PetiteBrigitte

Down with the heretics!

La Redoute, the reknowned retailer and largest mail-order catalog in France, has run into a bit of trouble…. with the pious few that still go to church here in France.

The company has stopped sales of a necklace featured in their catalog after receiving a dozen angry phone calls from customers who screamed “blasphemy!”. The necklace portrayed a small crowned skull with the name “Corpus Christi” engraved across it. According to a spokesman for La Redoute, the company also received SIX angry e-mails.

Hold up my little hellions. What is more amusing here? The fact that the skull/crown motif is so old it is now a faux-pas? Or the fact that La Redoute actually listened to less than 20 people (no doubt provincial grand-meres) and withdrew the product?!

Guess they didn’t want to end up like Jeanne d’Arc.

 PetiteB cannot wait to see the debut of Lou Doillon’s capsule collection for Lee Cooper jeans during this month’s fashion week.

The quirky Parisian, and daughter of Jane Birkin and director Jacques Doillon, has come up with a range for the jeans maker that is said to reflect her spontaneous style. Lord knows what they are in for!

According to FashionUnited:

Uniquely branded with a Lou / Lee Cooper logo, this capsule collection for women, themed around a ‘Globe Trotter’ spirit will be based on her own unique dress style. Tiny t-shirts are teamed with high waisted, wide-leg pants. Large tops are worn over skinny pants. High-waist dresses are skinny on the legs. Erogenous zones are the waist, shoulders and, as the French would say, the derriere; the design details being on the back of pieces.

Milla Jonovich’s collection for MNG by Mango may have bombed, but that doesn’t mean the company has given up on guest designers!

Now the sisters Cruz, Monica and Penelope, are in the process of designing a collection for the store which will debut Sept 16. Based on their own wardrobe of vintage pieces, the 30 piece collection will span everything from casual wear to evening.

Penelope has said, “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. We just had to find the right people to do it with. We’ve always loved clothes – we used to hide in the bathroom with fashion magazines and say, ‘I want that one”.

The genetically blessed pair celebrated the collection this week with a party at the Atzaro Hotel in Ibiza.

We all knew Louis Vuitton lost its French identity long ago. First the pimped out logos and shiny metallic hardware, then the special editions, and of course the over-the-top consumerholic ad campaigns. In fact, PetiteBrigitte wouldn’t be caught dead sporting LV these days. The only exception would be for smaller accessories, such as the agendas and wallets, which still retain a faint whiff of class.

Now the group is taking its trendy branding to the ultimate trendy accessory du jour: the iPhone.

LV will introduce the first luxe carrying case for the new iPhone. Prices range from $225 for the logo to $1,125 for the alligator, and are set to hit stores this month.

But guess what? This doesn’t really make sense for us Parisians— we can’t even get the iPhone yet!

The release date for the phone is still up in the air, as is the crucial question of who wins the bid for operating rights! Allez Orange!

 Update: Orange will begin selling the iPhone this fall, though the specific release date has not been announced. Will the French line up for it like the Americans? On verra…..!

You probably know Gaspard Yurkievich from his well-received shoe collection featured in American Retro and Bon Marche. Or perhaps you’ve dropped by his boutique on Rue Charlot in the upper Marais. The 34-year-old Franco-Argentinian is quickly climbing the ranks of a new generation of rebellious French designers, who operate without the backing of the big conglomerates and push fashion back into the realm of the creative arts.

Yesterday GY showed his men’s collection at Espace Saint Martin, next to the Centre Pompidou. In attendance: fashion editor of Men’s Vogue, Yohji Yamamoto, and various members of the press including coverage from the new France 24.

Inspired by “Memphis” design, the collection was colorful and graphic, with striking 80′s-esque color mixes and quirky design details such as silver-tinged dress shoes. Shirts and vests were bold and playful, while still retaining the sophistication that distinguishes all of GY’s collections. One of the highlights of the collection were the relaxed shorts, featuring subtle pleating details.

