Opening : Anecdote — axes femme in Paris

Note : cet article est en Anglais, si vous souhaitez lire la version française:  cliquez ici （ゝ。∂）

Developed and designed throughout the year, the Parisian Axes Femme shop might not have been given as media coverage as a new lolita shop though it's still a very famous brand among young Japanese girls. The brand have been gaining in popularity since 2010 : chiffon fabrics, flower patterns, pastel and natural colors, between romantic and otome style. Axes Femme already pleases a large panel of clientele : lolita, mori, dolly, a lot of Japanese fashions' fans succumbed to Axes Femme's collections and it would not be surprising to see Parisian women do the same... 

Opening thursday 10th October 2013, Axes Femme Paris is really well situated : in the Marais' area, well-known for being the most-fashionable area in Paris ! Luckily, my university student's schedule let me be able to go there on the opening day~

The store is so roomy, way more roomy than I thought it would be : there is even a lower ground floor filled with amazing clothes ! Luminous place, beautiful floor, bouquets all over the place for the grand opening, Mucha tinted window glasses : the shop itself smells like Arts & Crafts and romantic style. It, for sure, does match well with the spirit of the brand. Thought I should say the "brands" since there not one but two brands within the shop ! How luck we are~

Axes Femme's collection were (and still will be) reinterpreted by a French stylist : the sizes and shapes are this way more adapted to European customers. It also feels like the spirit of this second brand, name "Anecdote" is more... Parisian (Japanese would love it ! haha~). Though, don't worry, we also have a large panel of Axes Femme's original collections : and I think it's still not easy to differentiate the two brands. 

Anecdote's knits and cardigans.

Mannequins showing both Anecdote and Axes femme's items

On the street level, you will find all the Anedocte's collection with some Axes Femmes' items, especially accessories, such as jewelries, bags, shoes, hats (but also some clothes). It's on the lower ground floor that you can see the all Axes Femme's collection : dresses, skirts, cardigans, sweaters and also — surprise ! — the Axes Femme Kids' collection ! I wouldn't have been thinking they would also bring the Kids' collection so I was happily surprised : you can now match your kid with your coordination, how great. The basement level is clearly more girly and cute but not to childish, that is perfect. And please, note cutest fitting room ever : there is a swing inside (though you shouldn't sit on it unless you're six years old... I tried.) !

The child sized swing : for an adventurous try-on

If you're worried about the prices : you shouldn't be ! There is not so much difference with the Japanese prices : from 10 to 25€ more, depending on how expensive the item already is. Prices are also the same for the Anecdote collection. Blouses, cardigans and light jackets between 49 and 150€, dresses, jumpsuits, shorts and skirts from 60 to 120€, less than 100€ for shoes and bags and less than 50€ for all accessories (jewelries, tights, collars, gloves, ...). Some coats and capes are already on the shelves, from 120 to 200€ if you're interested by one. I feel like the prices are pretty fair : a little more expensive, but with more originality, than Zara or casual European brands and clearly less expensive than Maje, Sandro or other usual Parisian brands of the Marais.

Let's now talk about the sizes, as I said before, they were readjusted for Europeans : this means we now have three sizes, S, M and L (unlikely the Japanese, that mainly have M size). Those sizes match perfectly the usual S, M and L size from the European fashion business : don't worry too much if the dress or the sweater seems pretty thin, a lot of items are smocked or stretchable. We also do have several sizes for children : from S to XL, that should roughly be from 6 to 10/12 years old.

Important note to know : the fur on cardigans and clothes are usually fake, but the accessories' fur is real (rabbit fur). Don't forget to check the composition before buying anything you wouldn't wear. 

Shoes are only available in M and L sizes (Japanese size), I think that might be the only neutral point of my review : we have, in Europe, so much more shoes size. Unfortunately I feel like the M size might be tight and the L size too big for a lot of girls. Though I hope this small problem will soon be rectified, this way every European girls will be able to put Axes Femme's shoes on ☆～（ゝ。∂）

Shop window's mannequins : my favorite one was on the left !

I hope you enjoyed that little walk all around the shop : I can only advice you to go as soon as possible in Anecdote — axes femme store ! Plus, I'm sure the shop girls will welcome you with pleasure, they are so welcoming and smilingヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ 

To conclude, a small selection a my favorite items of the shop — there were so many that was pretty hard to choose !  

Axes femme's shorts, already sold out in Japan — I can understand why.

