Currents;Lanterns on a String

By Elaine Louie
Published: July 11, 1996

PAPER lanterns aren't wildly functional. They're hard to read by and even harder to sew by. But they are festive.

A garland of 15 paper lanterns (above), each two inches square and pale blue, pink, yellow or lavender, has tiny white Christmas lights inside the shades. "They're not an illuminating piece," said Laurie McLendon, the owner of Shi, a SoHo store that sells them. "The colors, not the light, jump out." The lights -- 15 for $80, 30 for $140 -- are designed by Catherine Levy and Sigolene Prebois for their company, Tse et Tse, in Paris. Shi is at 233 Elizabeth Street (near Prince Street).