Gaultier and Yohji Yamamoto showed their collections later that afternoon, also on Rue Saint Martin.

Check out Gaspard Yurkievich at 38 rue Charlot, in the 3e. The collection will also show on FTV.

Looks like our girl BB is still reinventing the fashion universe.

Repetto, the original provider of ballerines to Brigitte Bardot since 1953, has come out with a special edition “BB ballerine” this summer. Featured in a refreshing white, and adorned with metal grommets, Comme des Garcons has added their unique touch to the classic shoe… toe cleavage still in tact.

Bardot, who always preferred to strut her stuff barefoot (and naked), turned to the classic chic styles of Repetto when directors made her wear shoes. Take a look at Et Dieu Créa La Femme, and you will see her glide into ballerines on more than one seductive occassion.

Repetto is available at Printemps, Galleries Layfeyette, and Bon Marché.

Parisian girls aren’t terribly fashion-forward, so we are waiting to see if they pick up on one big trend hitting most Paris boutiques this summer: the Romper, or en francais, the “combi-short”.

This look is not for everyone, but on the right person, it can look shamelessly cool. Unless you are of average to above-average height, have skinny legs, and minimal bootie, just stick to a sundress. The Romper takes a certain kind of girl, and the only media darlings it has really worked on are of the Kate Moss/Nicole Richie variety. Even Jessica Simpson is a little too curvy.

Rompers should be worn with minimal accessories, tousled hair, and oversized Marc Jacobs sunglasses.

For the best offerings, go to Diabless, Maje, or Les Petits. Looks cute with braided belt and espadrilles or kitten heels.

“Crocs” have arrived in France.

These shoes, described as a cross between hospital sandals and clam-diggers, have swept the global footwear market since their debut at a nautical shoe salon in Florida in 2002. Marketed as “innovative” by their manufacturers, the shoes are supposed to combat sweat and bacteria with their composite material and ventilation holes. They are available in 17 colors.

In today’s pages of Le Monde, the inevitable criticism was handed down:

“They are terribly lacking in elegance, not to mention a total absence of femininity,” writes Sandrine Blanchard.

So mes amies, save these babies for the jardinage. Or just don’t go there at all.

After all, aren’t these comfortable alternatives?

Did you happen to see the dashing men driving around in the pimped out Rolls Royce convertible this week? I did. For a second I thought the gay pride parade had started a few months early, but then I realized it was Jean Paul Gaultier up to his promotional antics.

Gaultier is launching a new men’s perfume called Fleur du Male, a witty play on Baudelaire’s collection of poems, Les Fleurs du Mal. And the perfume is just as decadent and erotic as the poetry.

I am generally opposed to men’s perfume (possibly because many men are ignorant of proper dosages), but was pleasantly surprised when I sampled this refreshing fragrance. In fact, I actually spritzed it on my wrist and wore it for the rest of the day!

Fleur du Male is geared towards the same urbane and sophisticated male as Burburry London and Paul Smith Story, but provides something more unanticipated and sensual with notes of petitgrain, lavendar, orange blossom, and coumarin.

Available exclusively au Printemps.

Queen for the day.

I am officially endorsing the ‘guest designer’ trend for major retailers. Some would say that it devalues the luxury pret-a-porter industry, or that it reflects negatively on the designer, but I disagree. Granted, some guest designers are better than others. Look at Madonna‘s miserable collection at H&M, which is still sitting on the shelves weeks after the debut. Terrible! But then again Madonna never had much style sense outside of the 1980′s. Surprisingly disappointing is Milla Jonovich‘s new collection for Mango: a schizophrenic trip into the forgettable 70′s.

April 25 was the debut for Lolita Lempicka’s collection for Etam. It is everything this genre of retailing should be: above-average quality, a reflection of the designer’s trademark style, thematically linked, and desirable yet fresh. I was quite taken with the amazing cuts and intricate detailing. Several easy-to-wear dresses, in whites and light blues. One with a darling rosette motif and sexy criss-cross back. Lots of button detailing, from the dresses to the white sailor shorts. Everything flows together nicely, and is priced at a bargain– nothing over 70 euros!

