paris

If you’re trying to find some background information on the history of the french fashion brand Carven, that may be a bit hard to come by. The brand has a rich history, that was started in the 1940s by Madame Carven as a novice to the world of Haute Couture.  At the time she challenged the industry in her democratic outlook on fashion, making affordable luxuries for the masses. She had even served as a member of the very prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris in 1945.

Like many brands of that era, only few survived without interruption to this day. They’ve became more known for their perfume “Ma Griffe” and for working with airline companies to make their uniforms in the 1970s (Air France).

Following in the footsteps of brands like Chacharel, Carven has made a triumphant fashion come back since 2009 headed by (ex- Givency Paul Ka), Guillaume Henry at its helm.

I for one, am very excited with what Guillaume has done so far and hunger to see what he has in store for the seasons to come! He seems very much in touch with todays women, what we like and also the realities of our financial expectations.

Look at what he had to say to Vogue UK about the line “I wanted to create a look that was less evening, less cocktail, more girl next door; that’s the girl I know,” … ”Some designers create and imagine a woman, a customer, and that’s great – but it’s not for me. I design for the owner’s wife, my mother, my friends; someone going to work, with children, going out at night – women I know.”

Making clothes that’s accessible with a touch of luxury is definitely up my alley, and I’m sure you’ll

love it too.

Paris Store Address:
Boutique Carven
34 rue Saint Sulpice
Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 78 72

Shopping in Paris is no easy feat if you’re not a Parisian. You’ll most likely be pointed to areas chock full of other tourist trying to get their souvenirs and gifts of Paris. Very few Guide books really have the most up to date information anyways on thrift shopping in Paris, because so many stores open and close frequently, especially in the last  3 years since Vintage has become some what chic and “a la mode”.

One vintage place that I still consider a hidden gem, is Guerrisol Paris. It’s one of my best places to shop for thrift and vintage in Paris because its the only thrift store that doesn’t give a damn about carrying what’s in style or even trendy.

They just hang what they want, and you can leave with a bag of clothes for under 30 Euros!

I went to the one at Place de Clichy last week, and walked away with three blazers and a pair of pants. The blazers were 3 Euros each! Much cheaper than anything I  buy in Freep Star in the Marais ( unless you have the patience to dig through the 1 euro bill bin thats upstairs in the badly lit tiny cluster).

Be aware, because this is more of a Thrift shop rather than Vintage shop, don’t expect the selection to be pre-scanned for your shopping pleasure.

So you’ll occasionally see the “who in da heck would buy that!?” item here and there. But whatever, don’t judge, get what you want and move on. I’ve yet to be disappointed.

Sneak Peek of the H&M Fall 2011 to hit stores.

Tartans, florals, leather, biker, clean cut , minimalist, with a 60s vibe.

I just got this in an email today from the Paris press team, but I had to share right away. Je suis completement accro a H&M.

Stay tuned for my more in-depth review to come this week. I’m already dying for the off white women’s coat, the brown biker jacket and a few items like sneakers and accessories from the men’s department too!

If you’re in Paris remember there are many H&M locations here centrally located:

H&M Forum des Halles

H&M 88 Rue de Rivoli and 120 Rue de Rivoli in walking distance from each other

H&M 88 Avenue des Champs Elysées

Selected works of the Master couturier Madame Grès (1903-1993) are on display at the Bourdelle Museum in Paris. All throughout her life Madame Gres stated that  « Je voulais être sculpteur. Pour moi, c’est la même chose de travailler le tissu ou la pierre ». When translated she said she wanted to be a sculpture and that for her working with material is as similar to working with clay.

The exposition displays 80 pieces taken from the Galliera museum as well as from private collections.  Definitely worth seeing if visiting Paris and  have a love of fashion, couture or history.

WHERE:

Musée Bourdelle
16 rue Antoine Bourdelle, 75015 Paris
Tél. : 01 49 54 73 73
www.bourdelle.paris.fr

WHEN:

Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10AM to 6PM ( except holidays)

FEE:

7 € or 3,50 € (14-26 yrs old)

Free for under  14 yrs old

I think this issue made me want to respect Elle Paris a bit more because it featured fresh content; pages and pages of portraits from some of the most talented people I admire in the fashion industry such as Victoire de Castellane, Marc Jacobs, Martin Sitbon, Stefano Pilati and Isabel Marant.

Designers that are a bit quirky, off beat, non-the-less exceptional and who chart their own territory.

But I was quickly brought back to reality and very disappointed because they didn’t bother to put a “token” black model in the mix.

The cover featured five all white and seemingly blond models Iselin Steiro, Kasia Struss, Natasha poly, Daria Strokous and Ginta Lapina.

Goes to show that we still have a long way to go in terms of diversity in the fashion industry, especially here in France.

I’m not asking for all black issues, or all white issues, but beauty is diverse and that’s not represented here.

Below, are some of my favorite portraits from the batch of designers. Click on thumbnails to see larger images.  The image quality is a bit shady, because I couldn’t get my scanner to work so I took photos of the photos.

xoxo