FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE PROSAIC IN ONLY 24 HOURS

The serendipity of vacation adventures can reinvigorate the soul. Witness our recent Paris trip.

After landing in Paris, we needed to kill an hour until our hotel room would be ready. Usually we’re ready for adventures. But not in the first hour, after a long overnight plane ride, minimal sleep, and the disorientation that comes with that. So, we decided to take a quick tour of the Louis Vuitton flagship store. It's the former home of Napoleon III, and had just opened after years of construction. It was close by and could possibly wake us up with the cutting edge visuals that define haute couture. Imagine two bedraggled, sleepy eyed people, in wrinkled travel clothes, walking into the trendy, upscale version of an enchanted forest. We looked at designer chairs hanging from the ceiling. There was a statue of Louis XIV, The Sun King, who built Versailles, decked out a la Vuitton. There were clothes that could only be worn by the pencil thin crowd who look like they stepped out of an Andy Warhol soiree.

Before we had time to blink, we were suddenly highjacked by a manager, who kindly yet aggressively corralled us for a guided tour. “Why don’t you try it on”, he said of the pale blue mink bolero jacket. I would have, but with my airplane skirt and comfy sweater, somehow, I didn’t think that the look would work. He showed us the bathroom. It was gorgeous. But the piece de resistance was the haute jewelry section. He insisted that we sit and have a drink, and brought out magnificent jewels. As he tried to tempt me, he told us that Elizabeth Taylor owned a label maker and would spread her jewelry on the bed and have her maid label every piece with the name of the man who gifted it and the date and place of gift. I guess that with that many men and that much jewelry, it must have been difficult to keep it all organized. Taking this all in, we agreed that I would try on a magnificent sapphire and diamond ring. It was only 2.1 million euro. My small chapped hands didn’t do it justice. And I actually preferred the moonstone necklace that was only 75,000 euro, though it would have looked better if I had been wearing black rather than my lavender J Crew cardigan. After about an hour, we thanked the manager and extricated ourselves to get back to our room and go to sleep, dreaming of the gorgeous expensive bounty we’d just seen. And the best part is that there was no temptation. I wasn’t Elizabeth Taylor and Howard wasn’t Richard Burton, so there was no danger that we’d splurge that day.

The next day, as we walked towards the Opera, we went into a makeup store that carries a shaving cream that Howard likes. I got lost in the lipstick section. While I have more lipsticks than I need (some of them as old as my children), I enjoy this small indulgence. (Factoid--there’s an uptick in lipstick sales during a bad economy. When prices start at just a few dollars, lipstick can be an affordable splurge.) Although this store usually has promotions, there weren't any for what I wanted. And although not a fortune, I didn’t need a 21 euro lipstick. As I’ve always said, when in doubt, ask. So, I asked if they were having a sale. The clerk said that they weren’t. As I ditched the lipstick purchase and we were about to leave with only Howard’s shaving cream, the clerk handed me a coupon for 50% off of lip products. A lipstick for 11.5 euro—that worked. With 50 % off, I chose a couple of other lip items. When we finished the transaction, we found that she applied the coupon to Howard’s shaving cream, as well--50% off of everything. A 60 euro purchase became a 30 euro purchase. I guess that with no one else in the store, the saleswoman wisely decided that a half price sale was better than watching customers walk out the door, almost empty handed.

LOOK AT THE HAUTE ITEMS WHERE DISCOUNTS DON’T APPLY. IT’S EYE CANDY AND FUN. BUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO REAL PURCHASES, DON'T BE HESITANT TO ASK ABOUT  DISCOUNTS. THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN IS THAT YOU HEAR “NO”. AND FREQUENTLY, YOU’LL HEAR “YES”.