{at the shops: ralph lauren, paris}

. . . there has been much talk about ralph lauren's new flagship store in the quartier latin on the left bank in paris: housed in an 18th-century city mansion across the boulevard saint-germain from the café de flore, it was built on the foundations of an old monastery and completed in 1754; over the centuries, it has been a private home, the dutch embassy, the carnegie foundation for international peace, and, most recently, a government office building

through the carriage entrance and cobblestone courtyard is where you will find ralph's, the shop's polo-chic restaurant with tables in the old stables, {in the summertime, the courtyard}; there is a bar in the old tack room, and the place is enveloped in warm wood and leather chairs; here, you will find a menu of american classics -- new england clam chowder and maryland style lump crab cakes, crispy southern fried chicken, and, of course, seared double RL ranch steak . . .

{p.s.} previous at the shops:
* neology by mina, brooklyn
* mrs. press, australia
* rothschild & bickers, uk
* billy bride, australia
* satomi kawakita, new york

{all images by alix at the cherry blossom girl; some background from newsweek}