Offering personally-tailored advice and a cool, clinical environment for men and women, La Pharmacie brings together Colette’s tried and tested products from the likes of Aesop, Kiehls, Bumble & Bumble, James Brown, Korner, Uslu Airlines, Christophe Robin and Joëlle Ciocco.

Colette has always had a great beauty section where you can find cult products from niche brands, store exclusives and limited edition products, and now you can browse their beauty wares without the distraction of the wooden Miu Miu-clad mannequins.

La Pharmacie promises a covetable range of skincare, cosmetics, fragrances, haircare and a ‘cabinet of jewellery’, including hair accessories and head bands by Maison Michel and Hair Designaccess.

More exciting Colette news…their 10th double CD compilation is out now, with tracks selected by Michel Gaubert and Marie Branellec.  The first disc features artists such as Gary Numan, Caribou, MGMT, Michael Nyman and Koudlam and the second sees Jamie XX at the helm, with a selection of his remixes, including the brilliant dubstep remix of The XX’s Crystalised.

It’s a musical investment at 28 EUR, but Colette compilations have become real collectors items and Michel and Marie are always spot on with their mixes and track choices.  I’ve played Colette No.8 – a mixtures of disco, hip hop, Italo and electro with some weird kitsch stuff – at parties and it always goes down well.

Curated by Saint Laurent’s long-term life and business partner Pierre Bergé and under the patronage of the First Lady of France,Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the exhibition will cover 40 years of creation, from 1962 to 2002. On display will be 300 pieces of Saint Laurent’s haute couture and innovative prêt-à-porter line, Rive Gauche.

The exhibition ranges from Yves Saint Laurent’s beginnings at Dior as Christian Dior’s successor (including his debut trapèze collection) in the 1950s to the Scandale collection following the May 1968 Paris riots to his evening gowns just before his death in 2002.

Yves Saint Laurent turned style rules on their head and revolutionised Paris fashion with his use of masculine tailoring for women.  His signature look Le Smoking tuxedo has been reinterpreted dozens of times and he’s also responsible for popularising the safari suit and the beatnik look.  Pierre Bergé once said: “Chanel liberated the woman, but Yves Saint Laurent gave them power.”

Also on display will be a number of drawings, films and photos chronicling the history the house of Yves Saint Laurent, including an image by photographer Jeanloup Sieff, depicting Yves partially naked for his eau de toilette campaign, and French film star Catherine Deneuve’s entire Yves Saint Laurent wardrobe.

The exhibition also sheds light on Yves Saint Laurent’s influences, such as opera, cinema, theatre (his early collections referencing the theatre sets of Christian Bérard) and painting – his . His travels to Morocco, China and Russia are well documented in the ‘Chinoiserie’ and ‘Opium’ collections that are presented in the exhibition.

Yves Saint Laurent’s influence has been been Marc Jacobs, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Tom Ford .  The house of Yves Saint Laurent still thrives today under the direction of the talented Stefano Pilati, whose deep respect for Saint Laurent’s aesthetic is evident in the collections.  Unlike Tom Ford before him, Pilati understands the subtle sexiness of the strong Parisienne, but isn’t afraid to drive the house forward with futuristic references.

The garments are drawn from the collection of over 5000 piece at the Fondation Pierre Berge – Yves Saint Laurent in Saint Laurent’s former atelier on the Avenue Marceau.

The exhibition runs from 11 March to August 29 at the Petit Palais.  Tickets are €11.

www.yslretrospective.com

The two stores will open pop-up shops in London and Paris in March and will be selling a limited edition collection of products designed and created by merci Creative Director Marie France Cohen, exclusively for Liberty of London, using the iconic floral Liberty prints.

merci was opened last year by Marie France and Bernard Cohen, the founders of childrenswear couture house Bonpoint, and is known in Paris as ‘the store that gives back’.  Mixing fashion with philanthropy, merci donates all of its profits to the Accueil des Sans Abri foundation to help women and children in Madagascar.

