Sex and Anderson
Topic: Sex and...

Looking back at all the triumphs and losses of my love life, the feeling that seems to jump out with the biggest force is probably pain and sadness. What we tend to remember are terrible breakups, long depression periods, the whole (painful) nine yards. But do we ever actually give value to all this pain?

My sentimental journey is splattered with fun first dates and chaotic second dates; breakups, meeting potential boyfriends, surprises, tears, good sex, bad sex, jealousy, care, stress. But what's important about all this is that they all fit into one story- every single relationship has a story to go along with it; a beginning, a conflict and an end.

Right now I may be single and contemplating the solitude that comes with a stranded love life. Yet I've realized that I actually have somewhat of a big storybook containing the tales of me and my men. Sometimes they're happy stories, sometimes they're sad, others they're just plain scary (that's when you date weird, computer-obssesed freaks or 25 year old punks, for instance).

All these stories have a lot of value. They all have a message to learn from (even the scary ones!) and they basically work together to help us grow as people.

So back to the point. True, I'm single. True, I haven't always been single. I have love and have been loved, I have hurt and have been hurt. But at least, and even thought it sounds strange, through it all I now have stories to tell, and have the certainty that I will write new stories. When you contemplate your sentimental past, rather than mope around about past glories, perhaps you should just smile and be glad your anthology is always growing.

Waxy, by Miss Sixty
Topic: Haute Couture
Our latest discovery has been a somewhat refreshening brand launch by Miss Sixty- one of Voltaire's favorite designers- Waxy.
Though it's quite a limited range (30 piece for ladies), Waxy is a very interesting proposal with which doubtlessly Miss Sixty goes casual without loosing its uniqueness and glamour.
Launched in Italy, 2005, Waxy casual wear has very accesible prices (hence Miss Sixty going casual). Quoting Subranded, "Notes for A/W 05 collection: Tops come in forest green, red, purple, pink.. Jeans are lo-rise, with raw, straight stretch, distressed, stonewashed, cropped and dark denim all featuring in the collection." (Subranded.
With an also new collection of accesories, Waxy should prove to be as much a success as its parent, Miss Sixty, and we from Paris Lounge give our thumbs up.



(Images and commentary based on Subranded's report. Please visit their website for more information)

Second Date
Topic: Sex and...

When a relationship progresses to a second date we tend to raise our hopes and think that perhaps the candidate has the potential to become someone who will grasp us out of the labyrinth of first (and last) dates. This is somewhat idiotic. We tend to think of second dates as some form of insurance, a safe ground from which the relationship can only be propelled upwards. This is idiotic because we have as much as the same chance of being dumped in the second date as we do on the first.
During second dates we don’t have the anxiousness we experienced during the first date (encouraged by the entire ‘will-he-call-me-or-will-he-not-call-me syndrome), where we are clouded up by the horror of not being liked, and where we watch our every word and step, trying to make it perfect. If the first date goes well and you’re called for a second date, you can say you’ve passed the test, you’re safe. But what if your insurance plan doesn’t cover all damages?
What happens when someone doesn’t call you after a perfect second date? What if after all the kissing, and alas, sex, when you are left at home humming to ‘singin’ in the rain’, Prince Charming fails to call back? The normal reaction would be to replay every single moment of the second date to find the flaw. If there is none, one looks at his persona, trying to find the flaw, of which, in such a moment of desperation, there must be loads. In the end you would just like to call and ask what the hell went wrong. But we have or dignity, don’t we?
Perhaps we really have to learn not to raise our hopes until the third, fourth or fifth date. Second dates tend to be too close to first dates, which leaves them in a highly reactive area, too vulnerable to be safe. Men, as I’ve come to learn, can lose interest on the second date too. My advice is to change the concept of second dates, and acknowledge them as the same fragile situations as first dates. For all you first-daters: there are no insurance plans for your second dates. Wait until the third to open up.

Welcome
Dear readers,

Miss Cloechic and Voltaire would very much like to welcome you to our new blog, Paris Lounge. We hope you enjoy our views on everything fashionable and have something to contribute to our entries.
We must admit that it is our first indagation into the world of web logs, therefore bear with us in our somewhat slow development. Let us now explain the sections of our log.
Editorials are pretty much food for the thought, anything we have found somehow inspiring and have decided to elaborate on. In this section we especially require reader's contributions as it is, in a way, an open forum.
Haute Couture is Miss Cloechic's section where she will reveal all the latest tendencies and give her views on them.
Voltaire's Critics is Voltaire's section where he will comment on the last performance arts shows he has attended, these including ballet, theatre, music and cinema.
Sex and.. Is a new section where Voltaire will comment on his views of sex, his advice, and perhaps his latest adventures.
Everything else fits in the Parafernalia category, where you will find entries whose topics range from shopping to psychology. Reader's suggestions will also be posted here.
We hope you enjoy our log, and once again,bear with us during the process of development and building!

Voltaire and Miss Cloechic