Haute couture by Frank Sorbier

The haute couture fashion week is over today, but this year I had the great pleasure of attending a fashion show. It was held  by Frank Sorbier, a very talented French designer at Théâtre Antoine in the 10th arrondissement and was "powered" by Intel. When I say powered, I really mean powered, as it was based on a pretty clever idea: a model, dressed in beautiful white dress was standing on one side of the stage, while another one, also on stage, would trigger the video projection of various creative haute couture motives on her dress. How? Simply by typing a command on her computer (Intel based no doubt!). A bit far fteched maybe, but the show was really stunning;  the audience was lead to think she was changing dress every 30 seconds! You MUST have a look at the little video I made, even though you're not that much into haute couture!

Chic is in the details

I always look up to the people (should I say the artists) who dress windows. They have to come up with new ideas, cope with the image the brand wants to promote and catch the passers by attention. That is exactly what happed to me when I passed by this Lanvin window display in the Boissy d'Anglas street. The whole setting was actually very creative and I do regret not to have been able to photograph it due to the light reflexion in the glass. PS: if you are in New York and want to meet me next week, please check this forum entry.

A French designer you may not know

Curiously enough, most of the famous clothing designers are men. France makes no exception, even if we've had Coco Chanel of course and a few others. That is why today I would like to introduce you to Nathalie Garçon, one of the rare French female "Stylistes" (designers) we count. She started her own company in 1989, after working for several senior designers, and sold it 10 years later to a larger group (Garella), but she still continues to design clothes for the brand. Last but not least, she claims she designs them for "the average woman in the street" not for anorexic models!

Dior Retrospective

If you're a francophile - and even if you're not actually! - you probably heard about Christian Dior, the famous couturier who precisely created Dior in 1941. Christian Dior died a long time ago (1957) but he had many famous successors (including Yves Saint Laurent and, or course, more recently John Galliano). Anyway, during the holiday season, they displayed a sort of retrospective in this weird little frame hanging on their building, avenue Montaigne. Cute!