Just a quick post before I pick les filles up from school on a couple of things I want to tell you about since my last update.
Tuesday evening I attended an "English Comedy" show in Le Vesinet with my host family. The show was a birthday present for me from the family and it was nice to spend some time together outside of the house and when the girls weren't my responsibility! I know that the show was the first of its kind in Le Vesinet - a one-off experiment to judge audience reaction. Let me start by saying that there were some very good entertainers present, including a woman named Krissie Illing (from England) whose impersonation of the queen was refreshingly and daringly different as were her dance routines, and a man who went by the stage name Francky O'Right from Las Vegas, whose persona as sleazy American mocking the French went down a treat.
However, nearing the end of the show a lady named Amy G from New York, who had earlier impressed us with her glittery outfits and cabaret style of dancing (in rollerblades no less) proceeded to perform a more unconventional type of entertainment. I don't really know how to put it into words... to be frank, she played a plastic flute from her private parts. It was definitely hilarious and infantile, but a little too adult for my 6-year olds and the many, many younger children present in the audience. As one of my children turned to me and whispered, with a confused look on her face, "what is she doing??" I could barely stop myself from giggling uncontrollably. I decided to go for the safe option and told her to ask her mother. It was a surreal experience and I'm not quite sure Amy G was in the right place or the right time. Having said that, I couldn't stop laughing.
Today I went to the Dior exhibition taking place at Le Bon Marche until the 26th March. Le Bon Marche, the famous Parisian department store, happens to be around the corner from my French school in St Germain des Pres (which by the way, means St Germain "of the fields"). The store isn't normally my cup of tea, bien sur it's grand and beautiful and hosts an array of exquisite expensive things, but the artificial light and maze-like escalators tend to become irritating if one stays inside too long.
But when I heard there was a Dior exhibition there (and for free) I couldn't miss it. It can be found on the 2nd floor, in a small space flagged by the Dior name, surrounded by mirrors and dazzling white lights. The style is minimalist yet grand. The clothes on display were beautiful and consisted of a small number of original pieces of haute couture, including an authentic 1947 "Afternoon Suit" (see below).
French fashion is notorious for its understated elegance. I'm no expert on fashion (far from it!) but Dior utilises this elegance to the best advantage. The use of colour and femininity in the clothes displayed were enhanced by the simplicity of the white lighting. I particularly liked the colours of this silk dress from the collection of Spring Summer 2004.
Although the man behind the magic, Christian Dior, is long gone having died in 1957, Dior retains the wow factor it's so famous for. If you're in Paris in the near future, take a quick peep at the exhibition, the nearest metro stop is Sevres Babylone. I leave you with one last photo below of French style, oozing sophistication and class. Oooh la la! A bientot mes amis xxx
Embroidered Pink Gazar Suit, Spring Summer 2007
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