The store is set over three storeys in a beautiful loft space in the Marais (3rd arrondissement) with a used-book literary café, restaurant, florist, Annick Goutal perfume laboratory and a secret city garden.

It stocks a diverse range of clothes, from vintage finds to Parisian staple designers Isabel Marant and A.P.C, alongside high end pieces by Chloé, Marni and YSL.

Many designers have donated furniture and clothes to be sold at merci and they often create limited edition collections exclusively for the store.

The merci for Liberty range will include clothes for women, men and kids, accessories, stationery, homeware, soft furnishings, fabrics and gifts.  The fashion collection is set to be popular for Spring, with strappy sun dresses, playsuits and bikinis in classic Liberty prints such as Betsy, Eloise and Meadow.

There are also mini-me version of the womenswear for kids and the boys can get comfy with printed pyjamas and kurtas.  Babies can also get wrapped up in Liberty florals with adorable floral bloomers smock tops and pretty shirts.

You can also give your home a floral make-over for Spring with an adorable range of mugs, notebooks, stationery, storage boxes and gadgets like merci’s ingenious reusable napkin roll. I’ve got my eye on this beautiful Liberty fabric necklaces adorned with the merci medal.

Liberty and merci really do make an excellent partnership – Liberty have built on their strong heritage, making florals c0ol again and merci have completed redefined the boutique department store experience.  As Carnaby Street is celebrating its 50th anniversay this year, Liberty’s flower power is as vital to the London fashion scene as ever.

With beautifully designed products for all budgets, the pop-up shop is definitely worth a visit. Merci beaucoup, Liberty!

at merci opens 1 March and continues until 21 March.

merci at opens 8 March and continues until 1 April.

André made his name as a world-renowned graffiti artist with his Love Graffiti and has redefined nightlife in Paris, New York and Tokyo with his clubs Le Baron, Le Paris Paris and Beatrice Inn.

This month, André is showing a different side of his work in his ‘drawings’ exhibition at Colette.  This is a rare opportunity to see some of his work in a gallery setting, as he would never confine his graffiti to a space.

In an interview with Dazed Digital, André summed up the street art debate perfectly by saying: “You can’t put street art into a gallery, it’s condescending and limiting: 80 per cent of the graffiti is in the act, the challenge. The result is meant to disappear. Galleries are traditional spaces, and street art is what it is: it’s a vandalizing act.”

André took inspiration from the love imagery/LSD art of the 1960s and 1970s, Krazy Kat comic strips and Pierre Le-Tan’s illustrations.  Many are very personal with references to his past and present, such as his favourite novels and his whirlwind love affair with ex-wife Uffie and the arrival of their baby Henrietta.

On display will be over 30 sketches, limited edition silk screens and pieces made for Purple Fashion Magazine.  The space has also been given a slick André make-over, with spray painted columns, customised surfboards, Monsieur A. rubber balls and a viewing space painted black.

A selection of André’s framed silk screens are available to buy online, priced at an affordable €1000-€2000 and ‘Drawings’ is on at Colette until 27 February.

]]> http://cheriecity.co.uk/2010/02/07/andre-moves-from-street-to-gallery/feed/ 0 http://cheriecity.co.uk/2010/02/06/mark-and-josephine-snuggle-up-for-zadig-voltaire/ http://cheriecity.co.uk/2010/02/06/mark-and-josephine-snuggle-up-for-zadig-voltaire/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:50:24 +0000 cheriecity http://cheriecity.co.uk/?p=1347 Continue reading →]]> Mark Ronson just can’t seem to do anything wrong sartorially at the moment.  Not only was he voted Britain’s Best Dressed Man in GQ last year, but his particularly daring, dandyish style caught the eye of Zadig & Voltaire founder Thierry Gillier.

Mark and his actress/model/singer girlfriend Josephine de la Baume are the new couple featuring in Zadig & Voltaire’s Spring campaign, taking over from last season’s lovers Sean Lennon and the impossibly gorgeous Charlotte Kemp Muhl.  Fittingly, Mark and Josephine met at a club in Paris and even ‘got married’ last year for a Jalouse cover shoot, in an ethereal ceremony with only their closest and dearest hipster friends (at least I think they knew all of the guests).