Lempicka’s is one of the best guest collections I’ve seen (note: this may be overidden when I get to London next week to see Kate Moss for Topshop!). Get to Etam FAST— the collection is very limited and going quickly. I would recommend the big one near Chatelet, the one in the Bastille was low on a lot of sizes.

… and he is not in bed with me.

An exquisite new fragrance from Editions de Parfums (Frederic Malle) will hit Parisian stores this April. The new scent, designed by famous “nose” Pierre Bourdon, is called French Lover. One sniff and you will understand why.

The release party for members of the press was held during the first week of April, at Malle’s store on Rue de Grenelle. It was there that I began lusting for French Lover.

Being the acclaimed connoisseur of perfumes that I am, this is how I would describe the scent: “Androgynous in its lack of floral notes– which suggests this is not a flirty perfume– the seduction has already taken place. Now, it is the morning after. The scent of the Veuve Clicquot you poured on your lover’s body lingers in the high thread count sheets… Next to the bed, an open window blows in a woodsy breeze that caresses your sleeping lover and mingles with the faint scent of his designer shampoo.”

All this in a bottle!

French Lover is super-sexy, perfect for summer, and also very unisex, which is a growing trend in the perfume industry, as women’s preferences are migrating towards more fresh/woodsy scents– evident in the resurgence of old perfumes like Guerlain’s Vetiver. Let’s face it: we’re tired of the complicated overpowering florals and cherry vanilla blossoms. French Lover is ‘layed’-back coolness and just a tad naughty. Love it.

With spring temperatures finally here, shoppers are out in full force for this season’s hot items. Sundresses are flying off the racks, as are espadrille platforms and ballerina flats. Even though your bod might not be ready, time to muster up the courage for bikini shopping. If you wait too long, the best will be gone! (some already are!). All of the following can be found on the 3rd floor of Bon Marche:

1. Thomas Maier (any style: particularly the balconette featured below— selling out fast!)

2. Princesse Tam-Tam: moderately priced, good cuts and prints– especially the red/white gingham!

3. Eres white bandeau bikini

4. Eres black deep-V one-piece

5. Bon Marche mix + match (great value, variety of cuts and colors!)

…. more to come!

While the market for women’s clothes has been stagnant in recent years, the fashion scene for men is booming, and retailers are learning the trick to seducing male consumers: keep them comfortable and confident.

Whereas fancy window displays draw women into boutiques like moths to the flame, men hesitate to walk in without a set purpose. The mission of men’s stores now is to give the client space, a place he feels comfortable, and encourage him to take his time. The ambiance is important: men’s stores are being designed to look like chic apartments and studios, often selling lifestyle products like motorcycle helmets and bottles of wine.

The most current evidence of the boom in men’s fashion is the recently opened BHV Homme, located across from BHV Rivoli (a store that anyone in Paris knows all too well). Located right at the border of the chic Marais, the store resembles a NYC loft, and dumbs down the newest trends so that even the most clueless male will be able to put something together. With labels like Kenzo, Ralph, and Agnes B., this men’s store is easy to navigate and big enough to spend some time in (4000 m!).

For the man who needs a springtime wardrobe overhaul, and who doesn’t have self-esteem issues, go to Bon Marche and let one of the men’s stylist put you together. For a mere 150 euros. Other sure-bets include Paul Smith, GUS, Smalto, and Giorgio Armani.

Whatever you wear this spring, keep in mind these NO-NO’s. Repeat after me:

1. Embellishments, including all forms of bedazzling and fake crystal enhancements are OUT!

2. Beware of color choice: no neon. no metallic. no 70′s prints (what is H&M thinking?).

3. Flip flops are for the beach. Not Paris!

4. No leggings. I know they are addictive. Just stop NOW!

5. No 80′s. No peasant. No flared jeans.

Even models that weren’t on the anorexia watchlist had to gain weight this month. And we aren’t complaining!

