The kindness of strangers: it was the jacket of my dreams – then he offered it to me at a price I could afford
Share:
The Australian dollar-to-euro exchange rate meant I’d be forking out over a week’s wages. Then the Paris shop owner said simply: ‘That jacket was meant for you’. When I think of random acts of kindness, I think of Paris. This may come as a shock to some, but as a tourist I’ve had more offers of help in Paris than anywhere else in the world. I have had more suitcases carried up flights of stairs or lifted on to luggage racks and been offered more seats on the metro than I can count – dating back well before I considered myself ancient enough to qualify.
My most recent trip there was for a precious weekend reunion with an English friend. On our last day together, we meandered along the tasteful street that runs the length of the Île Saint-Louis, stopping outside a boutique whose window displayed the jacket of my dreams.
The fabric was velvet in a dusky shade of purple, with a heavily embroidered mandarin collar in navy and red with gold stitching and long cuffs to match. The knotted buttons were in matching navy, red and gold and ended at the waist, giving the silhouette a slight flare.
But it was the lining that transformed what was a special item of clothing into a masterpiece: navy silk dotted with an occasional navy, red and gold motif borrowed from the collar and cuffs. The beauty of this hidden embellishment – which no one but the wearer would see – filled me with awe and joy.