The well-dressed couple were shot on Paris’ Left Bank in Saint-Germain by art curator and Purple founder, Olivier Zahm.  True to form, Zahm has captured those amazing, spontaneous moments that tell a story and let you into their private world.

Despite Josephine’s lineage (her parents are the Baron and Baronne de la Baume) and transatlantic lifestyle, she’s a proper ‘downtown girl’ with a wardrobe full of Alexander Wang, Rick Owens, Opening Ceremony, Number 6 and presumably now Zadig & Voltaire. Shunning the BCBG look, she invests in more creative, avant-garde designers include Rodarte, Gareth Pugh and Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy.

I’m not such a fan of Z&G’s clothes, as they can be a bit flashy with all the diamante skulls, but where they really get me is on the accessories!  Every collection taunts me with ‘the bag of my dreams’, with an equally whimsical price tag and then there’s the boots, the belts, the smokey wood candles…*sigh*.

The only person to come close to the Zadig lifestyle that I know is Steven, who is the proud owner of a silver Z&G watch with black skull face that I bought him for his birthday in Paris a few years ago.

With my other favourite French brand The Kooples already using ‘cool couples in love’ in their ad campaigns, I’m more convinced than ever that there’s just something so magical and magnetic about Paris.  Call it clever advertising or capitalising on the city’s romantic image, but take a walk along the Seine or the Canal St-Martin and tell me you don’t feel it too…I bet Mark and Josephine do!

The natural skincare market has expanded significantly over the past few years and as cases of adult acne, eczema and allergies increase, many of us are looking into the product ingredients of well-trusted brands and questioning just how beneficial these acids and synthetic chemical really are.

Founded in 1983 by biologist Bernard Chevilliat, Melvita was one of the first brands to combine technology with the healing and nourishing properties of natural ingredients.

Melvita have an impressive range of over 300 products to suit all skin types, including cleansing jelly, micellar water, moisturising serum, facial oil and a night cream.  Most of the skin care products have a light texture with a soothing feel and a very subtle aromatic scent.

Out of the skin care system that I tested, the stand-out products were the Hydrastim intensive moisturising gel, which is perfect for oily or combination skin, and the Eye Contour Gel, which contains cornflour, aloe vera and caffeine to provide an instant cooling and tightening effect.

Like many French skincare brands that use the natural resources in their country, such as the thermal springs at Evian and La Roche-Posay, Melvita began on a eco-farm in the Ardèche Gorges.  Having discovered the healing properties of honey, Chevilliat became a professional beekeeper with over 500 hives.  He based the first collection on the products from the hives, hence the name Melvita – a reference to honey and life.

Melvita are all about promoting an organic lifestyle, with a product solution to every beauty concern.  There are a number of body creams, bath and shower gels, deodorants, toothpaste, beauty supplements and even a collection for men.  All products are ECOCERT certified organic and the ingredients are farmed sustainably.

They are also launching the Nectar de Rose collection for Valentine’s Day, which is perfect for sensitive skin and has the most gorgeous, pure scent.  Unlike many brands who only use one essential oil, Melvita use a ‘totem’ of rose ingredients, which all have their own unique benefits.

The Nectar de Rose day cream contains Moroccan rose petals, Iranian rose water, Damask rose essential oil and French rose seed milk, which helps hydrate the skin while fighting fine lines and wrinkles with anti-inflamatory properties.

Already hugely popular in France and across Europe, the London flagship store is set to open this summer and a further 10 high street stores in the UK are planned for over the next few years.  The collection will also be available in selected natural remedy and organic food stores, as well as online.

The range is priced from £12-£32 and the products seem to go a long way, and come in generous sizes.  I’m a pretty firm devotee of Dr Hauschka’s homeopathic, but I’m looking forward to trying out Melvita’s Naturalift and Facial Scrub to see if I can be converted.

Melvita is available to buy online at Melvita.co.uk and offers free postage and packaging and two samples with your first order.

The last New Year that I spent at Glasgow School of Art seemed to be cursed. I spent it with some of my best friends, but the massive queues for the bar, hefty ticket price and both me and my friend catching a stomach bug made it a less than joyful start to the new year.

So, this year I decided to have a decadent, boozy dinner with the boyfriend.  Most London restaurants capitalise on New Year and offer these special menus that cost upwards of £50 each and what’s worse is that you don’t even have the choice of the full menu and end up enduring faux-posh offal concoctions like pan-fried chicken livers with a foie gras sauce…bleugh!

La Vie en Rose in Hackney was my first choice, as it’s about 15 minutes walking distance from my flat, there are plenty of good pubs on Broadway Market and it wasn’t bothering with any daft New Year’s Eve menus.

When we arrived, the restaurant was about half full and we got a good table next to the window, overlooking the cobbled street.  We ordered from the two course set menu (£14.95) and as usual, we both chose the same dishes.

We started with a generous portion of home-made vegetable croquettes with aioli and sweet chilli sauce.  My only vegetable nemesis is courgettes, which I feel should be sent to room 101 indefinitely, so you can guess what the main filling of the croquettes was!

Steven enjoyed his very much and once I scraped out the offenders, the rest of the filling had a creamy, garlic taste and the breadcrumbs were crispy and light.  This disappointment did strengthen my case for ordering a dessert though, so all was not lost.

Next up was Rump Steak with home-made frites and a peppercorn sauce – you can’t go too far wrong with that!  We ordered the steak medium and it was absolutely perfect – tender, pink in the middle with a slither of red juice oozing out.  The chips were just in between frites and fat chips, and were definitely home-made, as they were just like my grandma used to make them.  Even the peppercorn sauce was full-bodied and seemed to have been made with the juices of the meat.

This was perhaps one of the best steak frites we’ve ever had, even in France, as it was cooked to perfection, came with delicious accompaniments and was a large cut with only a thin layer of fat.  We ordered a bottle of Les Routiers 2005 (£14.95) – a rich Cabernet Sauvignon from Gasgognes that is really good with meat and very easy to drink.

As it was New Year’s Eve, we finished off the night of indulgence with Flourless Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream (£5.50) each. Something tells me that the chef likes to show off with his desserts, as it went beyond a humble slice of cake and was a culinary work of art!  There was a half passionfruit, surrounded by a carefully placed strawberry and blueberry, a trail of crushed almonds and the most amazing dark chocolate and vanilla marbled ice cream, all topped off with a drizzle of raspberry coulis and a vanilla pod….incredible!

Flourless chocolate cake can often be dense and rich but this one was a lot lighter and more chewy that expected and it worked really well with the cocoa ice cream. The fruit extras were delightful and lifted the flavour so much that we polished off the whole plate!

La Vie en Rose seems to have had mixed reviews on some foodie sites and the biggest gripe seems to be the relaxed and very French service.  Don’t expect staff to give you an Auvergne-style, ‘welcome to the family’ welcome (it’s not that kind , but our food arrived at a good speed – we weren’t waiting for anything and didn’t feel rushed along.  The restaurant is usually busier in the summer and during the market hours on the weekend, but as last night was pretty quiet, everything went without a glitch.

Our total bill came to around £55, for a three course dinner with a bottle of wine, which is very reasonable for the quality and presentation of the food and the location.  Now, if they can get the Croque Madame right, then I’ve found my new favourite French restaurant – on this side of the channel!

I posted about Café Beaubourg back in July this year, but I couldn’t resist visiting again (in the name of research), so I’ve got better pics to show you just how yum it really is.

Often described as a haunt of the ‘fash pack/jet set/fashionistas’ or whatever you want to such privileged folk, Café Beaubourg is more BCBG than bobo, but don’t worry, there’s no sectioned off, limited view area for ‘civillians’ (thanks for that, Liz Hurley).

A café crème (€5.50) on the terrace feels divine after a long day wandering around the city and it’s in a prime spot for watching art students, Marais hipsters and chihuahuas going about their day.  In the winter, the terrace is covered heated, but if you really want to warm up, dine on the other side of the red velvet drapes and cosy up on a banquette in between concrete columns and bookcases.

Café Beaubourg’s logo-emblazoned sugar lumps and cool soundtrack give away that it’s another outlet from that old paragon of  ’good taste’, Hotel Costes, and I was completely in awe of their amazing lightning bolt cups – kleptos, control yourselves!

But most importantly, the search for the best croque madame is temporarily over, as Café Beaubourg’s is a traditional béchamel-smothered 2 slicer, complete with fresh bread and butter and a delicious french salad, drizzled with red wine vinaigrette.

In future posts, you will understand my utter contempt for dry and flimsy pain poilane rip-offs, and believe me, there are many of them in gay Paree.

It’s a lot more than you’d expect to pay at €13, but it was so rich and filling that we could barely eat our dinner that night.  The quality of the food is excellent and it’s in a good location if you find yourself feeling weary or with a rumbling tummy in central Paris.

Unlike the notoriously frosty service at Hotel Costes, our waiter at Café Beaubourg was efficient, polite and even helpful when we asked him about the museum closure, despite having to rush around managing the whole terrace on his own.

Macaroons already have a pretty stellar reputation, but they just got even more chic, as Consuelo Castiglioni has collaborated with Paris luxury pâtisserie, Ladurée, on a limited edition box of gold leaf Marni macaroons.

Consuelo applied Marni’s signature polka dots and flower motif to the gold and chocolate brown box, maintaining the label’s gauche appeal while reflecting the seasonal grandeur of Ladurée.

The Marni macaroons come in boxes of 8 and 18 and are available at Ladurée stores from 1 December, including London’s Burlington Arcade and Harrods.

Paris gourmet store Fauchon are also taking the trend for arty desserts even further with their sweet and sexy tribute to Brigitte Bardot.

Accompanying the Brigitte Bardot exhibition in Boulogne Billancourt, Fauchon have created ‘the BB éclair’ – choux pastry filled with almond and rose cream and a chocolate Brigitte lying on top.

Fauchon have perfected their new chocolate printing technique and their former edible muse was the Mona Lisa.

Fauchon have serious competition from star baker Pierre Hermé, whose Paris stores always have queues out of the door, but has Hermé ever attempted a hot dog éclair?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hot dog on any menu or street corner in France, so I can imagine it would be hilarious to see well-heeled Parisians wolfing down these caramel and raspberry ‘dogs.

There aren’t any Fauchon outlets in the UK, so you’ll have to cross the channel for your Bardot fix, but I bet she will be worth it!

The Paris Ile-de-France Comite Regionale du Tourisme has just launched a short viral film to promote the young and vibrant side of the city that many visitors end up missing.

The three and a half minute film entitled Kisses From Paris is directed by French actor/director Yvan Attal (who is also Charlotte Gainsbourg’s partner) and is sound tracked by Rufus Wainwright’s atmospheric Leaving For Paris.   The Paris tourist board loved his sketch in New York, I Love You so much that they commissioned Yvan to express his own creative vision of the “New Paris Ile-de-France”.

The film features two young lovers, played by Zoé Schellenberg and Pierre Perrier snogging their way through Paris, stopping only to marvel at the amazing sights around them.  In between declaring how much they adore each other, the couple study the art at the Beaubourg and the Palais de Tokyo, stroll along the Canal Saint-Martin, go to a gig at the Chateau de Vincenne and hunt for vintage treasures at the Saint Ouen flea market.

The film is intense, stylish and dreamy but in a more realistic than whimsical way. It reminds me of Before Sunrise and its sequel Before Sunset (shot in Paris), where Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy meet on a train and get to know each other in a day before going their separate ways, then meeting up in Paris nine years on.

Kisses From Paris does nothing to dispel the myth of Paris as a city for lovers and not all of us have a Louis Garrel look-a-like to kiss all over town, but it offers a new, alternative Paris to fall in love with.

To find out more about ‘le nouveau Paris’ and to win a trip to Paris, visit the website.