The tights are so cute too : I'm so fond of the wine x gold one !

The winter accessories' collection is so delicate.
Fur collar, earmuffs and gloves, all available in three colors. 

Practical informations :

Anecdote — axes femme
47 de la rue des Francs Bourgeois,
75 004, Paris.

Open : Monday to Sunday
from 10:30AM to 7PM.

Thanks for reading ! I hope my post will bring you to Axes Femme's shop — at least to have a glance on the beautiful collections.

Click here if you're interested to see my purchases
and the Axes Femme's catalogue's pictures ! ☆～（ゝ。∂）

Purchases : Anecdote — axes femme Paris

Hi again my dear readers ! Last night's post was a review of the new Axes Femme shop in Paris ! But... It didn't show you everything... I swore to me I wouldn't buy anything. And now I feel like I'm so bad a keeping promises. Is that enough clue ? Haha~~ I left Axes Femme store with a shop-bag in my hands ! Though, don't worry too much I only buy one item ☆～（ゝ。∂）

Maybe not the fanciest purchase ever, but it sure is a useful one ! I needed some beautiful cardigans to wear with my otome and casual coordinations : I fall in love with this one. There were a lot of beautiful colours : the mustard, chocolate and cream ones held my attention. I finally picked the cream one, thinking that it would hopefully match with a lot of my items. The details are also so cute~~ The collar is detachable, so I can wear the cardigan without the collar and the collar all alone, perfect ! I've long time hesitate with some (real) fur collars in pink or cream, but maybe I will end up buying it also... In November or for Christmas ! I need now to save up money ! (´；д；`)

Aren't those little embroideries cute ? （´ω｀♡）

A catalogue was also available at store ! The photographs are really beautiful and inspiring : it totally fits the Axes Femme's atmosphere. As some people asked for pictures of the catalogue, here they are — I don't own a scanner, I can only provide you photographs (;__;). It's also an Axes Femme catalogue, so that means there is still no official photographs of the Anecdote side. I hope we will get some soon ! 

Ouverture : Anecdote — axes femme Paris

Note : this post is written in French, 
if you want to read the English version, please, click here （ゝ。∂）

Etablie et aménagée en secret, peu à peu, au fur et à mesure de l'été, il est sûr que la boutique Axes Femme a fait moins de tapage auprès des fans de mode japonaise que n'aurait pu le faire une nouvelle boutique lolita. Axes Femme est pourtant l'une des marques favorites des jeunes filles japonaises. Voiles, motifs fleurs, tons naturels, entre le romantique et l'otome : il n'est alors pas étonnant de savoir qu'elle plait au plus grand nombre. Lolita, mori, dolly, beaucoup ont succombé aux charmes d'Axes Femme et il serait étonnant que les parisiennes n'en fassent de même... 

Située en plein coeur du Marais, Axes Femme, renommé Anecdote — axes femme pour l'occasion, a ouvert ses portes le jeudi 10 octobre. Par chance, mon emploi du temps peu rempli d'étudiante universitaire m'a permis de venir visiter la boutique le jour-même.

La boutique est spacieuse, bien plus spacieuse encore que ce à quoi je m'attendais — tenez-vous bien, nous sommes même gratifiés d'un sous-sol regorgeant de merveilles. La décoration, quant à elle, me laisse sans voix : un espace lumineux, un sol joliment boisé, des fleurs pour fêter l'ouverture, des vitres teintées de Mucha. Le lieu tout entier respire la fraîcheur et la douceur, entre Arts Déco et souffle romantique. Il faut dire que cela s'accorde particulièrement bien à l'esprit de la marque, qui n'est d'ailleurs plus unique mais double, pour nous, chanceux Parisiens que nous sommes.

Les collections d'Axes Femme sont ainsi revisitées par une styliste française : des tailles et des coupes plus adaptées aux européennes, un sentiment un peu plus parisien également — Anecdote est donc le nom de cette marque-soeur. A cela se mêlent les véritables collections d'Axes Femme, par les stylistes japonais. Mais rassurez-vous, il est même dur de faire la différence entre les deux, tant tout est plaisant à l'oeil. 

