Summer Escapades: Cascou in Paris
Boarding passes at the ready? Your ticket to holiday with the Level community is here, as our friends extend the invitation to join them in their favourite places to spend the summer.
In the second instalment of Level’s Summer Escapades series, Kuwaiti DJ and music curator Cascou heads to Paris as the city warms up to welcome the world for the Summer Olympics at the end of July. From record stores for audiophiles to neighbourhood eateries for down-to-earth gourmands, discover the City of Light through the insider’s eyes and shop our travel-ready Summer edit.
SHOP THE EDIT
Summer is all about being by the water and music festivals. My favourite memories of summer are the ones I'm creating right now as I’m typing this: road-tripping in the south of Spain and casually picking oranges from dirt paths.
Just before this, I was in Paris for men’s fashion week. A typical day during my five-day trip in Paris featured people-watching at Le Progrès in Le Marais, catching up with friends at Cafe Charlot, grabbing an Italian deli sandwich at Pastavino down the street, and popping into OFR and Broken Arm to check out their new arrivals. When I was not attending fashion week events, I was record-digging at A1 Records and Yoyaku.
The most memorable meal I had in Paris was lunch at Le Cadoret. It’s a minute from the rolling green hills of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. A special mention goes out to the steak-frites dinner I had with good company at Brasserie Des Pres.
My summer style in Paris can be described as that of an unconventional city-dwelling farmer. On-feet, I slipped into Burberry’s barbed loafers, which were dressy with a contemporary edge, and I completed every fit with Tom Ford’s Stadium buckle belt. A summer style hack to try: if you're wearing Margiela Tabis, borrow your mom's ankle-high hosiery socks instead of buying toe socks. They’re much lighter and more comfortable!
The top three items on my summer wish list are Balenciaga’s Neo round sunglasses and Unity medium backpack, Salomon’s ACS Daypack 20 backpack, and Asics Gel-Nimbus 10.1 sneakers.
My soundtrack for Summer ‘24 has been the records my friend and I have been digging: from 12-inch thumping disco edits, proto-house, Italo, and Italian B-movie soundtracks to early soul 45s.
My insider travel tip for anyone heading to Paris this summer is don't. Go somewhere by a body of water, but if you have to go, do it before the chaos of the Olympics or after.