Gentry Lane's Paris in Satin & Lace

This futuristic shoe store near the Place Vendôme sells incredibly sexy high heels, often in unexpected fabrics and shapes, like satin, or cotton, or material for a … snuggly quilt pasted onto a four-inch stiletto. "I got the most ridiculous pair of fur-lined ones here a long time ago," Gentry reminisces. The heel didn't last, but the memory does. [link]

"It's open to anyone, but the ballet classes I take (both barre and barre au sol) have everyone from intermediate non-pro dancers to real dancers from the Opera," says … Gentry. "The teachers are excellent; I seriously improved more in the last three months here in Paris more than in the whole three years I took in the US." Individual classes are €13, and yearly subscriptions are available. [link]

Gentry's voice intensifies as she begins to describe Montaigne Market. "The buyers have the best taste -- they have another store in Monaco that I always go to. … Everything they sell is feminine and forward at the same time -- classic but super glam. Every item is something Audrey Hepburn would wear." The store, which brought younger shoppers to the generally staid Avenue Montaigne, features designers like Alberta Ferretti, Chloé ("they make the best knits," Gentry says), and Diane Von Furstenberg. [link]

When asked the most glamorous place in Paris, Gentry lost no time in answering "The bathrooms at Galliano: they're hung with hand-embroidered silk tapestries, covered with glass. It's insanely luxurious." Not to mention, free. If only we could say as much about the clothing designed by this bad boy of the fashion world. [link]

"Everyone comes here for drinks, to see and be seen," Gentry says, "but I come for the cheeseburgers." Gentry swears they're the best in Paris. The restaurant features a … leafy terrasse which gets crowded quickly, so come early to score a table. Upstairs at the hotel, the rooms are each designed by a different contemporary artist, and can be rented by the night or by the hour. Whence derives the name, we assume. [link]

This restaurant high atop the Centre Pompidou used to be the place that had le tout Paris competing for reservations, but over the last few years Georges's intense … popularity has given way to inevitable scorn. Forget the backlash, says Gentry, who believes that Georges has "the best Kobe beef in Paris," not to mention "the foxiest waiters and the best view." She also recommends the gazpacho and the deux petites tartares: one salmon, one tuna. [link]

This brasserie was built in 1896, "and the decor and staff haven't changed since!" says Gentry, who loves this place because it is such a mélange of 19th century chic … and French working class culture. "The place was built for the workers when this area was redone by Haussmann, and it retains that really basic feeling. The waiters are really mean and grouchy, and they scrawl your order down on this butchers' paper they use in lieu of a tablecloth." [link]

"Shopping and Champagne-- what could be better?" Gentry says with a laugh. This Champagne bar on the first floor of the Galeries Lafayette features 12 different types … of Champagne, available by the glass or the bottle. "The only downside," Gentry adds, "is they don't let you take your glass and walk around." [link]

This ballroom and music hall, which has a cameo in the Jonathan Demme film The Truth About Charlie, hasn't changed since the 1930s, when Edith Piaf used to sing here. … You can generally find Gentry here on Wednesday nights getting down to a disco groove. The schedule changes often, so consult their website before you go, especially if you'd like to take advantage of the dance lessons they offer before each soirée begins. [link]

Like many other nightclubs in Paris, Le Baron has a checkered past. Way back when, it was a brothel. Today, it's a hotspot that draws all the hip celebrities passing … through town. In other words, plus ça change... Gentry likes to go on Sunday nights for karaoke (presided over by her partner in crime, Nicholas Ullman), or any other night for "hipster fun." In homage to the Baron's former incarnation, the walls are covered with (tasteful) shots of naked ladies. [link]