C'est au rez-de-chaussée que vous pourrez admirer la totalité de la collection Anecdote, ainsi que quelques articles Axes Femmes, en particulier les bijoux, accessoires, chaussures, chapeaux, etc.. Au sous-sol vous trouverez ainsi la plupart des grosses pièces Axes Femmes, tels que les robes, jupes, gilets ou pulls, mais également — grande surprise ! — la collection Axes Femmes Enfants. Je n'imaginais pas qu'ils iraient jusqu'à développer leur marque enfant jusqu'à Paris, mais c'est avec plaisir que vous découvrirez ces articles plus mignons les uns que les autres, parfois assortis à la version adulte, parfois uniquement fait pour les petits. Le sous-sol s'inscrit ainsi dans un univers plus mignon, plus rose que celui du rez-de-chaussée, sans pour autant tomber dans un esprit trop infantile, et notez la cabine d'essayage la plus adorable du monde !

Pour les aventurières : la balançoire ne supporte pas les adultes, non non.

Vous constaterez également avec joie — du moins je l'espère — que les prix ne sont finalement pas excessifs par rapport à ceux pratiqués par les Japonais. Comptez dix à vingt-cinq euros de plus pour les articles Axes Femmes ; la gamme de prix est également la même pour la collection Anecdote. Les chemisiers, cardigans et autre petites veste entre 60 et 150€, robes, salopettes et jupes de 60 à 120€, chaussures pour moins d'une centaine d'euros, et les divers accessoires, chaussettes et collants d'une quinzaine à une cinquantaine d'euros. Quelques manteaux sont ainsi déjà en rayon — frileuse que je suis, j'espère qu'il en arrivera d'autres — du côté de chez Anecdote, comptez alors entre 120 et 200€. Des prix qui me semblent agréables, surtout dans un quartier où l'on est entourés de boutiques Maje ou Sandro. 

Pour celles qui s'interrogent des tailles, ne vous inquiétez pas, du moins pas trop. La collection Anecdote est déclinée en trois tailles, S, M et L ; il en est de même pour certains des articles Axes Femme (qui sont pourtant d'habitude essentiellement édités en M). Certains articles en L pourront vous paraitre bien fins sur le portant mais il est important de souligner que la plupart des pulls, chemises et jupes sont smockés ou extensibles. Toujours dans le même registre, les vêtements pour enfants sont disponibles de la taille S à la taille XL, ce qui me semble correspondre (à vue de nez) à des tailles entre le 6 et le 10/12 ans. Toujours autour des vêtements et des accessoires, sachez que la fourrure sur les cardigans et autres vêtements est généralement fausse alors que celles sur les accessoires (notamment les cols/caches-oreilles/gants) d'hiver est vraie : n'oubliez pas de vérifier la composition pour celles qui seraient sensibles à ce genre de choses.

Les chaussures quant à elles sont pour l'instant disponibles en taille M et L (les tailles japonaises, donc), ce qui me semble compliqué à exporter jusqu'à France : nous avons un panel de tailles de chaussures bien plus étendu, et cela risque de poser problème, certaines personnes ne pourront rentrer dans le M mais flotteront dans L. A voir si ce détail peut être amélioré pour permettre au plus grand nombre de se chausser d'Axes Femme ☆～（ゝ。∂）

Deux des beaux mannequins de vitrine : gros coup de coeur pour celui de gauche !

Ainsi, après tout ce petit tour de boutique, je ne peux que vous conseiller de vous rendre à Anecdote — axes femme au plus vite, que ce soit pour le plaisir des yeux ou repartir les bras chargés d'achats ! De plus, j'en suis certaine, la souriante équipe sera ravie de vous accueillir  ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ

Pour terminer cet article je vous propose une petite sélection de mes articles préférées — il y en avait tellement... alors je n'ai du mettre que quelques coups de coeur ! 

Un short Axes Femme, déjà sold out au Japon — et on comprend pourquoi.

Les collants sont adorables également : j'ai complètement craqué pour le bordeaux et doré !

La collection des accessoires d'hiver est très délicate.
Un col en fourrure, des caches-oreilles et une paire de gants, tous disponibles en 3 couleurs.

Pour finir les quelques informations pratiques nécessaires :

Anecdote — axes femme
47 de la rue des Francs Bourgeois,
75 004, Paris.

Boutique ouverte : du lundi au dimanche
de 10h30 à 19h.

Merci de votre lecture ! J'espère que cet article vous aura donné envie d'aller — ne serait-ce que jeter un coup d'oeil — à Anecdote axes femme. 

Et rendez-vous au prochain article pour découvrir mon petit achat de la journée ☆～（ゝ。∂） 

Convention : Convention Lolita 2013

Beautiful people. From left to right : Zoé, Ludo, Alienor, Diana, Lucie, Pom' and Marie.

