A calendar of Miss France? In any other country this would be a cheesy addition to an automobile garage or a men’s sporting facility, but in France Peter Lindberg snaps the former Misses France and Yves Saint Laurent dresses them! This is good. This is how it should be.
Le calendrier des Miss France, au profit de l’association ELA qui lutte contre la leucodystrophie. Available now in FNAC and from Nov. 23rd in kiosque.
How many times have we moaned about needing a place on the left bank (aside from sandwich grecs! Eew!) to get a late-night bite to eat! With a fabulous nights-only formula, Le LUP is sure to attract all the hot Germainophiles.
Le Lup, 2-4 rue du Sabot, 75006 Paris, Tel. 01 45 48 86 47, M° Saint-Germain-des-Prés
It’s not often that news emerges sending fashion, business, and political tongues a-wag, however former first-daughter Claude Chirac is certainly not your average potential employee! According to market sources, Chirac will shortly be named as the newest Director of Communications at PPR, reporting directly to François-Henri Pinault himself. We look forward to seeing what this means for the retail and luxury-goods conglomerate!
I’m happy to report that being a good citizen of the world (from France) just got a whole lot easier! I, like many others I’m sure, am always wondering where the nearest bio market is, and would be happy to know where to buy fair trade goods in Paris! Especially with Christmas approaching! Last year’s Opération Noël was a huge success, and thankfully this year’s edition has just launched, on Le Marché Citoyen. Log on to find bons plans and original gift ideas, whether they be bio, équitables or solidaires!
Many apologies to all for the lack of posts this week! – it’s been a very crazy week and tomorrow I head to Italy for some welcomed R & R. My occupations since Sunday have been trying to finish all my work before I leave, organising travel logistics, making time to catch up with some friends, and planning my wardrobe for my trip as each evening will have a different themed dinner - this included finding a formal dress in white for the first evening, something I have actually managed to pull off! (even though it did include a rather desperate email to my favourite fashion designer yesterday!).
Last night I managed to join my friends Thibaut and Rebecca at the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz. This bar is a great place to go in Paris, especially at the beginning of the week, when most other places are dead. Not long after we arrived Sophia Coppola entered with her husband Thomas Mars. I’ve always wanted a Sophia sighting in Paris, so it was well-worth getting a little behind on my to-do list.
Anyway, Happy Hallowe’en to all and see you back daily on Monday!
It is definitely the season for braderies! Everyone covets the idea of the designer ones, but even at this weeks by-invitation-only Jean-Paul Gaultier braderie (thank you Karine!) the only thing I spotted was a beautiful flamenco-like dress that was disappointingly WAY out of my budget (even at a braderie! yikes!). The other idea I like is raiding friend’s closets, which is the idea behind Viens Dans Mon Dressing! taking place this Sunday. Become a closet raider or get inspired to throw your own version amongst friends!
If I could pick any age to live in, the roaring 20’s would definitely be in my top 5. So last weeks opening of Les Années Folles at the Musée Galliera certainly gave me lots to dream about. Beautiful clothes, fast cars, furious lives!
Les Années Folles, 20th October 2007 – 29th February 2008, Musée Galliera, 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75116 Paris, 01 56 52 86 00, M° Iéna or Alma Marceau
Like the thousands of single girls, the BHV has joined in the race to find Mr. Right, or 8 Mr. Rights to be exact. Starting tomorrow and Friday from 15h to 20h (if you think you have what it takes to be featured in a major advertising campaign and catalogue) potential Mr. Rights may present themselves at 36 rue de la Verrerie in the 4th. All ages, all sizes, and all styles will be considered!
If you happen to know why 93, Faubourg Saint-Honoré is a cherished address in Paris (and quite possibly one my favourite talk shows of all time!!) you will love the next generation: Paris Croisière! Aboard “l’Excellence”, moored at the Quai Henri-IV, this new version of the “people”-heavy dinner party/talk show format will feature a different host each week (goodbye Thierry Ardisson, we’ll miss you!) and kicks off a first season with Jamel Debbouze, Laurent Gerra, and Philippe Torreton.
Paris Première, diffusion ce soir à 22h35.
