Paris Couture Week: The Scene

Katya Foreman, Anne-Aymone Gheerbrant, Mimosa Spencer and Jennifer Weil

Updated Mon, July 2, 2018 at 4:01 AM UTC

SHOP TALK: Just in time for couture week, Isaac Reina has opened a second Paris store, this time on the city’s Left Bank, proposing an edited selection of his classic leather goods. Designed by Belgian architect Bernard Dubois, the decor, with its geometric lines, pays tribute to the Eighties aesthetics of Kazuo Shinohara. Quarter-circle and half-circle units are sheathed in natural leather. Reina also designs the accessories for the Calvin Klein 205W39NYC line.

A stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe, Renaud Pellegrino’s intimate new store is also a minimalist affair, with Carrara marble and precious wood. The designer has been making handbags since the early Eighties, with followers including Catherine Deneuve and Paloma Picasso.

The new boutique is showcasing a collection of handmade clutches created from mini mosaics. Drawing inspiration from antiquity, Pellegrino teamed with Farouk Nasraoui for a special edition of seven intricate handmade pieces inspired by a Roman site in Carthage. The collection has six portraits of women and one of the sea god Poseidon. The soft, khaki mosaics are punctuated with bright accents in blue, yellow and red.

Marking the opening of a new chapter, J.M. Weston on July 2 will debut its new Avenue des Champs-élysées flagship. Designed by French architect Joseph Dirand, the sprawling site, measuring around 6,500 square feet, has the feel of a Paris apartment.

Alongside the classics and the first capsule by Olivier Saillard, the new artistic, image and culture director of J.M. Weston, the store houses the first women’s and leather goods sections for the brand that has had a presence on the famed avenue since 1932.

Antoine Mocquard and Julien Tual, founders of upscale eyewear brand Waiting for the Sun, also chose the Left Bank for their second Paris address. The 270-square-foot space, accented by the use of raw materials like wood, includes a private nook for eye exams, with tasty bites served to clients.

Among new mono-product concepts, Bourrienne Paris X, the brainchild of Parisian entrepreneur Charles Beigbeder, specializes in white shirts with subtle period flourishes. Designed by Cécile Faucheur, the debut collection is based on eight shirt styles with a range of collars, cuffs and bibs. Each shirt features an embroidered Roman numeral on the left gusset.

The Bourrienne Paris X store fronts the storied H?tel de Bourrienne, a beautifully restored h?tel particulier from the Directory period that is now the base for Beigbeder’s portfolio of start-ups.

Drawing on their multicultural backgrounds, meanwhile, Amaya Ducru and Ines Olaechea have introduced a selection of sustainable Latin American brands to Paris via their store 85 Degrees. Fittingly located in the city’s Latin quarter, it presents a stark alternative to fast fashion. Offering a mix of ready-to-wear, jewelry, accessories and tableware, the pair works with various communities for materials such as organic linen, blown glass, volcanic stone and copper.

Ducru, who is French-Mexican, has a background in fashion and Olaechea, a French Peruvian, has experience in marketing and start-ups.

— Katya Foreman and Mimosa Spencer

Isaac Reina

20 Rue Bonaparte, 75006

Tel.: +33-9-72-66-30-47

Open Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pellegrino

8 Avenue Victor Hugo, 75016

Tel.: +33-1-42-61-75-32

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

J.M. Weston

55 Avenue des Champs-élysées, 75008

Tel.: +33-1-45-62-26-47

Open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Waiting for the Sun

95 Rue du Bac, 75007

Tel.: +33-1-43-20-45-32

Open Monday by appointment, Tuesday to Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Bourrienne Paris X

58 Rue d’Hauteville, 75010

Tel.: +33-1-83-79-31-70

Open Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

85 Degrees

38 Rue de l’Université, 75007

Tel.: +33-6-64-69-45-89

Open Monday, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

BON APPETIT: A French farmhouse in Paris. That’s the concept of L’?le, a charming new restaurant based in a Napoléon III pavilion located on the Ile Saint-Germain, an island in the Seine in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. Behind it is architect Laura Gonzales, with features including brick fireplaces and a charming decor mixing wicker lighting, giant vases of dried flowers, antique artworks and printed sofas.

