londonienne
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métier© S.Sampson
Electromagnetism, it’s in the Ether
The music is entitled “Icelandic Volcano”.
The players were an improvised ‘orchestra’ comprised of twenty-one theremins, including two theremin cellos, played by Jonathan Golove and Natasha Farny
Their conductor-guru and celebrity guest: Lydia Kavina, a great-niece of the quirky instrument’s inventor, Lev S Theremin. Having created the theremin in 1919, Theremin instructed Kavina in how to play it during his eig...
parisienne
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Well WORTH a fresh look
The comeback of the House of Worth began in 2010 with a handful of delicate tops, then proceeded to sculptured redingotes, plus a ‘heritage remix’ of the famous fragrance Je reviens (“I’ll be back”). For spring and summer 2011, a series of lavish tutu dresses followed. In historical terms, more than merely a label has been re-awakened. Worth has a unique fashion history, one equally shared between London and P...
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Perfect Parisian style revisited
The artiste was originally known by his full name, Monsieur Henri Donat Mathieu-Yves-Saint-Laurent.
Now, he is known as both a three-letter logo on pricey lipsticks and, to costume historians, the architect of a total revolution in women’s clothing.
On this occasion, the visionary behind le smoking (the “women’s tuxedo”), safari jackets and see-through chiffon, has received a massive summer 2010 retrospective at t...
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object© Jean Sherrard
Let them eat cake…carefully
The object of desire is the fève, a special good-luck charm.
You find it during consumption of French galettes des rois, which takes place on January 6 (or the first Sunday of that month) every year in commemoration of Epiphany. Officially a commemoration of Jesus’ presentation to the Three Kings, les rois, the festivity is really rooted in winter solstice rites. It was during these that the Romans ate pastries containing...
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Papiers de famille
Ils sont tous faits par cette artiste de papeterie merveilleuse, qui s’appelle Fifi Mandirac.
Je trouvé mon métier comment j’ai appris à marcher ou à parler. J’ai toujours aimé dessiner, créer et imaginer. Au départ c’étaient des jeux d’enfants, maintenant c’est un métier d’adulte, mais dans le fond c’est un peu la même chose.
Quand l’inspiration me lâche, c...
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en passant© J.P. Poulet
On with the dance
Repetto uses the romance of ballet to provide ultra-feminine fantasies with their windows. These always draw from the magic of classic dance, which they link to everything sweet and seductive. Founded after World War II by Rose Repetto, (mother of the great 20th century choreographer Roland Petit), the company is known worldwide for launching flat shoes as a fashion craze.
Their secret weapon, then as now, is the ballerine. ...