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Travel Journal, October 2025
- Félicie
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
"Want some embroidery 🐲"
Hello dear fellow travelers,
Summer already seems like a distant memory, and I'm even more eager to take you on a journey! With Stéphanie, a wonderful woman who also shares my passion for China, whose lifestyle will transport you. I'll also tell you about a pop-up Voyageuses event at the Brach Hotel this week and share my favorite finds of the month!
Portrait of a Voyageuses: Stéphanie and her Chinese embroidery
Stéphanie, a Frenchwoman and avid traveler, is the founder of the home linen brand Studio Noosh . We met in Shanghai, each launching our own brands, fueled by the country's unique energy and the challenges of entrepreneurship. With her experience in e-commerce, Stéphanie moved to Shanghai in 2018 and created Studio Noosh in 2020. She still lives there today and embodies the French art of living, sharing her love of fine dining, Chinese embroidery, and drawing inspiration from Chinese culture, which she reinvents on high-quality linen, carefully sourced in Europe.
As an early admirer of her home linens featuring pagoda motifs, lanterns, vases and other "Chinoiseries" revisited with elegance, I am very happy to be able to offer you on the Voyageuses e-shop a selection of embroidered towel sets.
Stephanie's China:
1. Why do you like China/Shanghai so much?
First of all, I'm happy to have discovered China through my own lens, and not the often reductive one conveyed by the European media. On a daily basis, I appreciate the practical, efficient, and pragmatic side of life here. The Chinese never stop. They move forward, find solutions, innovate—an energy that perfectly matches my own personality. Shanghai is a fascinating city: dynamic, international, bold, yet paradoxically very human. A metropolis of over 26 million inhabitants, which at times gives me the impression of a large village. I also appreciate the absolute safety, the modernity blended with tradition, this unique ability to make futuristic skyscrapers coexist with centuries-old lilongs . This country impresses me with the speed of its development, its capacity to offer better living conditions to so many people, and the richness of its current sociological transformations. I have been fortunate enough to travel through several regions, from Yunnan to Ningxia, from Tibet to Xinjiang, each with its own unique landscapes, traditions, and craftsmanship. It is an endless journey of extraordinary cultural diversity.
2. A place:
The Bund . It's a place absolutely unique in the world: on one side, the futuristic towers of Pudong symbolizing modern China; on the other, the historic Art Deco and Neoclassical buildings dating from the early 20th century, a legacy of Shanghai's international concessions. A stroll along the Bund at sunset encapsulates the very soul of the city, a blend of past and future, East and West.
3. A restaurant: Sichuan Citizen
Located in the former French Concession. It's a Chinese restaurant, but "expat friendly," where I like to take my visitors. The menu is varied, colorful, and flavorful—an excellent introduction to Szechuan cuisine. Their sweet and sour soup is a real treat, as is their signature cocktail, the "Basil Drop"!
4. A hotel: The Peninsula
On the Bund. A place of rare elegance, where refinement meets history. I love its spectacular skyline views, its historic building, its Art Deco-inspired interiors reminiscent of 1920s Shanghai, and the cocktails at Sir Ellis Bar. A tribute to bygone glamour. A perfect place to experience the timeless charm of Shanghai, both past and present.
5. A souvenir to bring back:
A blue and white porcelain pot , historically used to store and transport tea or precious spices. Today, it is often repurposed as a vase or lamp base. It's a truly timeless chinoiserie .
6. Anything else to add?
Yes, I would like to invite everyone to come and discover China for themselves. To look beyond the clichés, to open their eyes and hearts wide. Recently, a visa is no longer required for a one-month trip: so now is the perfect time to venture there. This country is rich in over 5,000 years of history , traditions, arts, and encounters. It is a fascinating, vibrant, profoundly human culture that inspires me every day in my work and my vision of beauty.
The Voyageuses event
You can discover these towels alongside Voyageuses at the pop-up shop at the Brach Hotel (1-7 rue Jean Richepin, Paris 16th arrondissement) from Thursday, October 9th to Sunday, October 12th. This pop-up is organized by the amazing Amandine Lugnier , known for her selection of fresh, young brands! 😁
My suggestions for the month
Lunch or afternoon tea at Bakewell café —I'm a big fan of their scones and other British-style pastries. Treat yourself to the Hermès speakers in their gorgeous leather-covered colors and the new Belle-Île bag, perfect to go with the Voyageuses safari jacket , but you'll have to wait for the Spring/Summer 2025 collection. However, the safari jacket is already available and ideal for this season! 😉
The JB Greuze exhibition at the Petit Palais , for his sublimely painted portraits of children and family scenes, so natural for the time. The latest photography book, "Lumière," by the French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, with all proceeds going to his association, Karuna_Shechen, which aims to combat extreme poverty and empower disadvantaged populations in India, Nepal, and Tibet, and which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. As I told you last month, I had the chance to meet him during my trip to Nepal, and I was immediately charmed!
See you soon !
Felicie🐱
P.S.: Feel free to share this page! 😍
If you haven't already, subscribe to the next newsletter. And if you haven't read the latest Voyageuses travelogue about Nepal and its traveler Muriel, here it is !
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