The equally homely dishes include new potatoes and chicken, and mussels and fries, with for dessert rice pudding, French toast and clafoutis. The cocktails feature fresh herbs from the vegetable garden. The enchanting site also boasts a winter garden and a bucolic terrace with an open-air bar.

Meanwhile, Baccarat’s Cristal Room has been treated to a complete makeover by celebrated interior designer Jacques Grange. The new look includes jewel-tone velvet seating, lighting by Eriko Horiki and a wall covered in 576 crystal tiles. A table for eight on the site’s terrace offers views over the Place des états-Unis square.

Young chef Mathieu Mécheri has taken over the kitchen, with a menu themed around the history of crystal, such as a revisited quiche Lorraine, nodding to France’s crystal-making region, and for dessert, a mango pavlova inspired by Baccarat’s historic relationship with the Russian court. Drinks are served in a range of glasses by the crystal house.

For those looking for a haute snack between shows, Le Royal Monceau Raffles has opened a lobster counter in collaboration with Homer Lobster. Founded by Mo?se Sfez, the brand’s lobster rolls feature brioche rolls by artisan baker Thierry Racoillet and wild blue lobster from Brittany. Three flavors are available — the classic, served with lemon mayonnaise and a sprinkling of chives; guacamole and lime, and black truffle — with a side-serving of wasabi chips and salad.

Historic Parisian seafood brasserie, La Lorraine, has had a makeover, too, with help from architect Laura Gonzalez. The design includes a mosaic floor swimming with fish, wicker seating and printed banquettes.

Manning the stove is chef Gérard Delaunay. Here, dishes include grilled brill served with a tomato béarnaise sauce and pissaladière-style vegetable tart, and grilled wild sea bass carpaccio with flambéed fennel.

The restaurant, which serves some 180,000 oysters yearly, works with Jo?l Dupuch, an esteemed oyster aquaculturist based in France’s Bassin d’Arcachon. New additions include a terrace and an American bar serving classic cocktails. The restaurant is also now open for breakfast, serving a range of egg dishes, fresh fruit and yogurts.

— Katya Foreman

L’?le

170 Quai de Stalingrad, Parc de L’Ile St. Germain, Issy-les-Moulineaux, 92130

Tel.: +33-1-41-09-99-99

Open Monday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Cristal Room Baccarat

11 Place des Etats-Unis, 75016

Tel.: +33-1-40-22-11-10

Open Tuesday to Saturday, Noon to 3 p.m. and 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Homer Lobster, Bar Long, Le Royal Monceau Raffles

37 Avenue Hoche, 75008

Tel.: +33-1-42-99-98-50

Open daily, Noon to 3 p.m. and 6 to 10:30 p.m.

La Lorraine

2 Place des Ternes, 75008

Tel.: +33-1-56-21-22-00

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

SALON-CENTRIC: After working for years in other cities of the world, hairstylist Guillaume Fernandes recently opened his first salon in the City of Light.

Called Inné, it’s nestled in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, in what’s billed to be the oldest building on Paris’ Left Bank. There, Fernandes has transformed a former apartment into a streamlined workspace, which mixes modern and vintage decor.

Products from Shu Uemura and L’Oréal Paris are used in this salon, which offers a full menu of services. A cut for women goes for 98 euros, while one for men is 70 euros. A blow dry runs 50 euros to 60 euros, depending on hair length, while the price tag for a chignon is upward of 110 euros. Hair color is around 80 euros, meanwhile.

— Jennifer Weil

Inné

13 Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, 75006

Tel.: +33-1-43-29-52-37

Open (every other) Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

PAMPERING PAUSES: For those in need of some R&R during the busy couture season, Paris has some new spa offerings.

The recently opened four-star Laz’ H?tel Spa Urbain, not far from the Saint-Lazare train station and boasting 56 rooms, has one treatment cabin measuring 110 square feet that is run by Codage.

The French beauty brand uses products in its facial and body treatments that are made-to-measure according to each person’s skin’s needs. The menu includes 45 minutes of foot reflexology for 95 euros, a 60-minute deep-tissue massage for 120 euros and a two-hour “haute couture” treatment for 230 euros. The hotel’s facility includes a hammam, sauna and pool, as well.

