poster. most of these interests lie in the domains of food, fashion, and design, but today’s [...]]]>

i started Keep Calm & Carry On last summer as a means of sharing the things that interest me- with my friends and anybody else who stumbled upon my site after a failed search for this WWII poster. most of these interests lie in the domains of food, fashion, and design, but today’s post is an exception. two of my friends are involved in a group called ChangEducate, which seeks to “raise awareness of poverty and to empower students to make a difference” through a DVD-based curriculum. by targeting the self-perpetuating problem of poverty through youth education, ChangEducate is taking a practical, efficient approach to an increasingly pressing issue.

of course, ChangEducate needs funds in order to put this plan into action. they’re currently in the running for a grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project, which is giving millions of dollars to people, businesses, and non-profits with positive ideas. the selection process is voting-based, so please click here to vote for ChangEducate. it’s a quick and easy process, so do it today (and tomorrow, and the day after- voting continues until the end of march.) much love and thanks from both myself and the wonderful people behind this project!

KC&CO,

Bessie

photo via

{staggering views from the fjords of marseille}

{the light and refreshing flavors of coastal cuisine}

{postcard-perfect port of cassis}

{lazy afternoons. . . [...]]]> heylo, dear readers! i’ve just returned from a last-minute getaway to the south of france. below, my favorite parts of the trip in photos:

{staggering views from the fjords of marseille}

{the light and refreshing flavors of coastal cuisine}

{postcard-perfect port of cassis}

{lazy afternoons. . . little espresso cups and big sunglasses make for great people-watching}

{limitless sunshine and saltwater}

. . . such a beautiful time. happy sigh.

KC&CO,

Bessie

loving the pretty prints and soft silhouettes of  h&m’s garden collection . . .

photos via

KC&CO,

Bessie

paris was plagued by some seriously miserable weather last week: chilly temperatures, heavy clouds, and just-light-enough-to-be-annoying drizzle. the dreariness was starting to wear me down, so my friend kristen and i planned a lovely night in. of course, it involved dessert (as any lovely night in should.) kristen brought the most [...]]]>

paris was plagued by some seriously miserable weather last week: chilly temperatures, heavy clouds, and just-light-enough-to-be-annoying drizzle. the dreariness was starting to wear me down, so my friend kristen and i planned a lovely night in. of course, it involved dessert (as any lovely night in should.) kristen brought the most amazing moelleux aux framboises (little cakes generously dotted with plump raspberries) from her favorite bakery, and yours truly supplied the vanilla ice cream and red wine reduction sauce. the sauce is incredibly easy to make, and it got rave reviews from both kristen and my housemate, katie. here’s the recipe for about 1/2 cup of syrup, enough for 4 servings:

1/2 bottle of good red wine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 strips lemon peel (only the yellow part)

3/4 tsp aniseed

1 vanilla bean

combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy pot, scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean.

bring to a boil, stir until sugar dissolves.

continue to boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 mins.

refrigerate until cool, drizzle over ice cream or fruit (it’s especially yummy on pears!)

KC&CO,

Bessie

happy monday, my dears! i found a new favorite restaurant this weekend: restaurant bon, conveniently located just around the corner from my apartment in the 16th arrondissement. my spicy crab rolls, caramelized black cod, and impossibly decadent chocolate torte were heavenly, but my favorite part of the evening was the ambiance. [...]]]>

happy monday, my dears! i found a new favorite restaurant this weekend: restaurant bon, conveniently located just around the corner from my apartment in the 16th arrondissement. my spicy crab rolls, caramelized black cod, and impossibly decadent chocolate torte were heavenly, but my favorite part of the evening was the ambiance. the restaurant features four distinctly themed rooms, created by design genius philippe starck:

{the fireplace room}

{the library}

{the vinothèque}

{the boudoir}

restaurant bon

25 rue de la pompe, 75116 paris

+33. 01. 40. 72. 70. 70

KC&CO,

Bessie