CLARA MOLLOY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK

BEHIND THE DESTINATION

At Memo Paris we’re nomads, and our fragrances are the journeys that we take from one magical
destination to another, whether it is Ireland, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Russia, the US or, Africa. But
eventually the journey leads us back to Paris, home to our flagship store on Rue Cambon, and to
three of our fragrances  Quartier Latin ,  French Leather , and  Eau de Memo .

It’s also home for Memo Paris co-founder and creative director, Clara Molloy, who grew up in the
centre of the French capital. The beginnings of the brand can be found along the banks of the
Seine, down the lively streets of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and among the city’s many bookstores,
cafés and galleries. Here, Clara shares some of her favourite addresses to visit when in Paris.

La Palette

Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway are just a few of the artists and writers to have frequented
this historic bistro in Paris’ 6th arrondissement. Its art deco style rooms and pretty terrace, which
looks out onto rue Jacques Callot, have also long been a meeting place for local Beaux Arts
students and nearby gallery owners. It’s an institution, a place that has not changed for the past 30
years at least. No designer could recreate its atmosphere; it has its own charm.

L’Écume des Pages

Open almost every day until midnight, L’Écume des Pages, a bookshop at the heart of Saint-
Germain-des-Présis, is a veritable treasure trove for night owls and dreamers who, having
stumbled out of a dinner or even drinks next door at the literary hangout, Café de Flore, find
themselves almost instinctively among its bookshelves with a sudden thirst for the written word. I
love that it is open late at night : you see books in a different way when it is dark outside.

Galerie Kamel Mennour

Kamel Mennour’s three Parisian galleries (47, rue Saint-André des Arts, 6 rue du Pont de Lodi and
28 Avenue Matignon) display the works more than thirty different young contemporary and
internationally recognised artists including Claude Lévêque, Anish Kapoor, and Cameron
Jamie. Kamel Mennour explores contemporary art in may ways, with artists that always tell subtlely
their stories.

Shakespeare and Company

Everything about this eccentric English-language bookshop draws you in, from its rickety floors and
narrow labyrinth-like corridors leading to cosy rooms lined with endless rows of books. If you’re
lucky Agatha, the resident cat, may even curl up beside you as you delve into a good novel.
Located on the banks of the Seine, in Paris’ bohemian Latin Quarter, it is no coincidence that our
namesake perfume, Quartier Latin, evokes the familiar musty scent of book pages with its distinct
sandalwood scent.

Caveau de la Huchette

Le Caveau de la Huchette is a jazz club in the Latin Quarter of Paris dating back to 1949. Stepping
into this underground cave is like being transported to another world, especially when the music
starts. It made a recent appearance in the 2017 Hollywood movie La La Land. Le Caveau has
a sometimes  melancholic but always beautiful Parisian touch.

Brasserie Lipp

Not far from café La Palette you will find another Parisian institution, Brasserie Lipp, which has
been serving traditional French cuisine since 1880. Decked in wall to wall mirrors and smooth
leather benches, Lipp’s immaculate décor, service and authentic menu are just some of the
reasons customers have been returning for the last 138 years.

Le Balzar

Le Balzar was created in 1890 and they have the best crème caramel of the world. I have always
preferred bistros to restaurants. And this one is in front of the Ecume des pages. So now you know
how a typical night out in Paris goes for me: Brasserie Lipp and then L’Écume des pages. Or you
will find me at Le Balzar and then the library in front of it : Librairie Compagnie, they have a good
poetry department.

Discover our Parisian and France-inspired fragrances, Quartier Latin, Eau de Memo and French
Leather.  Shop Now

Image credits: La Palette; Marie-Anne Bruschi (L’Écume, Shakespeare & Co, Brasserie
Lipp); Fabrice Seixas (Galerie Kamel Mennour)