Witness the newly nourished Gisele Bundchen.

Gisele reportedly gained 14 pounds in order to qualify for the Dolce & Gabana catwalk in Milan last week. Anything below a BMI of 18 is banned in Madrid under the new regulations that took effect in September 06.

Gisele, who defends the industry’s right to choose any size model, gained some negative press from recent comments on the subject of anorexia, a disease she blamed solely on bad genes and family issues.

“I never suffered from this problem (anorexia) because I had a very strong family base. Parents are responsible, not the fashion industry,” she said in O Globo newspaper.

Thanks for the input Gisele. We think you look amazing with the additional curves. Keep it on.

No one denies that skinny models have stolen the catwalk away from the voluptuous girls of the 90′s. Gemma Ward (above), is no Claudia Schiffer. The question is: should the industry place limitations on waifish catwalkers?

With the pret-a-porter fashion week hitting Paris in 4 days, debate is heating up again in the pages of today’s issue of Le Monde.

France tried to play off the growing debate on skinny models that arose after Spain banned underweight girls from their fashion week. After receiving complaints on ultra-skinny models, and following the deaths of some girls to anorexia, Madrid ordered limits on Body Mass Indexes. Several fashion syndicate’s have followed suit. New York and Paris have not. Didier Grumbach, king of French fashion, said the industry has no responsibility to portray healthy models.

Arguments against banning the ultra-skinny come from designers and stylists, such as Martine de Menton, who says, “After the top-models of the 1980′s– Claudia Schiffer or Linda Evangelista– whom we looked at more than the clothes they were presenting, designers started looking for more anonymous and androgynous body types.”

“We must inform people, but above all not regulate the sector more than it already is,” said Didier Grumbach, head of the Federation francaise de la Couture. “Regulation is something that weighs down the atmosphere.”

PetiteBrigitte’s verdict: If Grumbach is so worried about ‘weighing down the atmosphere,’ perhaps he should be more concerned over the death of 21 year-old Brazillian model Ana Carolina Reston(below), who died last year of anorexia. Or maybe he should read the studies on how young girl’s body images are linked to what they see in the media. As the models get younger, the media more pervasive, and the industry more powerful, the real victims of this trend will be the models who sell the clothes, and the girl’s who emulate them. The ultra-skinnies are doing more harm than good (to themselves, and to society). Give them a meal, let the designers have a momentary hissy, and let the runways reflect healthy images of women. We’ll still buy the clothes.

Incidentally– Bravo to Victoria Beckham, who just banned size 0 models from her new line of clothes. Mildly hypocritical since she herself is a size 0, but at least she’s sending a positive message.

Update (March 30): France will not ban skinny models from Paris catwalks but will introduce a voluntary charter to make the fashion industry more aware of the health risks of being very thin, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

“The idea of it is not regulation like the Spanish have done … but to promote a strong campaign of awareness and information in the fashion industry,” he added.

See this for more.

Update part 2 (May 20):

A group of investigators have told the fashion world to grow up and do something about unhealthy models. Backed by the British Fashion Council, the statements come in response to growing disquiet about the risks of modelling to young women desperate to meet the industry’s waif-like norm. The deaths of a Uruguayan model, Luisel Ramos, 22, and her sister, Eliana, 18, within months of each other last year fuelled the debate. Luisel died of heart failure after starving herself for days before a fashion show and Eliana died of a heart attack. In November, the death of Ana Carolina Reston, a Brazilian model aged 21 who lived on a diet of apples and tomatoes, sparked worldwide concern.

The maker. The model. The muse. (Testino, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld)

The most stylish woman in France (some say the world) is Carine Roitfeld. Voted one of Vanity Fair’s most stylish people, WWD’s ‘muse of the moment,’ fashion critics describe her as “terrifyingly chic.” Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue, Roitfeld ascended to the CondeNasty throne in 2001. Starting out as a model and stylist, she began working with Mario Testino in the 80′s, who propelled her career into the hands of my personal gay-crush, Tom Ford. She was his muse for six years.

