Cityorkers

What makes you a real Paryorker? The fact that I am constantly travelling between the two cities and more concretely the fact that I have launched a brand of bikinis and clothes in New York which combines “French Touch” and “Brazilian Touch”.

How did you become one? After three years in Brazil, I became a real Paryorker in 2006 when I moved to New York with my family.

Which other Paryorkers do you know? Almost all my friends are Paryorkers… to name just a few would make the others jealous!

How are the two cities important for the stability of you professional and/or personal life? They are absolutely crucial for my stability. New York is my family stability with my husband and my children (not forgetting the dog!), but also the professional challenges and excitement. Paris is my history, what I know, what reassures me.

What differences are there between the Parisian and the New Yorker in you? None, as basically the two speeds and the two styles are already part of me. I know how to take my time, window shop, enjoy a good wine or a dinner in a top restaurant… basically, live life the French way. Just as I can rush about, have lunch in front of my computer and attend one event after another, as they do in New York.
The only difference is in the way I dress. In New York, black and grey are compulsory. A very stylized "working girl" look, updated for 2008. In Paris, I wear more daring colours and accessories and am more imaginative.

What is your best Parisian memory? When my husband asked me to marry him in the middle of the Place Vendôme.

What is the first thing you do when you arrive in Paris? As I love my food, I have to drop by Ladurée for assorted macaroons and the house hot chocolate. Macaroons for me are like the Madeleine for Proust.

And the last before you leave? I have dinner with my best friends at Le Basilic in the 7th arrondissement.

What is your favourite time of day in Paris? Night time. I think that Paris is the most illuminated city in the world. For me there is nothing more beautiful than the Pont Alexandre III, the Louvre and the banks of the Seine at night.

Have you got a routine which is closely linked to the city? There is no routine, as Paris is such a hubbub of interesting places and experiences that I am still in ‘discovery’ mode.

What do you love most about Paris? The Bagatelle rose garden.

And what annoys you most? The way foreigners are treated. The French are very intolerant.