Not far away, on the Right Bank, too, luxury children’s wear retailer Bonpoint has partnered with Le Bristol Paris hotel on some treatments for kids aged six to 12 and their parents using the fashion brand’s natural, hypoallergenic products. There’s the “gentle” 25-minute body treatment going for 110 euros for each the parent and the child, and the “tender” facial, which lasts 55 minutes and is 200 euros per person.

Bonpoint also reworked the Kids Club play area in Le Bristol with its signature colors, and there set up a tipi and blackboards along some walls. The space is filled with dollhouses, stuffed animals and books.

La Maison du Tui Na, which specializes in Chinese massage, is launching a new service from July 1. Its head and neck massage, priced 75 euros for 50 minutes, is just the ticket for soothing tense shoulders.

— Jennifer Weil and Joelle Diderich

Laz’ H?tel Spa Urbain

17 Rue de Milan, 75009

Tel.: +33-1-40-82-71-24

Spa open daily, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Spa Le Bristol by La Prairie

112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008

Tel.: +33-1-53-43-41-67

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

La Maison du Tui Na

32 Rue Pergolèse, 75016

Tel: +33-1-43-06-00-27

Open daily, 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

ON SHOW: One of the most internationally acclaimed artistic movements is overtaking Paris museums this summer with three exciting shows.

The Petit Palais sheds light on London as the home of Impressionist artists when they fled Paris in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War. From Camille Pissarro to André Derain, 140 paintings from British, American and French museums address the central role of the city during those troubled times. The highlight here is the iconic depiction of the Houses of Parliament by Claude Monet.

The French painter’s later works, “Water Lilies,” are also being examined at the Orangerie museum in a fascinating show exploring their impact on American Abstract Expressionist artists at a time when Abstract Impressionism developed. The masterpieces, rediscovered in the Fifties in the U.S., resonated with key figures of the movement, such as Mark Rothko and Sam Francis.

Last but not least, the Jacquemart-André museum is featuring Mary Cassatt, the only American artist of the Impressionist movement, with 50 works comprising oils, pastels and engravings that highlight the modernity of a great portraitist who lived more than 60 years in France.

Meanwhile, the Louvre is collaborating with the Metropolitan Museum of Art on an exhaustive overview of Eugène Delacroix’s career, representing 40 years of creation, for the first time in Paris since 1963. It offers a new way to understand the painter’s place in more than one particular artistic movement.

Symbolism is on view with “Wild Souls” at the Orsay museum. The exhibit is part of the centenary celebration of the Baltic states’ independence, and the works from Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia here are mostly being shown outside their countries for the first time. They are showcased in three sections, each corresponding to a different medium: painting, sculpture and graphic arts.

Fast forward 100 years at the Grand Palais, which is hosting among the first museum exhibitions exploring the role of new technologies in artistic creation. “Artists and Robots” challenges the notion of artificial imagination and other digital experiments, while allowing the viewer to interact with various works from artists ranging from Jean Tinguely to Daft Punk.

— Anne-Aymone Gheerbrant

“Impressionists in London,” through Oct. 14

Petit Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008

Tel.: +33-1-53-43-40-00

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“The Water Lilies. American Abstract Painting and the Last Monet,” through Aug. 20

Musée de l’Orangerie, 1 Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, 75001

Tel.: +33-1-44-50-43-00

Open Wednesday to Monday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Mary Cassatt. An American Impressionist in Paris,” through July 23

Musée Jacquemart-André, 158 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008

Tel.: +33-1-45-62-11-59

Open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Delacroix (1798-1863),” through July 23

Musée du Louvre, Place du Louvre, 75001

Tel.: +33-1-40-20-53-17

Open Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.; Thursday to Monday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.

“Wild Souls. Symbolism in the Baltic States,” through July 15

Musée d’Orsay, 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 75007

Tel.: +33-1-40-49-48-14

Open Tuesday to Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., and Friday to Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Artists and Robots,” through July 9

Grand Palais, Galeries Nationales, Place Clémenceau, 75008

Tel.: +33-1-40-13-48-00

Open Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Thursday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Launch Gallery: Haute Couture Week Fall 2019: The Scene in Paris

Don't Miss

Paris Couture Week: The Scene

Recommended articles