OK, it's been a little while but I have a (lame) excuse. I was in Paris last week (not this one but the one before), and as always when we travel when we came back we had to catch up with work. As usual we went to Première Vision, this time to see the fabric trends for winter 2010/11 (felt seems to be the big thing, but it's not something really new, is it?), and did some "shopping": buying garments for "inspiration" and looking at every seam, trim and cut of the stuff we can't afford (the really nice stuff, that is), or asking one of the girls (all but one of my colleagues are girls so I'll refer to them like that, as a group) to go into the fitting room and sneak some pictures... terrible, I know, but has to make a living, right? Anyways, Balenciaga and Marni had some really nice pieces and we went completely crazy at COS, I wish they opened a store here soon. Then on the other hand I can't stand Balmain anymore, if I see another stud or pointy shoulder-pad I think I am going to scream.
But it wasn't all work, almost everybody at our office decided to go the previous week-end to enjoy the city by ourselves. My colleagues stayed at a hotel and I stayed with some dear friends of mine. I spent some time with my parisian friends and had dinner with the girls at Café Ruc -which by now has become a tradition- and then went for a drink, but didn't have much fun... I mean, the place was nicely decorated, the music was good, the people were good looking, but it was so formal. We had some cocktails with strange names and even stranger colors (mine was a fluorescent "Blue Lagoon", the only ingredient I am almost sure about is Curaçao) served by an incredibly good-looking waiter. One thing has to be said, they don't know how to party as we do but they are good looking. On sunday I met the girls again and we went to see the Madeleine Vionnet exhibition, I don't have words to say how interesting it was, if you go to Paris before January don't miss it. We came out with mixed feeling: on one hand we were impressed with the beauty and modernity of the clothes (most of them could be worn today), on the other we were a bit depressed when we compared it to the limitations of our work. Ah, well...
One thing I like when visiting I city I know already (and Paris I think I know pretty well since I spent my childhood there) is to look at it from a different angle. When we passed the Hôtel Lutetia on our way out of Le Bon Marché I was told that it had been a nazi headquarter during the war, where people were imprisoned and tortured, and that it was believed to be haunted. Now, I don't believe in ghosts, but peeking into it's dark lobby and it's deserted "brasserie" did give me a bit of a chill. And Paris does have this slightly sinister history of graveyards, catacombs, underground phantoms, strange murders and hidden mysteries, and as I took a close look at it's beautiful architecture I couldn't help noticing the masks and gargoyles that lurk form the dark side of the City of Lights...
Vale, he tardado un poco, pero tengo una (pobre) excusa. Estuve en París la semana pasada (no esta sino la anterior), y como siempre cuando viajamos al volver teníamos trabajo acumulado. Como siempre fuimos Première Vision, esta vez para ver las tendencias de tejidos para el invierno 2010/11 (se impone el fieltro, pero tampoco es una novedad ¿no?), e hicimos un poco de "shopping": comprar prendas para "inspirarnos" y mirando cada costura, adorno y corte de lo que no podíamos comprar (es decir, lo más bonito), o pidiendo a una de las chicas (casi todas mis compañeras son chicas, así que me referiré a ellas así, en grupo) que haga unas fotos robadas en el probador... terrible, ya sé, pero hay que ganarse la vida ¿no? En todo caso, Balenciaga y Marni tenían cosas preciosas y nos enloqueció COS, ojalá abrieran tienda aquí. Por otra parte ya no soporto a Balmain, si veo otra tachuela o hombrera puntiaguda creo que voy a gritar.
Pero no fue todo trabajo, casi toda la oficina decidimos ir el fin de semana anterior para disfrutar de la cuidad. Mis compañeras se quedaron en un hotel y yo con unas queridas amigas. Estuve con mis amigas parisinas y fui a cenar con las chicas al Café Ruc -lo cual ya se ha convertido en una tradición- y luego fumas a tomar una copa, pero tampoco lo pasamos muy bien... quiero decir, el sitio era bonito, la música era buena, la gente era guapa, pero era todo tan formal. Tomamos unos cócteles con nombres raros y colores aún más raros (el mío era "Blue Lagoon" fluorescente, el único ingrediente del que doy fe era el Curaçao) servidos por un camarero increíblemente guapo. Eso sí hay que decirlo, no saben divertirse como nosotros pero son guapos. El domingo quedé de nuevo con las chicas y fuimos a ver la exposición de Madeleine Vionnet, no tengo palabras para decir lo interesante que fue, si váis a París antes de enero no os la perdáis. Salimos con sentimientos ambivalentes: por un lado estábamos impresionados por la belleza y la modernidad de las prendas (la mayoría se podrían llevan hoy mismo), pero por otro estábamos un poco deprimidos al compararlo con las limitaciones de nuestro trabajo. Pues sí...
Una cosa que me gusta cuando visito una cuidad que ya conozco (y creo que conozco bien París ya que viví allí de pequeño) es verla desde otro ángulo. Cuando pasamos delante del Hôtel Lutetia saliendo de Le Bon Marché me dijeron que había sido el cuartel general nazi durante la guerra, donde encerraban y torturaban a gente, y se dice que está encantado. Bien, no es que crea en fantasmas, pero mirando hacia su oscuro lobby y su "brasserie" desierta me dio un pequeño escalofrío. Y París tiene esta historia algo siniestra de cementerios, catacumbas, fantasmas subterráneos, extraños crímenes y misterios ocultos, y mirando de cerca su preciosa arquitectura no podía evitar ver las máscaras y gárgolas que asoman desde el lado oscuro de la Cuidad Luz...
*Just a note to "anonymous": of course Ladybug is an honored guest at all my Tea-Parties, though you seem to know me (and maybe I start having an idea that I know you too) you ignore the fact that no lady can rival with her in titles, birth, rank and elegance. Voilà.
