Paris - Cartier - 8me

Plate LXXIX - Cartier… 

Paris has a fashion week. Why?

Surely, in Paris, every week is fashion week. 

Take a walk down the Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré and its environs including the Rue Royale and many of the names you’ll encounter are simply legendary – Armani, Balmain, Boucheron, Bulgari, Cardin, Cassegrain, Cerutti, Chanel, Chloe, Courreges, David & Joan (coincidentally the names of my father and mother in law), de la Renta, Dior, Faberge, Gaultier, Givenchy, Gucci, Hermes, Lacoste, Lacroix, Lagerfeld, Lancome, Lanvin, Guy Laroche, Ralph Lauren, Montblanc, Nina Roche, Sonia Rykiel, Yves St. Laurent, Valentino, Versace, Louis Vuitton, van Cleef & Arpels, Maxims Tea Room, and of course that jeweller and purveyor of  those girls’ best friends so breathlessly mentioned by Marilyn Monroe in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ … Cartier.

Most well known for its jewellery and watch manufacturing, Cartier holds warrants for most of the royal houses of Europe. Fabled Cartier pieces, auctioned by her estate, were owned by the Duchess of Windsor. The firm was established in 1847 by Louis-Francois Cartier, and his grandsons saw its growth into an international brand. As something of a watch fanatic myself I note that Cartier was responsible for the first gentleman’s wristwatch, the now fabled Santos model designed and named for Brazialian airman Alberto Santos-Dumont. The 1917 and now legendary Tank model, inspired by the war armaments of that name, was introduced during the first Great War. Cartier is today the world’s second largest luxury watch maker (after Rolex) , and continues to introduce innovative and appealing designs, their latest being the Ballon Bleu range. No wonder their advertising concept Les Musts de Cartier serves them so well as musts their treasures certainly are.

The firm is today one of the Maisons of the Compagnie Financière Richemont SA* – owned by the Rupert family - making, for me, a great home (South African) connection.


*Disclosure - this blog is not intended for commercial gain - the writer holds shares in Compagnie Financière Richemont SA.

Paris - Elysee Palace - 8me

Plate LXXVIII – Elysee Palace …

I have great respect, and more than a little sympathy for the guards stationed at Europe’s public buildings. Under the constant gaze of passers-by and often antagonized by tourists who should know better they unblinkingly carry out their duties and provide a continuing link to tradition. As I did here, I have as unobtrusively as possible also captured their presence from Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London to the Royal Palace in Athens – watch out Swiss Guards, I aim to get to the Vatican yet!!!

Built for the court of the Comte d’Evreux as an hôtel particulier in 1718 by Armand-Claude Mollet in the classic Régence style, the residence was acquired by Louis XV for his mistress the Marquise de Pompadour. Signs erected by the citizens of the city were said to proclaim it as the ‘Home of the King’s Whore’. (O.K. - so she could always escape to the peace of her Petit Trianon at Versailles - which we will get to visit later). Sold again to private ownership in 1773 for use as a country residence (still lying well beyond the limits of the city) it was repurchased for the crown by Louis XVI. It was also once home to the Empress Joséphine, and it was here that the defeated Napoleon signed his abdication. Seized during the revolution it has since then remained ‘public property’ being used variously as a furniture warehouse and dance hall, even being occupied by camping Cossack soldiers during the Russian occupation of Paris in 1814. Known until the advent of the second republic as the Hôtel d’Evreux the government renamed it the Elysée National and assigned it as the official residence of the President of the French Republic – a role it fulfils to this day, although some recent incumbents have chosen not to use the private apartments. The president has his office inside the Palace, and it is the meeting place of his Council of Ministers.

Paris - Liberté Egalité Fraternité - 8me

Plate LXXVII – Liberte Egalite Fraternite … 

On my way to find the Elysée Palace I passed this doorway.

I cannot recall the address, or exact location, and certainly do not know what lay beyond its gates, but the inscription above it brought back every memory I have of that rallying cry of the Révolution - Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. It is small unexplained details like this about the city that fascinate me, and every street in the older parts of Paris has its own rewards. I could happily wander for days discovering and pondering the origins of them

Even today this simple three word phrase remains a noble aspiration for citizens of every society. I put it up there with the 1960’s dream of the Age of Aquarius!!!

Paris - Eglise de la Madeleine - 8me

Plate LXXVI – Eglise de la Madeleine … 

I could not at the time of my visit hear the name Madeleine without hearing also the Jacques Brel song of that title. 
Today, I still think of the tragic disappearance of the McCann’s daughter, for whom the search continues (can you help?) 
But in Paris, La Madeleine refers most often to the more fully titled Eglise de la Sainte Marie-Madeleine.

