Paris for Dreamers

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Paris for Dreamers

Hi, I’m Katrina. After the launch I began to realise that I’m not alone, that there are countless other Paris dreamers out there. Because, yes, we’re dreamers.

Paris inspiration by Katrina Lawrence, author of THE PARISIAN CORSET (available 1st December 2026 in Australia and New Zealand; other countries to be announced ...). After working as a beauty journalist for many years, I took time off a few years ago to write my first book, Paris Dreaming: What the City of Light Taught Me About Life, Love & Lipstick. We see the world, particularly Paris, through p

ink-tinted glasses (la vie en rose, and all that). We’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve watched Sabrina and Funny Face and Midnight in Paris. We love the city in a way that borders on obsessive compulsive disorder — no visit is ever enough. It’s like we keep a little bit of Paris within — an inner Parisienne, let’s say. Alas, we can’t all be Parisiennes, and we can’t all up and move there. We have our own homeland and family and reality. So Paris remains the dream, the place we go to as often as possible in order to recharge our spirits, to colour our world. And when we’re there we want the dream Paris. And that inspired me to work on a new book, Paris for Dreamers: Whimsical Walks Through the City of Light’s Delights. It’s a collection of walks I love for the way in which they tell a story about Paris in a moment in time or through the eyes of past Parisians. They’re wanderings I’ve honed over the years, and I felt the need to share these with other like-minded souls. I know there are countless guides to Paris out there, but this one is for those who like to walk on a deeper level, passing through all sorts of portals of time, meeting fascinating characters and collecting titbits of trivia along the way. I’ve also launched a website, which I plan to grow in numerous ways. For now I’m offering personalised travel tips; simply order, answer the questions in the form at checkout, and I’ll make it my mission to deliver you travel advice as perfectly tailored as a Chanel couture jacket. You’ll also find oodles of information on our favourite city, all written with your dreamy needs in mind. I can’t wait to share this dream of a Parisian adventure with you. Kat x

01/09/2026

It’s la rentrée in Paris – the return to school or the office after summer break. And if you happen to be in town and putting off your own return to reality, a shop at Marin Montagut Paris might just soften the blow. Not only will you find the most whimsical souvenirs around, but also the sweetest desk decorations imaginable: hand-painted glasses for your pens and pencils, porcelain trinket trays for paper clips and pins, pretty cups and perfumed candles, and so many more treats that will make work that bit more pleasurable 💓🖥️💓

30/08/2026

A runaway bestseller in France, The Barman of the Ritz by Philippe Collin – inspired by the heroic wartime story of the hotel’s legendary Frank Meier – is now available in English and it’s utterly compelling. By the way, the nook pictured here is not in the Ritz Bar where Frank once mixed martinis (that no longer exists) but Bar Hemingway, which is of course named after the martini-loving author – who has a fabulous walk-on part in these pages. Another fun fact: Frank plays a small but key role in my upcoming debut novel, The Parisian Corset, where much of the action during the occupation years takes place at the Ritz 🍸

27/08/2026

A little PSA for those of you in Australia and New Zealand who love Paris (you don’t say!) and who like your literature of the audio variety:

Apple Books have included my debut novel, The Parisian Corset, in their ‘Tomorrow’s Biggest Audiobooks’ collection (💓🍾🎉) at a special pre-order price ($11.99AUD). The promotion lasts until 5th September.

📖🎀🇫🇷

25/08/2026

Liberation of Paris Special, Day Seven: Early on 25 August 1944, the rest of the Allies streamed into town. Parisians dusted off their formerly banned flags and unfurled them out the window, cheering on their liberators. (The first inset photograph, by André Bienvenu, shows the half-track Montbéliard turning from Rue de Fleurus onto Rue Guynemer; the second was taken by Frank Scherschel for Life magazine). There remained several N**i strongholds, but Germany eventually had no choice but to surrender. Parisians rushed into the streets wearing tricolore rosettes or dresses of blue, white and red. More flags were waved, and then raised on every monument in town, including a giant one at the Arc de Triomphe and, finally, atop the Eiffel Tower (as seen in the third image, by photographer John Downey). The soul-destroying, often brutal occupation of Paris was officially over, after more than 1,500 days. Can you imagine how amazing that must have felt? (The fourth image, by photographer Richard Boyer, probably perfectly captures that very feeling.) So was it any wonder that Paris went on, that night, to have what is often called the party of the century 💙🇫🇷❤️

24/08/2026

Liberation of Paris Special, Day Six: It was raining on the morning of 24 August 1944, and most of the city sheltered inside, save for the N**i convoys escaping eastwards. As the sun came back out that afternoon so too did the remaining German soldiers, and fighting started up again in various parts of town. The Resistance was emboldened by an ever-growing number of recruits, but its leaders fretted about running out of am******on. Morale was soon boosted when an Allied airplane flew overhead, letting out a shower of leaflets that read, ‘Hold tight, we’re coming.’

