Paris When It Sizzles
A neighborhood address book, plus Marilyn Monroe's literary life, and Ian Schrager's big return to the Sunset Strip.
Summer by the Seine
On a recent trip to Paris I had breakfast with my friend and former colleague William Middleton, author of the fantastic Karl Lagerfeld biography, Paradise Now. William lives in Saint Germain and after an espresso at Café Varenne we strolled around the neighborhood to see what’s new. I once lived in Saint Germain and have been visiting for over 30 years and I take comfort in the places that don’t change, but it’s fun to discover new shops, restaurants and hotels. William pointed out the newly renovated Parisian institution, cinéma Le Saint-Germain-des-Pres which had gone through many incarnations since first opening in 1969. Now Chanel has sponsored the redesign of the historic 208 seat theater by interior designer Fabrizio Casiraghi — complete with a chic speakeasy tucked behind the screen.
Just two blocks away, is Hannoh Wessel on the rue Jacob where I’ve been taking friends to shop because their clothes are easy to wear and somehow very French (even though the designer is German). The saleswoman, Françoise, is so Parisian, she climbs up and down the stairs to fetch sizes in four inch heels. This visit I bought a full cotton skirt in absinthe—the color of the season according to Françoise. William also took me to two great vintage stores on the rue de Beaune, Désert which is an outpost of Salima Boufelfel and Roberto Cowan’s influential Tuscon and New York City stores, Desert Vintage, and Renaissance where Corinne Than-Trong sells vintage Chanel tweed jackets and jewelry and Galliano slip dresses. According to Boufelfel, vintage Alaïa, Callaghan, Romeo Gigli, and Halston are in demand right now. Around the corner, the newly renovated Hotel du Quai Voltaire has 30 rooms, many with views of the Seine. I often stay at the Duc de Saint Simon, where Lauren Bacall once lived in the ground floor suite, but next time I might splurge on a view from the Quai.
Citypharma is the go-to for discounted French pharmacy products and it’s always packed, especially on weekends. Recently, friends have migrated across the Seine to Korean Cosmetics Paris on the rue Bourg Tibourg in the Marais. It will be interesting when K-beauty sales surpass those of French Pharmacy products. In the meantime, fans of Le Bon Marché will be happy to discover the new Muse & Heroine space on the second floor where aestheticians are on hand for advice and Paris’s cult beautician Janine Knizia sells her favorite clean beauty brands including LILFOX serums, Lesse SPF, and her own Haute Regenertive Skincare Taffy Creme Super-Riche.
Up on the third floor of LBM, I discovered Herbert Levine, an American footwear brand founded by Beth and Herbert Levine in 1948 and recently revived under the creative direction of designer Trevor Houston (formerly of Marc Jacobs, The Row, and Khaite) and selling updated versions of the brand’s signature stocking boot and sculptural heels. Nearby Majestic Filatures sells the best linen blend t-shirts and finely knit colorful cashmere sweaters for men and women. William also pointed out YSL’s new book shop, Saint Laurent Babylone on the corner of rue des Saints-Pères and rue de Grenelle, an homage no doubt to the neighboring publishing houses including Gallimard and Éditions 7L, Karl Lagerfeld’s imprint.
My neighborhood tour was cut short by a fierce and sudden hail storm that flashed over Paris and forced pedestrians to take cover. I sheltered in my favorite café, the Bonaparte. Nearby, on the Pont Neuf, the artist JR’s Cave installation, La Caverne de Pont Neuf wasn’t so lucky. The hail punctured the inflated piece and delayed the opening by a few days. I remember when Christo wrapped that same bridge. KB
Monroe Doctrine
All the hoopla in celebration of the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth is proof of how potent her mystique remains. And she was instrumental in her image’s lasting power. Long before the age of the selfie, Monroe used the camera for her own purposes. She may not have snapped the shutter, but she was always in control of the lens. And she was a rigorous curator of her own persona, as proved by all those Xs through the contact sheets of Bert Stern’s famous Last Sitting. Three new books document the ways she shaped her persona. Marilyn Monroe 100: The Official Centenary Book, sanctioned by her estate, gathers dozens of her more iconic portraits, from her early years through her famous magazine covers. Marilyn: The Lost Photographs, the Last Interview is more sharply focused, with photos by Allan Grant for Life Magazine taken a month before her death, and most never before seen. And on June 18, the Staley Wise gallery is opening Becoming Marilyn, with a range of original prints by Milton Green, Elliott Erwitt, Richard Avedon, and many more.
The most unexpected take on the actress’s fame is Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe. Author Gail Crowther did extensive research on Monroe’s book collection and unearthed a wealth of fresh and sometimes funny anecdotes, as when Life magazine arranged for Dame Edith Sitwell (of all people!) to interview her at the Sunset Tower Hotel and came away knocked out by the actress’s intelligence and erudition. If Monroe’s dumb blonde image was entirely a concoction, she was also wily about exploiting the flip side of that coin. MB
Hotel California
Ian Schrager, unbeknownst to him, has always been a bit of a style touchstone for me. I was too nerdy to gain access more than a couple of times to the decadent magic that was Studio 54, but I was a more frequent visitor to the Palladium, the disco Schrager hired Arata Isozaki to transform, with murals by Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. During my years at Vogue, the wonderful British writer Vicki Woods would always stay at the Morgan hotel when she came to New York. I would visit her there, and together we would marvel at the seductive sophistication Andrée Putman had conjured. And of course, the Royalton became a veritable Conde Nast cafeteria, before there was a real one. Walking down Philippe Starks’s long white carpet to the lime-green velvet banquettes in the dining room never lost its appeal.
More recently, Schrager’s Miami Edition Hotel, in partnership with Marriott, brought a new level of refined elegance to that city without losing any of the fun. (It’s the only Miami hotel I would ever want to stay in). Now, after the success of his Lower East Side hotel the Public, Schrager is branching out to the West Coast with Public West Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard. He has partnered with architect John Pawson and brought in Madison Cox to create a rooftop “park.” Amenities will include three casual eateries and a nightclub with lighting by artist James Turrell. The hotel opens next month but is already accepting reservations. Should the Sunset Tower and the Chateau Marmont be worried? MB
L’Objet du Jour: Weekend Bags
Even a rainy weekend away can be salvaged by a chic bag—and none is better looking or more useful than this leather-trimmed canvas version by the British outfitter Bennett Winch. And it’s practical, too, with a padded sleeve for your laptop, a hidden external pocket for your phone and passport, and two waterproof pockets on the sides for shoes or a damp bathing suit. It also comes in four other colors. Carry on! MB
Whoa. Vintage Callaghan is such a deep cut!
I've gotta see the absinthe colored skirt! thanks for the ultimate shopping list!