Sunday 7th and Monday 8th, the Convention Lolita took place in 66Pelleport, Paris, for the fourth time ! Convention Lolita seems to always get better an bigger each year. That's a wonderful opportunity to meet new lolitas, see new lolita's collections or buy from European lolita shops. As it was my first year in Paris, it was also the first time I could attempt to Convention Lolita. Since I was queuing all day on Sunday for Perfume's concert, I was able to go at the conv Monday only. 

For those who don't know about, Convention Lolita is a lolita-centered convention, created by the French association Rouge Dentelle & Rose Ruban. Taking place in Paris since 2010, you will find there many booths from several brands (French and European brands mainly, some are resellers of Japanese brands), activities (such as accessories workshops, authors and illustrators' signing sessions, ..), fashion shows, concerts : a great schedule for two funny days around many lolitas from all over Europe ! If you're in Paris during the next edition of Convention Lolita you should totally have a look, that's a wonderful and joyful event. 

Crappy quality pictures in the backstage ! With Ann-So (left) and Zoé (right) ♡

Though I had such a great time I'm pretty sad to tell you that I can't properly report the event, I was modeling for three brands during the fashion show so I spent most of my day rehearsing and sweating in the backstage (haha~) with Zoé and Diep, also meeting again such wonderful girls as Ann-So or Vief ! The fashion show was all perfect, I think everyone did a great job ! I was myself modeling for By Iza, Rose Berry and The Snow Field. It can be really stressful to switch from one outfit to another, but we had a great team to work with, everyone was ready in time. Here are some pictures of the fashion show (the outfits I wore and my personal favorites outfits).

Left : The Snow Field's outfit. Right : By Iza's outfit. Credit : Baragatti Guillaume

Rose Berry's outfit. Credit : Marie Tuonetar and Alienor

Clara Maeda's fashion show. Detail shots. Credit : Marie Tuonetar

Left : Lady Sloth's fashion show. Credit : Baragatti Guillaume
Right : Lusty'n'Wonderland's fashion show. Credit : Marie Tuonetar

Lusty'n'Wonderland's fashion show. Credit : Marie Tuonetar

Beautiful Hana, modeling for The Snow Field's fashion show. Credit : Baragatti Guillaume

There were such beautiful dresses, weren't there ? A lot of precious fabrics, such as velvet or embroidered chiffon, especially in Lusty'n'Wonderland and Clara Maeda's fashions shows, but also in some dresses from The Snow Field : isn't this sailor inspired dress so cute ? I can't show you all the fashion show since it was pretty long, but if you want to see more, don't hesitate to go on Convention Lolita's albums. 

Cleaning and tidying up the fashion show's backstage wasn't quick — finding my stuffs in the backstage room was also long, haha~ — so I ended up going back to the Convention pretty late. I hadn't a lot of time left to photograph all the booths and coordinations I liked. However I was happy to talk again with some people I met during Japan Expo or the BtssB Tea Party. I wish the Convention would have closed later, this way I could have been able to photograph everybody and every lovely booths (;___;) Though I now understand that's not an easy job to clean all the place ! (I stayed with Léonie, Diana and all the team to clean and tidy the place before having a drink with my two favorite Southern girls ♡). Since I wasn't able to listen to the showcases or able to do the workshops I now just can let you have a look to my favorite looks and booths of this Convention Lolita 2013 ! (⌒▽⌒)☆

Left : Saïna and her amazing coordination ! My favorite sweet lolita of the day ♡
Right : Spyro, a Russian lolita as beautiful as always ! She kept amazed me days after days during this week ! *^*

Left : Diep and I. I love taking selca with Diep, I now have a real collection of them !
Right : Marie was here too ! A pleasure to see her after Japan Expo~

Close-up of one of the Haenuli's print. I love the face of this cat  (*≧▽≦)

Claire and her boyfriend, behind their booth ! It was a lovely meet.
I wish I was able to talk with her more, she seems to be such a nice and kind girl ♡

Left : Tro-tro wearing a fabulous Pirate Lolita coordination ! This style suits her so much~
Right : Ann-So and Vied, rocking Fairy Kei. Aren't they adorable ? (*≧▽≦)

Ludo and Hitsu, lovely boys wearing dandy~~

Thank you for reading, hope you liked it ! *(*´∀｀*)☆

Seen you soon for Frock On's and other lovely days' report !