Have I ever mentioned that I can hardly bare to drink anything but champagne? A ‘cosmo’, a ‘mojito’, ’sex on the beach’ would literally turn my world upside down! But today I discovered that fashion designers Viktor & Rolf have taken the liberty to do that for Piper-Heidsieck’s Rosé Sauvage!! Look at how cool this set is: the champers, the ice bucket, and the flute are all in a reversed topsy-turvy limbo, which will no doubt float through the room or at least seem incredibly trippy after a few bottles! Retails exclusively at Colette.
Colette, 213 rue St. Honoré, 75001 Paris, 01 55 35 33 90, M° Tuileries
Yesterday I had the pleasure to smell the newest fragrance from Hermès, Brin de Réglisse, created by their in-house “nose” Jean-Claude Ellena for the Hermessence Collection. It’s like a delicious visit to a field of lavender, mostly inspired by Ellena’s youth in the South of France.
There are some people you meet whom you will always remember with that little spark of joy. I met Jean-Claude Ellena a few years ago, and he is incredibly charismatic and charming, always with a glint in his eye, and a wink for a pretty girl. What really interests me about his work is that he is known as quite a minimalist in fragrance circles. An average parfum might have up to, and over, 200 ingredients in it’s composition; yet a scent by Jean-Claude Ellena is alive and individual with around 50! A real fragrance genius!
I walked past Galignani’s last week and noticed that Belladone Island was featured prominently in their window. Belladonna is the toxic plant Renaissance Italian women used to dilate their pupils (a sign of sexual arousal) and which grows in abundance on Belladone, the imaginary island created by Victoire de Castellane for her line of haute-joaillerie at Dior.
Illustrated by Guido Mocafico and curated by Eric Troncy, I am totally mesmerised by this book and Victoire’s stunning pieces like the “Reina Magnifica Sangria,” “Poisono Misterius Spinella, and ”Dracula Spinella Devorus.”
Galignani, 224 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, 01 42 60 76 07, M° Tuileries
Everyone’s favourite shop (or maybe just mine…!) Hermès, located at the famous 24, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, is getting ready to kick-off their new extended shopping space with a 24 hour party which starts at 8 pm on October 23rd. There will be dancing and musical performances throughout the night, which leads into breakfast and shopping the next day. While there’s no official stance, who’s to say that getting your favourite sales associates a little bit tipsy might not help with your advancement on the Birkin waiting-list (hey, it’s worth a try isn’t it? 
)
More artistically inclined clients will want an invite to the opening of H Box, the new itinerant art show by Hermès, which will open at the Centre Pompidou on November 28th. The show will run to January 5th, and features the work of artists like Alice Anderson, Yael Bartana, Sebastian Diaz Morales, and Dora Garcia; all exhibited within a massive space-pod-like structure designed by the artist-architect Didier Fiuza Faustino!
Hermès, 24 rue du Fbg St-Honoré, 75008 Paris, 01 40 17 47 17, M° Concorde or Madeleine
H Box from Nov. 28 2007 – Jan. 5 2008, Centre Pompidou, Place Georges Pompidou, 75004 Paris, 01 44 78 12 33, M° Rambuteau or Hôtel-de-Ville
Ok, I know that many a fashion blogger has recently become obsessed with COS (Collection of Style), the more grown-up, style-driven brand from H&M. I have friends who send taunting emails from London because they love their store so much! Well Paris, get ready, because opening March 2008, we will have our own store, located in the Marais, on 4 rue des Rosiers!!!
Last Saturday night I thought I would do my part to support France in the Rugby World Cup! No, I didn’t buy some sketchy tickets on eBay and fly to Cardiff; and no, I didn’t go in search of official rugby paraphernalia and paint my face in blue, white, and red! Instead, I decided to wear a blue and white striped mini-dress (that looked très, très French) and don a beret! First of all, I was just meeting a crew of sports-mad French boys, who probably wouldn’t have batted an eye if I had shown up in just a big t-shirt, but I do think that dressing and “creating a mood” is seriously tied in general to a sort of collected consciousness, and going Gallic for the evening was my part in supporting France through the general consciousness! (let’s just liken it to the same spirit as boys screaming comments at a television screen!).
In the end, I have to admit that the beret did stay at home, because instead of being the pièce de résistance, it turned out to be way too over-the-top!
However, my plan was obviously successful, and I think we all know who to really thank for the magnificent victory of Les Blues over the Blacks!
And now the pressure is on!!! (what to wear next Saturday night….!)
