Prêt-à-Promener: Vanessa Seward Takes Us on a Walking Tour of Her Paris Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Amy Verner1/10Designer Vanessa Seward proposed descending down to the train platform of the Pont Cardinet station, not far from her apartment in the 17th Arrondissement, as a break from the typical Parisian backdrop.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward2/10So the pizza and pasta may not rival the city’s neo-bistros, but Seward, her husband, and their 6-year-old daughter, Jacqueline, feel particularly welcome at this neighborhood spot, named after the Mona Lisa.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward3/10Seward’s sleepy Batignolles quartier is catching up to the present with a massive urban development project to the north—land that was intended for the Olympic Village when Paris bid for the 2012 games.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward4/10One of the many charming vignettes within the Square des Batignolles, a beautifully landscaped space that dates back to 1862. We weren’t sure what to make of this duck’s graphic coloration.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward5/10In the foreground: an old-fashioned Wallace fountain, one of 67 identical public drinking fountains throughout the capital. Behind: further proof that the area is turning a new leaf.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward6/10Inside Stéphane, a best-kept vintage menswear secret, where design dandies Vincent Darré and Elie Top will scoop up impeccable finds.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward7/10Stéphane, who usually shuns attention, has run his shop for more than 38 years. Seward seeks his advice whenever designing any menswear (in 2014, she created the costumes for the musical interpretation of Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, based on the iconic 1960s film). When she visits with her husband, musician and producer Bertrand Burgalat, they rarely leave empty-handed.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward8/10The Église Sainte-Marie des Batignolles, a modest church completed in 1851, marks the nexus of the neighborhood.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward9/10Seward brings Jacqueline to La Librairie des Enfants, conveniently located not far from her school.
Photo: Courtesy of Vanessa Seward10/10Our final stop: the Salle Cortot, built by Auguste Perret, a major architect in the 1920s and 1930s best known for his use of reinforced concrete. The sound of a flutist playing scales drifted into the street as we passed by.
