Fête de la Musique in Paris

Sunday was the fête de la musique, or the day celebrating music, in Paris. It's a tradition dating back to 1982 that since has spread across the globe.

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All over the city there are free concerts and people play in the streets. You're bound to see, or rather hear, something if you're in Paris that day. As for me, I went to hear some Bach.

The music overall was ok, however most of the venues, as was this, were filled up and people had to stand. Allthough there are local versions of the celebration, it seemed like Paris was a popular destination for suburban residents making a daytrip. There were people everywhere! Luckily the city had taken measure with police being visible in the streets.

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What's the biggest success of fête de la musique is also its biggest default. As anyone can participate, but most of us aren't brilliant musicians, the quality of the music will not always be within the range of easily digestible. Sometimes, noise is a more suitable word than music for what ressonates through the streets. Especially those living in the central areas this must be one of the most dreaded days and nights of the year.

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But I guess that's what makes it the success it has become and without it, there would surely not be that special ambience only a big party for everyone to enjoy has.

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Pulcino: The Elephant at St. Germain

Say hello to Pulcino, a cute circus elephant that found his way to St Germain.





This is a work of emerging french artist Nicolas Buffé whose goal was to combine classic, "Important" elements with contemporary and transient ones.

By using only black and white, the artist places all focus on the elements which among other things are the cartoonish elephant, the roman style ornaments, the naive and simple with the sage and complex.

Artcurial Auction "A history of man"

... or "une histoire d'homme", as Arcurial is a french auction house, will take place on the 9th june in the hôtel particulier Marcel Dassault on Champs-Élysées. It's one of the biggest auction houses in France and they auction off mostly luxury and design objects, antiques, art and collectibles.

Despite the selection reflecting the tastes of the stereotypical gentleman with watches, cigarette cases and sport related curiosities, the number of bicycles greatly outnumbered the number of cars. In fact, the only car there was a Triumph spitfire from 1980, below pictured outside the hotel.

At least the car would be a more practical purchase than most of the bicycles going under the hammer:

Coming with obligatory use of helmet and infallibe balance skills as a pre-requisite, these vehicules are better left as decoration than a greener altrnative to the car. Also note the complete lack of breaks.

Other than the two and four wheeled means of transportation, there was a little bit of everything; a basic selection of watches, pens, notably by mont blanc and Cartier, elaborate walking sticks, various decorative objects and a selection of vintage barbie dolls. One of these dolls had her own special ordered Goyard case, fittingly in a light shade of pink!

Not to be outdone by a fashion doll, there were many trunks, bags and other pieces of maroquinrie both vintage and new for gentlemen:

All of the new pieces by Goyard are declined special orders and included a bag for carrying wine bottles, a cover for carpets to keep in the car, a porte-documents (see above) and a messenger bag. Among the Vuitton pieces there were several suit cases in all sizes and conditions both in monogram and leather. Some of the trunks were absolutely stunning and would add a classic touch to any home. It will be interesting to see how the results of the auction turns out as espcially some of the Vuitton suit cases had low price estimations.

Finally, the selection of clothes and shoes was rather disappointing, except for one piece which is also my favourite out of everything, an original cut away coat from the reign of unfortunate Louis XVI:

Silk with embroderied buttons and decorations all in extremely good condition, it's a true gem in a sea of what was truely a "little bit of everything" and a selection that left an impression of a haute gamme clearance sale or garage sale than a properly themed auction.

Found anything of interest? Maybe you're collecting old bikes? The auction doesen't start untill monday and bids can be places by phone or over internet, visit artcurial.fr for more info.

ESMOD Fashion Exam

Being the final result of three years of hard work, students of l'Ecole Supérieur des arts et techniques de la MODe, better known as ESMOD, showed off their final exams at the headquarters in rue la Rouchefoucauld.

The exhibition was not open to the general public untill 14h00 after buyers and others in the industry had the opportunity to see it, so naturally many of the designers were rather exhausted when we arrived.

There was great variety in styles and themes, especially in the men's section. Each aspiring designer was given a small space to exhibit the clothes as well as walls where inspiration, promo pictures and the creative process were shown. I was lucky enough to get a guided tour by my friend, Banette, who's also among the graduates:

Banette's collection

Taking inspiration from street wear mixed with a touch of army plus adding some really original details, Banette created her "Urban military" look. It was impressive and inspirational how someone, who had never touchd a needle three years ago, accomplished to make something of such a high quality. The look itself was easily transferable to everyday fashion. Each piece of clothing would go well with many different styles, while still being a distinct part of the entire vision.

Two mannequins and schetches

As for the women's wear section, there was less variety, but still a number of interesting creations. Use of light fabrics lik chiffon and also layered frayed fabrics, furs and frills as dcorative elements made the overall impression very feminine and girly. My personal favourite was the one pictured above, a parisian chic, belle epoque inspired collection.

The less crowded (more agreable for those of us who went) children's clothes showroom offered a wide variety of infantile fashion. Isen't it odd how even the craziest patterns seem adorable in such a small size? Some were simply awfully cute though, like the creations pictured above.

After passing through the lingerie section where there were tons of people, maybe because of the live models, an inspirational and exciting visit ended with canapés and drinks on the first floor of the school.