Why do we love her? Because she is extremely candid, unpretentious, and quintessentially Parisienne.

“I am not French. I am Parisian. I do not love the French,” she says.

Roitfeld stays beautiful with daily pilates sessions, facial massages, and “never” frowning. Her two gorgeous children don’t hurt either (daughter, Julia, is the new face of Tom Ford’s Black Orchid perfume). She admits to a daily dose of Lexomyl, a tranquilizer, which keeps her nerves in check (ha, who wouldn’t need something at French Vogue), but denies any surgery or Botox. And, she claims to be more fun and sexy after a vodka. Aren’t we all.

She was a meteoric hit at NYC fashion week this month. A breath of fresh and futuristic air to the big apple. Voila…

1. White dresses. Mini dresses. Oversized bags. (Catherine Malandrino)

2. Flirty waist-accentuated sundresses. (Oscar de la Renta)

3. Bringin’ back the 60′s. Retro shape jackets. Capris. Oversized sunglasses a must! (Gucci)

Check back in for more on Spring fashion that won’t break the bank. The best looks from lesser labels, coming up!

This weekend, Paris saw its first glimpse of Spring.

The yellow Mini-Coopers were out, outdoor cafes were packed, and the dead looking plants on my terrace started perking up.

This got me thinking about an investment I’ve been waiting to make. A BIKE. Bikes are a status symbol on the Rive Gauche. Women in voluminous skirts ride them. Men in sharp business suits. They ride them in the rain with umbrella in hand. They ride them loaded down with groceries. They even put their little doggies in the basket and take them along. It is a charming sight to watch, as these people seem completely oblivious to traffic around them. Of course they don’t bother with helmets.

This year, I’m joining them. Only dilemna: I don’t want just any bike. I want to have the bike that puts all these Bobo bikes to shame. Good news: I FOUND IT.

Now GoSport sells the Chainless cruiser. It is the new trend in bikes, and it looks like I might be the first in my neighborhood. Mainly sold by a company called Dynamic Bicycles, these bikes operate by an internal shaft system, with all gears internal. Hence, no yucky bike grease to worry about when you climb on wearing your Galliano sundress.

Add a “Panier” to the front, perhaps decorate with some silk flowers, strap a baguette to the back, and PetiteBrigitte is set to make a splash this Spring!

Note: Bike sells for around 500 euros. Invest in a massive lock if you go this route– everyone’s gonna want it.

I used to drool over the YSL Muse Bag. In fact I was walking near the Palais Royal last fall and almost walked into a lamp post because I was checking out a woman’s Muse. The problem with trendy bags, however, is their life cycle. I can’t decide if the Muse has hit maturity, or if it is still a chic bag. For example, I wouldn’t want a Balenciaga anymore, or an Edith bag, or anything Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately, I am not in a financial position to toss away last season… so I want a bag that will carry me through a few at least. Is the Muse that bag? According to the saleswoman at YSL Rive Gauche, on rue de Grenelle, the answer is OUI. The bag has been so successful that YSL is keeping it on board indefinitely, and never putting it on sale (the rest of last season currently is on sale, by the way).

YSL introduced the Downtown bag this season, and I can’t stop debating its future. Should I spring for it, even though it hasn’t established itself as the bag du jour? Will it be the next Muse? Or, is it destined to be the loser of the season? My opinion on the bag took an irreversible downturn when I read an article citing its resemblance to a maxi pad. With wings. I don’t think I can cope with that association. Decide for yourself (photo above).

Update: Reality check– while this bag looks practical, cool, and expensive– we cannot deny its luke-warm reception. It is NOT another “Muse,” and part of the reason stems from YSL’s failure to properly market the bag. They were late getting it into major magazines, and failed to get it in the hands of enough celebrities (or at least big celebs, we did see it on Ashley Simpson and Salma Hayek). These are the major criteria in launching a hit bag. So: a chic and practical bag, but not the rage… which might be a good thing.