At seven o’clock, the 9th Company of Mechanised Infantry – known as La Nueve because 146 of its 150 men were Spanish – drove into Place d’Italie where frenzied crowds covered soldiers in kisses, thrust bottles of w**e into their hands, and threw flowers and flags over the soldiers’ vehicles. By nightfall, the division was guarding the Hôtel de Ville, outside of which throngs of Parisians danced as they sang La Marseillaise. The police organised for the bells of Notre-Dame to toll for the first time in four years. The city’s other church bells took their cue, and for the next hour the city reverberated and revelled in exuberant celebration 💙🇫🇷❤️

23/08/2026

Liberation of Paris Special, Day Five: At three o’clock in the morning of 23 August 1944, Parisians were shaken awake by a massive explosion. They looked out their windows to see an eerie red glow on the horizon. Dawn would break that Wednesday over a smoke-filled sky; the Grand Palais was on fire, having been bombed by the N**is in retaliation to a Resistance attack. As the pompiers gained control of the blaze, rumours flew thick and fast that the Germans were planning to destroy the city, leaving only rubble for the approaching Allies. Despite the threat, Parisians continued to rise up against their occupiers, hurling grenades and Molotov cocktails at tanks, the burning wrecks of which made the stiflingly hot air all the more oppressive.

The photographer who captured the inset image here was Henri Cartier-Bresson. As chronicled in the brilliant book Left Bank: Art, Passion and the Rebirth of Paris 1940–1950 by Agnès Poirier, the legendary photographer snuck into Paris late on the Tuesday night. He had been in hiding in the countryside after having escaped his prisoner-of-war camp where he was held for more than three years, and crossed the French-German border. He eventually made it to the farm where he had buried his Leica camera just before his capture, and by the time he was back in his hometown of Paris, he was ready to work again. Cartier-Bresson reported to the Resistance photographers’ headquarters on Rue de Richelieu early on Wednesday morning, and was signed up as one of the official twenty photographers who in the coming days would capture iconic images of the city’s liberation 💙🇫🇷❤️

22/08/2026

Liberation of Paris Special, Day Four: By 22 August 1944 the N**is could count only a handful of strongholds – one being the Senate and the Luxembourg Garden (photographer of inset image unknown). The Germans were on edge, weakened by fighting on the Western Front, and in disarray. In another sign of a power reversal, the Resistance had taken over the collaborationist press offices, and newspapers such as Libération were sold openly for the first time. Photographers – banned from taking outdoor photos these past four years – stepped up efforts to record this historic moment. Paris fell black that night; beneath a new moon, with the streetlights extinguished, it was a city suspended in stifling heat and thickened air.

Parisians didn’t know it, but until that afternoon the Allied troops had not been planning to move on Paris. (General Eisenhower wanted to get to Germany and definitively defeat Hi**er as quickly as supply lines would allow.) But during the day, Resistance operatives had made it to Allied command and made their case: Paris was running out of food and patience, there would soon be a bloodbath, and there was no time to wait. Parisians would wake to the news: the Allies were on their way 💙🇫🇷❤️

21/08/2026

Liberation of Paris Special, Day Three: On 21 August 1944, barricades – that time-honoured Parisian tradition – began to appear around town. Over the next few days, more than six hundred would be erected across the city’s streets and bridges (like Pont Neuf here; photographer unknown). They were cobbled together from all manner of things – burnt-out cars, trolleys, tables, street furniture, paving stones, sandbags … even the occasional bathtub and kitchen stove. On that first day, the barricades were an especial show of defiance and bravery. The N**is took them as a sign the cease-fire was over and sent tanks into the streets. Parisians manning barricades responded with Molotov cocktails, and though the locals were still worryingly short of firepower, the German forces were depleted of infantry and unable to get the upper hand. By evening, the Resistance controlled almost all government buildings. But victory was far from sure, for the Allied troops were still nowhere to be seen … 💙🇫🇷❤️

20/08/2026

Liberation of Paris Special, Day Two: As dawn was breaking on 20 August 1944, the Resistance laid claim to the Hôtel de Ville (as seen in this inset photo by Serge de Sazo). They now controlled City Hall, the Préfecture de Police and over half of Paris’s government offices. But nobody knew when the Allies would arrive to reinforce the fight, so momentum stalled. It was in many ways a quiet summer’s Sunday – numerous Parisians sunbathed by the Seine – but frenzied negotiations were taking place behind closed doors, with peacemakers bringing together German leadership and various Resistance factions. Late that afternoon, loudspeaker cars took to the streets to announce a cease-fire, but few locals believed it would last. Parisians were too angry, the N**is too vicious. The city slept uneasily that night; the next day would bring a new week, and the chance for a new future 💙🇫🇷❤️

19/08/2026

Liberation of Paris Special, Day One: On the morning of 19 August 1944, Resistance police officers occupied the Préfecture on Île de la Cité (as seen in this inset photograph by Serge de Sazo). Other activists claimed various town halls and ministry buildings around town, ripping down sw****ka flags and hoisting the tricolore, which hadn’t been seen in public for over four years. Blue, white and red clothing could soon be seen hanging from balconies, and Parisians hummed La Marseillaise – also banned by N**is – as they walked the streets. It was dangerous to do though, for N**is were now firing indiscriminately on locals. Nevertheless, they were losing their grip on power; after a day of fighting and fatalities, the Resistance would control over half of Paris’s neighbourhoods 💙🇫🇷❤️

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Place Saint-Michel
Paris
75005

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https://parisfordreamers.com/, https://www.katrinalawrenceauthor.com/

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