Paris is most likely my favorite place in the world, and I cherish what little time I get to spend there. Memories and photographs are my usual souvenirs with beloved friends, and the hours and days spent in the City of Lights become driving for for when things get tough here in New York. I was in the city not too long ago, where I was invited to the launch party of a new collaboration, and the sunglasses have become my favorite memento of sunny days spent along the Seine.

The collection is a collab between shopping mecca Colette, sunglasses brand See Concept, and fashion journalist/videographer/documentarian Loïc Prigent. I met him while I was at the launch party, and he’s charming and incredibly friendly, and he’s very much the Parisian ideal. Which means obviously I’m going to be all about whatever he’s selling. In this case it’s a collection of sunglasses, a t-shirt, and a very clever short story on the tag — perfect for reading on the beach.

The collection went on sale July 13th, so if you’re in Paris be sure to head over to Colette and pick yours up. The glasses alone are 35 euros, and the whole kit — t-shirt, sunglasses, sunglasses case, all wrapped up in a cool book case — is 60 euros. This is exclusive to Colette, so you’ll have to get it in store, but if you’re dying for the glasses and aren’t in town, you can get a similar pair at the See Concept e-boutique.

The day we were supposed to originally shoot these glasses I could not find them anywhere. My photographer and I ripped apart my apartment trying to find them — we looked in the sofa, under the bed, in my closet, inside of my laundry hamper. They had simply vanished overnight. I was devastated, as these have become my favorites to wear — the cobalt color is my favorite to wear, and I’m crazy for a good pair of round sunglasses. We gave up trying to find them and proceeded with other options that day, while I was still absolutely gutted. IT wasn’t until two days later when I tried putting on a pair of shoes that I found them — tucked inside, somehow forgotten. I guess the magic of Paris never really leaves us, it just waits until we need it most. And I’m glad we didn’t find them that first day, because when we finally did get to shoot them, the light was sublime and the mood was perfect — I might be back in New York, but the moment felt like those late Parisian nights in the summer, where the sun is still out at 10pm and the city beckons with late night adventures.

Sunglasses & T Shirt courtesy Colette / H&M denim shirt / Levis jorts / ?ohW Shoes

Photos courtesy Kristin Booker