Photo of the Week
Another view of the Centre Pompidou. Photo © Darren Palmer of Paris by Photo.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update What's New in Paris
RESTAURANT/CLUB/CAFE
Wanderlust: Finally, part of Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et Design will open to the public on June 6. Brunch on the terrace, take a yoga class, take in a concert or dance all night. 34, quai d'Austerlitz, 75013 Paris.
SHOPS
Stella Cadente: The designer of very feminine clothing and accessories has a new Paris store that's like a gold-lined tunnel. 102 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75011 Paris.
Ecolo-Chic: Pop-up store in the Marais selling ethically resourced products, from toys and design to organic wine. 90, rue des Archives, 75003 Paris.
SMOKING
A new organization, L'Union pour les Droits des Fumeurs Adultes, has been formed to lobby for the rights of French smokers
JUSTIN ON THE ROOFTOPS
Keep your eyes peeled: Justin Bieber will be filming for the Web TV program live@home in an undisclosed location on the rooftops of Paris on the evening of May 31. Click here to win a pass to the taping.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update Flash News
CAKE THE WAY WE LIKE IT
Goodies on display at Merce and the Muse.
Nowadays, American expatriates in Paris can easily satisfy almost all their nostalgic food cravings, from hamburgers to Reese’s peanut-butter cups or Oreo cookies. Until Merce and the Muse opened in the Upper Marais, however, it wasn’t easy to find good homemade, American-style cakes. The desserts at this homey, flea-market-furnished café are not just good, they are scrumptious and original, made from owner Merce Muse’s own recipes. The other day I shared a slice of chocolate layer cake with vanilla icing and another of pistachio cake with rose icing with a friend, but in truth I wanted to eat all of both of them. 1 bis, rue Dupuis, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 09 53 14 53 04. Open Tues.-Sun. for breakfast, lunch and coffee; brunch on Sunday. Heidi Ellison
Paris Update This Week's Events
For full details about an event, click on its name to visit the official Web site (in English when available).
 Art Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Left Bank gallery walk. Collective opening, May 31, 6pm. May 31-June 3.
Carré Rive Gauche
>Another Left Bank gallery walk, with 120 participating galleries. June 1-June 3.
Champs-Elysées Film Festival
>A new Franco-American film festival, presided over by Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen. Various locations, Paris, June 6-12.
Chartre en Lumières
> The town of Chartres illuminates its monuments and the cathedral with colorful light installations. Through Sept. 15.
Designer's Days
>Design shops, galleries, schools and more participate in a city-wide design event. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 4.
Festival de l'Imaginaire
> Performances by troupes from around the world, Maison des Cultures du Monde, Paris, through June 17.
Festival de Saint Denis
> Music festival featuring both stars like Sir Colin Davis and young talents; ends with a dawn performance by horse whisperer Bartabas and oud player Mehdi Haddab, Cathedral and Legion of Honor, Saint Denis, through June 30.
Festival Extensions
> Concerts, dance, films and more, various locations, Paris and Val de Marne, through May 31.
Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire
>"Gardens of delights, gardens of delirium" is the theme of this year's garden festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire, through Oct. 21.
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Jazz acts ranging from amateur to big names like Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef (together). Various locations, Paris, Through June 3.
Le Court en Dit Long
>Festival of short films. Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, June 4-9.
Nomades
>Cultural festival in the third arrondissement; art, poetry, concerts and more. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 3.
Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
>The features and short subjects entered in this category at the Cannes Film Festival shown in Paris, Forum des Images, Paris, May 31-June 10
Salon du Vin de La Revue du Vin de France
>Annual wine fair. Palais Brongniart, Paris, June 2-3
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Coco avant Chanel
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Film
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/ Drama
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Created on Tuesday, 21 April 2009 23:00
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Published on Tuesday, 21 April 2009 23:00
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Written by Madeleine Czigler
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Audrey Tautou plays the young Chanel.
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The name Chanel may conjure up images of the icons of the legendary fashion house – the quilted leather purse with chain shoulder straps, the braid-edged tweed jackets and suits, or even the simplicity of the Chanel ...
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Audrey Tautou plays the young Chanel.
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The name Chanel may conjure up images of the icons of the legendary fashion house – the quilted leather purse with chain shoulder straps, the braid-edged tweed jackets and suits, or even the simplicity of the Chanel Number 5 bottle – but behind this flagship of French luxury was a woman of great character: Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.
A new film, Coco avant Chanel, directed by Anne Fontaine, offers a fascinating portrait of the young Coco from the time of her birth at the end of the 19th century up until she founded her own fashion house in the 1920s. She is beautifully and sensitively brought to life by Audrey Tautou (of Amélie fame), whose brown doe eyes effectively suggest the courage and determination that explain her character’s later success.
The young Chanel, an orphan, had to sing in bars for her supper à la Piaf but was armed with an iron will. She was ready to take on the world and change it after her own fashion.
She started out as a humble seamstress, repairing the torn petticoats of the more privileged. Her early world was full of feathered and flowered fancy ladies, still corset-bound, floating along in oversized hats and skirts.
The film shows Chanel as a high-spirited, independent young woman, realistic enough to enlist the help of wealthy male benefactors as she walks the tightrope between being a kept woman and a visionary rebel with the courage to dress in simple, boyish clothes.
Chanel dispensed with corsets, feathers and flounces, and her wealthy lover’s friends soon began to take notice. Since all this plays around World War I, the film takes on historical and sociological dimensions through the adventures of its young, determined heroine.
Coco’s love interests are played with charm and dash by Benoit Poelvoorde and Alessandro Nivola. And French actresses Marie Gillain as Coco’s sister and Emmanuelle Devos as her friend and benefactor add just the right Gallic feminine touch.
“Je veux être de ce qui va arriver” was a favorite saying of Mademoiselle Chanel. This film is the illustration of her success.
Madeleine Czigler
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