Place : Paris - On Fashion & Crystal
Date: Friday Oct. 18th/ 2019
Visit in Paris, without frequenting a haute couture house, is equivalent to going into an Italian restaurant and missing on the pasta. Thus, like with restaurants, we satiated our palate for fashion, by visiting an iconic fashion establishment, which its story is peppered with an intriguing romantic zest, and which I highly recommend to visit if you are a fashion connoisseur.
The famous artistic designer -Yves Saint- Loraine (1936-2008) and the industrialist/CEO - Pierre Bergé (1930-2017) met in 1958 at a Parisian dinner, and never parted since then, neither was romantically involved, lovers, nor as lifetime long business partners.
Together they launched in 1961 (and after Sain Laraine was wrongfully dismissed from Dior) and co-run the "Yves Saint - Laurent Couture House" . The pair’s personal lives and fashion convictions, were what made nearly 30 years working in a Parisian studio, (until it closed in 2002), a signature designs and a legacy, of one of the most iconic haute couture house of the 20c
Yevs Saint-Loraine 1965 collection was inspired by the Russian/Frnch painter Serg Poliakoff (1900-1969) and Dutch artist - Piet Monderain (The latest is now being showcased at Musée Marmottan – Monet - and which I wrote about on Oct 16th Log, following a viist at that museum.)
The collection line he designed being influenced by these artists, is the house's signature one, as per the photo below
Few days before Saint-Laurent died he and Bergé were joined in a same-sex civil union known in France as a "pacte civil de solidarité" (PACS) . When Saint-Laurent was diagnosed with brain cancer, Bergé and the doctor mutually decided that it would be better to conceal from his impending death. Bergé said, "I had the belief that Yves would not have been strong enough to accept that".
Musee Yves Sain Loarine - 5 ave Marceau
Situated in Hotel Particulier since 1974, the active fashion house closed in 2012 and turned into a Foundation. It opened as a museum in 2017 in this Second Empire mansion, in which the designer’s teams worked for 30 years, and where the reception rooms are formerly open to clients, the museum showcases more than 5,000 prototype collections, and the Studio- the nerve centre where all the collections were designed. The exhibit's couturier’s body of work includes : dresses, accessories, costume sketches, photos and videos.
knitted wedding dress, 1965
YSL-Neck Piece
On our way to the next iconic brand - the Bacharat Crystal Glass collection- we passed by a fantastic Patiserie worth the stop and taste
Patiseri Cyril Lignac Famous Patiserei cheff who dominate the tv screen
( 2 rue Chaillot corner of rue Freycinet)
It is in the neighborhood, around the corner were the back of the 19c Palais Galliera's stunning white Italian Renaissance style grand mansion is situated. (The Galeriera houses the Musee de la Mode - museum of fashion and fashion history opened in 1977, and unfortunately is currently temporarily closed.)
"United States Square"
The walk up "place des Etats-Unis" a street where many embassies flags can be detected, led us through "Thomas Jefferson Park and Square" (inaugurated in the 1800s).
Called in prior times "Place de Bitche", after a small village in the north east of France, the unpopular name in the English language,
compelled Levi Morton - a past American ambassador, who at the time established a residence for the American embassy- to rename the street to "Place des Etats-Unis" (current embassy is located by "place la concord")
This elongated green streep plaza in the middle of the road, has an American feel as well as benches, lamps, girls play ground full of playful kids, and a statue of the US past president who wrote the declaration of independence.
(originally located by the American Embassy at the Place des Etats-Unis, and designed to commemorate the relationship between America and France,
There is also a plaque on house # 3 in the street Place des Etats-Unis indicating where the known American writer - Edith Wharton 1862-1937 used to reside when living in Paris
Galerie-Musee Baccarat - 11 place des Etats-Unis
In a private gorgeous townhouse, once belonged to Marie-Laure de Noailles,(benefactor, writer and painter 1902-1970) designed, later, by known designer Philippe Starck, 250 years of famous brand-name Baccarat Crystal manufacturing collections of prestigious heritage gorgeous pieces , can be admired. They are in view in the shop downstairs, in the 'Crystal Room' of the upstairs restaurant, in the ballroom with its original 18thc decoration, as well as in the gallery-museum. Even the bar setting, all chandeliers, as well as the bathroom's fixtures, are all made of Baccart crystal.
The factory itself is located in the village of Baccarat in the Lorraine region, and the first royal order was placed by Louis XVIII in 1823
Better to make a booking for lunch at the beautiful restaurant, so you can access the free splendid Baccarat collection .
Coming down on Ave, d'lena to "d'lena square" you don't want not to miss on # 9 "the Conseil Economique Social et Enviromental" (CESE) . CSE - a third constitutional assembly of the French republic after the national Assembly and Senate, it represent key economic, social, and environmental fields, promoting different socio-professional interest groups
It is situated in part of Palais d'lena built by architect Augusts Perret in the 1937 for the World Expo https://www.lecese.fr/en/auguste-perret-and-palais-d-iena, This impressive structure with Its mega hall and beautiful staircase holds an impressive display of what men do to the environment, worth the visit there.
At the Synagogue on Friday Eve
An assured way to see the inside of a Parisian Synagogue is to join the Friday eve services, so we did exactly that and ender both:
Synagogue Charles Liche on 1 place des Vosges - where the Ashkenazi conducted services in their style, inside a smaller space on the first floor we entered
from place des Vosges.
Synagogue Tournelles - rue Tournelles 21
This address is where the main entrance to the most impressive structure of huge and beautifully decorated hall, 2 floors of women praying space and an organ.
It has been taken over by the laeger Sefaradi community of about 300 regular
members (on Yom kipur about 3000 attend)
Shabbat Shalom, Chag Sameach and Best Weekend
To be continued....