Why Paris Will Always Feel Like Home
I recently returned from a solo trip to Paris, and it turned into something very different from what I expected.
Over the years, Paris has become a city I return to time and time again.
Sometimes for Fashion Week.
Sometimes for editorial shoots and press events
Sometimes to meet clients or network with fellow entrepreneurs.
Each visit has looked different.
But they've all deepened my connection with the city.
Yet despite spending so much time there, work has often left little opportunity to simply experience the city on my own terms.
This time, however, was one of those rare opportunities where I purposely pencilled in zero work commitments. Instead, I arrived with a mental checklist of all the places I wanted to see and re-explore: Saint-Germain, Le Marais, Canal Saint-Martin, Pont Alexandre III, hidden boutiques, cafés, bars, galleries. Many of them were places I used to wander through when I first lived and worked in Paris as a jeune fille au pair at nineteen. Looking back, I think that was where my love affair with the city really began.
But somewhere between wandering the back streets of Saint-Germain, lingering over wine in a tiny café, and stumbling into unexpected conversations, I realised something important:
Paris creates connection without effort.
People talk more easily there.
Strangers become conversations.
A florist becomes a memory.
A café becomes an afternoon.
A retired photographer walks over mid-video just to say hello (yes, this happened!)
Nothing feels overly orchestrated. It simply flows.
And the more I tried to “make the most” of Paris, the less creative and present I felt. The best moments weren’t the ones I chased; they were the ones that found me when I slowed down enough to notice them.
One afternoon, I abandoned my itinerary altogether. I wandered through Saint-Germain-des-Prés, discovered a hidden atelier whose owner welcomed me in by appointment only, found a beautiful flower shop near Place de Furstenberg, and eventually settled into a tiny café while the rain poured outside.
For once, I stopped trying to get to the next place.
Later that evening, back near my hotel by the Palais de la Porte Dorée, I wandered into an event happening next door before ending the day at my favourite neighbourhood restaurant, Les Cascades, simply people-watching with my laptop and a glass of wine.
And that’s when the bigger realisation arrived:
I didn't come to Paris to consume Paris.
I came to be inspired by Paris.
What surprised me most was how closely this mirrors the work I do with my clients.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised many women approach style in exactly the same way.
We assume confidence comes from doing more.
Buying more.
Trying harder.
Perfecting every detail.
Chasing the next trend.
When often, the most powerful shift comes from removing friction rather than adding more.
Style becomes easier when it reflects who you are instead of who you think you should be.
And honestly, the most magnetic women I work with rarely feel like they’re performing confidence. Their style creates connection without effort. It communicates who they are before they say a word.
Paris reminded me that presence is often quieter than performance.
A beautifully cut cashmere layer over jeans and a white tee.
A woman reading alone at a café without apologising for taking up space.
A founder walking into a room already aligned with her identity.
That’s the kind of style I care about now: not style that demands attention, but style that removes friction and makes connection feel seamless.
And honestly, the best parts didn’t happen because I chased them. They happened because I left space for them to find me.
I think that’s true of creativity, confidence, networking, and personal style too.
So I left Paris with fewer places ticked off than I'd planned...
But with far more inspiration than I expected.
And somehow, that feels like exactly what I was meant to bring home.
With Love,
Liz X
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