There is something delectable about finding confortable shoes which are also pretty. I love to walk and need to have solid supporting soles, yet light shoes. This is what I found at “Germaine Pratinette”, a discreet shoe shop on rue du Pré aux Clercs, near Saint Germain des Prés. The name is a pond on germanopratin, meaning from St Germain … Read More
An exotic fashion show at Versailles
It is still a nightmare to go to Versailles even when you have preordered tickets but maybe with the winter months, lines will get shorter. We managed to get to the head of the queue with our Friends of Versailles card and once we were inside the exhibition, « Visiteurs de Versailles, 1682-1789 », we were alone with a few guards who … Read More
Leïla Menchari gives mystery and poetry to Hermès
Walking into Grand Palais for the opening of the exhibition of forty years of Hermès windows by Leïla Menchari was magical. There was competing chickism at Paris Photo next door where J.P. Morgan had a private evening. I ran into Hugues Gall an old friend of Leïla Menchari, the creator of magic and Andrée Jaigu who is always on top … Read More
The House of Worth, or the birth of Haute Couture
It is an extraordinary book that Chantal Trubert-Tollu, the great grand daughter of Charles Frederick Worth has just published with Françoise Tétart-Vittu, a costume historian. The House of Worth, 1858-1954 tells the story of four generations of fashion designers and it is mostly the history of a hundred years of Paris society through fashion.
Peter Paul Rubens in majesty
There is a true sense of excitement when one enters the first room of the magnificent Rubens exhibition at Palais du Luxembourg in which two paintings featuring Queen Marie de Medicis visiting Rubens’ studio and a large Gobelins tapestry are hanging : all are 19 th century works and they tell us how important the Flemish painter remained in art … Read More
Mariano Fortuny, remembered in great style
Fashion genius Mariano Fortuny was born in Granada in 1871, but adopted Venice as his home after a stint in Paris. The son of a famous Catalan painter, he invented new kinds of printed fabrics for dresses, took photographs, made oil portraits and is mostly famous for his Delphos gown which has inspired Issey Miyake. Palais Galliera is showing more … Read More
A Colombian feast at Colette’s
There was a double news that evening at Colette, the it store on rue St Honoré which is celebrating its twenty years. Kristina McLean was presenting her alternative guide book to Bogota, Columbia’s trendy capital city which is a hip destination with Carthagena and its music and book festivals in January. And Colette was announcing its closing at Christmas. A … Read More
Christian Dior at Musée des Arts Décos, don’t rush!
The event of the summer in Paris is the Christian Dior exhibition at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. So obvioulsy, having missed the opening on the Fourth of July, I went to see the show as soon as I was back from celebrating with fireworks in Marblehead, Ma. And little did I know ! There was a line all the way to … Read More