On April 1^st, the much-anticipated “The Selby is in your Place” show opened at Colette, Paris’ unrivaled bastion of all things cool. Members of the art, fashion, music and design worlds mixed and mingled while browsing the paintings, photographs and illustrated interviews that comprise the show. Photographer Todd Selby was on-site to sign copies of his new book, The Selby Paris, whose 250 copies were produced exclusively for Colette.

The exhibition is Selby’s first solo show, not to mention his first formal foray into the dynamic Parisian art/design scene. In the tradition of his much-loved blog, The Selby, the show explores the notion that interesting people create interesting spaces in which to live and work. Some of the artwork on display is archival, profiling people in locales such as Los Angeles, London, New York, Sydney, and Mexico. Much of the material, however, is new and Paris-specific. Through his unconventional but intimate exploration of his subjects, Selby manages to capture an accurate yet provocative cross-section of contemporary Paris. He takes us from the sleek home of Pierre Hermé—pastry chef and king of the French macaron—to that of Frédéric Beigbeder, the notorious
enfant terrible of the French literary world. Selby’s informal “interview” style reveals eccentricities that would otherwise fly under the radar: we see his subjects’ handwriting, their drawings of their significant others, their doodles. He prompts them to admit their fears, their goals, and the grossest thing they’ve ever eaten (“very small fried fishes with black small cute eyes” in the case of stylist Nadège Winter). And of course, we see their homes, their furniture, their favorite possessions, their clutter, their pets, and their Star Wars figurines.

In addition to the show itself, Colette is also selling Selby’s signed books and other limited edition merchandise including tote bags, t-shirts, skateboards, “hair” bracelets, Adam and Eve salt shakers, and other decorative items that will infuse any home with a hint of “The Selby.”

The show runs from April 1-May 2 at Colette, 213 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris.