Le Bon Marche: 160 Years of Fashion, Style and Beauty

I don't know how many of you know Le Bon Marché but it is one of my favorite department stores in Paris and possibly throughout the world. Today Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche is one of Paris’s oldest and most prestigious department stores, stocking international high-end designer brands from Acne and Paul Smith to Isabel Marant, but its beginnings were rather humble. 

Le Bon Marché was founded in 1838 becoming the first department store in France and as one of the first throughout Europe. The store also revolutionized the way people looked at fashion by showcasing clothes and in-store fashion shows, cultural events, and seasonal sales under its glass and iron roof. Known for its gorgeous interior and beautiful aesthetics the store is a must see for anyone going to visit Paris. This year is a special year for the department store. Le Bon Marché is turning 160 and ushered in Paris fashion week with a lavish cocktail party to celebrate its 160th anniversary.

Until the end of this year, each floor is decked out with special themed decorations, and until December 31st Le Bon Marché will be hosting a series of exhibitions that celebrate the stores rich history. In style with its 160th anniversary the retailer also commissioned special-edition and one-of pieces from 160 brands including Pierre Hardy, Isabel Marant, Zadig & Voltaire, Comme des Garçons but also limited-edition pieces from Burberry, Diane von Furstenberg and many others. 

Take a peak at the preparations for the anniversary below:

Also take a look at the beautiful designed interior. The simplicity of the white objects co-insides with the glass roof:

Le Bon Marché also hired Catherine Deneuve, making the iconic actress the face and muse for the stores anniversary. But Le Bon Marché did not stop there, they also commissioned a short film by Loic Prigent called Catherine Deneuve Rive Gauche in which the iconic actress visits some of her favorite places on the left bank of Paris. The film is screened for a limited time at the store, also check out the videos below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Here are the beautiful window decorations:

Last but not least check out some of the anniversary collection.

Silencio - David Lynch's club

I don't know what I was expecting, but even though Silencio is totally cool, it isn't what I imagined. My friend, Alexi, and I were coming from a private party and decided to go on the whim. When we got out of the cab, the bouncer already had his eye on us, and nodded. We were in.  I was super excited. The unusually long staircase seemed to slowly separate us from the outside world, and sounds of the street were slowly dying down. I was impatient to see what I would find downstairs. There is a private screening room for film viewing, and private soirees are common - but you have to be a member to attend.

What we found was a cool and visually confusing interior - which I guess was expected. The place is inspired by Club Silencio in Mulholland Drive. Lynch even created the 1950s-inspired furniture, and chairs. The interior is beautifully modern and elegant. Everyone inside wasn't necessarily just beautiful, but everyone was interesting and unique. There were some killer looks and characters, including the all-male bar staff. The drink menu had a wide variety of interesting choices. So we hung out at the bar running into some people, and watching all the others. The music was very eclectic with some hip hop, some 80's, and some new electro beats. By 2 am we were full-on dancing, as was the rest of the club. The dance floor is spacious enough to dance, yet intimate enough to feel at home, and the stage evokes another era. People don't seem to care, or at least dance like they don't care...I love this sort of atmosphere!

The music was fantastic, and I couldn't bring myself to leave...we kept going back to dance some more, till reason pushed me to  leave at the early hours of the crespuscule so that I could pack and catch my morning flight out of Paris. The night was memorable and fun, but there were no spooky Lynch surprises... however I am sure if you are one of the paying members, you might be in for some interesting nights and treats. I couldn't imagine anything else from Monsieur Lynch. Silencio is definitely a place for me: eclectic, classy but with an artsy flair, all at the same time. Probably my favorite Paris club along with the old Le Baron.

 "You do feel you are descending into another world as you go down the six flights of stairs into Silencio. Buddhist cocktail bars with their own bijoux cinemas, library, dream forest and stage straight from Twin Peaks are thin on the ground, even in the second arrondissement. One minute you are in the dark, the next you are in a golden tunnel of mini-mandalas. The effect is somewhere between nirvana, a classy Cincinatti cocktail bar circa 1975, and Goldie's mouth."

To read more click here

Silencio
142 Rue Montmartre  75002 Paris, France
http://silencio-club.com

8 Days In Paris

I just got back from Paris, and will be posting about a few new places I fell in love with soon. But for now, here is a quick view of my trip 

Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot - Bonnie & Clyde

Speaking of Parisian starlets, who could top this duo and their music video for Bonnie and Clyde? With Brigitte Bardot as both on, and off-screne, flame of Serge Gainsbourg, this is a pretty epic piece of french pop culture. A rare treasure!

The Stars of Cannes - Catherine Deneuve

"Amour" wins la Palme d'Or at Cannes, and that's a whole other post altogether, but Cannes always evokes the festival's early days and its former darlings. Catherine Deneuve, though not necessarily my favorite French actress is one of those legends, and is a Parisian fixture till this very day. I love her YSL years, her early movies like Belle De Jour, or Repulsion, and her Chanel ads. So, in the name of French cinema, here is a little homage to one of its favorite starlets!