Providing Neo-Classical symmetry to the fairly distant opposite southern Napoleonic façade of the Palais Bourbon (see previous post) this Roman Catholic church was erected by Napoleon in honour of his Grand Armée. The design commissioned from the architect Vignon in 1806, it was dedicated to St Mary Magdalene in 1814 – with the building standing today being the third attempt to erect a church on the site. Said to be inspired by the Greco-Roman temple like lines of the Maison Carrée at Nîmes, its purpose of glorifying the Armée was somewhat usurped by the completion in 1808 of the Arc de Triomphe, and following Napoleon’s defeat, it was Louis XVIII who determined it would be dedicated as a church. The pediment sculptures designed by Charles Lemaire depict Mary Magdalene’s holy intercession for the Damned. The knave dates from 1831, and despite brief consideration of converting the structure into a railway station in 1837, its final consecration came in 1842. The magnificent bronze doors to the church are bas-relief panels of the Ten Commandments. 
The area of the Faubourg surrounding La Madeleine was earlier known as Ville l’Evêque, having been seized from the Jewish community in 1182 and placed under the care of the bishops of Paris. The short stretch of street known as the Rue Royal and the intersecting Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré are arguably the most fashionable parts of the city, populated with retail houses named after the likes of St Laurent, Cardin, Lanvin and Hermes. Undoubtedly due to this fashion link the church is the popular choice for many Parisian society weddings to this day, the celebrated pipe organ built by Cavaillé-Coll heralding many a  bride’s arrival in Wagnerian triumph.

Paris - Place de la Concorde - 8me

Plate LXXV – Place de la Concorde

An octagonal space designed in 1755 by Jacques-Ange Gabriel under Louis XV the Place was an annex of the Tuileries gardens. At some 86,500 square metres it is the city’s largest square. First called Place Louis XV, it became known as the Place de La Revolution during the eponymously named uprising, and although reputedly the site of the guillotine according to popular legend, in truth it was only one of many sites used for public executions where M Guillotine’s invention so efficiently did her work. Heads that were lost here include Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and Danton. Its present name was assumed after the Reign of Terror.

The twenty three metre high, hieroglyphics decorated obelisk (said to mark the spot where the guillotine was erected), was given to France by Egypt in 1829 and comes from the tomb of Ramses II in Thebes. It is more than three thousand years old. Transporting the stone to France was logistically challenging, and the story of its journey is diagrammed on its pedestal.

The most notable features of the Place de la Concorde are the magnificent fountains immortalized by Hollywood in the award winning film An American in Paris where a stylistically represented version became the setting for the climactic ballet sequence featuring Gene Kelly and Lesley Caron.

Fronting the Pont de la Concorde can be seen the Palace Bourbon, named after the Duchess of Bourbon (daughter of Louis XIV), and today the seat of the French National Assembly. Begun by the architect Giardini in 1722 it was continued by Lassurance, to be eventually completed in 1728 by Aubert and Gabriel. The present façade, creating a symmetrical element with the facing Église de la Madeleine was built for Napoleon by Poyet in the early nineteenth century. Many fine works of art adorn the interior, including Delacroix’ cycle The History of Civilisation in the library.

Paris - Boutiques - Champs Elysées - 8me

Plate LXXIV – Magazine Boutiques – Champs Elysees

Eager to soak up and appreciate the history of the city I was immediately taken by the well preserved state of the many cast iron magazine boutiques lining the paved boulevard sidewalks of the Champs Elysées. Surely of late nineteenth or early twentieth century design, each seemed to have been given a thorough sandblasting and fresh coat of paint. With many sections of its two kilometre stretch having become somewhat tawdry and run down over the nineteen-eighties, Paris had embarked on a massive refresh and renovation of its famous avenue. Vehicle parking had been banned, and pedestrian life was thriving, along with café society (Maison Alsace becoming a personal favourite stop). The project almost complete at the time of my visit, I was amazed to find out that these boutique shelters were a brand new addition to the city.

Having come to appreciate the offerings of Paris Match* during my student years, for the duration of my visit I would stop at the kiosk nearest the Arc de Triomphe to buy each week’s edition. Who would ever want to miss such salacious images and stories as Prince Charles Nu – ou Presque (which was the promise of one of the then current editions)?

(* a kind of French Hello or OK magazine - for the uninitiated)

Paris – Champs Elysées - 8me

Plate LXXI1I – Champs Elysees

The most famous street in the world? Perhaps.

The Elysian Fields - what a name to live up to. From Elysium in Greek mythology it is the place where humans, offered immortality by the gods were sent. A place where perfect happiness was attained on the banks of the Oceanus River. Well let’s settle for the Seine, and walking down this avenue or settling into a chair in one of the boulevard cafes, my feeling of happiness was as close to perfect as I’ve known.

With rentals reputed to be set at around ten thousand euros per square metre it certainly has the most expensive real estate in all of Europe. Although many international names have opened retail operations along the avenue, and cinemas showing the latest international releases are to be found, it remains essentially French - and très, très chic. Part of the historical axis of the city the avenue, usually referred to simply as the Champs Elysées, runs almost 2 kilometres from the Place de la Concorde in the east to the Place Charles de Gaulle (Étoile) and the Arc de Triomphe to the west, offering upmarket shopping and famous entertainments such as the Bluebell Girls of the Lido, and the picture perfect beaux art decorated tearoom of the Lido Arcade.

The scene of many military processions, it was along the Champs Elysées that the Germans infamously marched in grand display of their occupation of France in June 1940, and it was here too that the French and American troops led by General Charles de Gaulle victoriously celebrated the liberation of the city in August 1944. The annual Bastille Day Parade is held here each 14th July, and the world famous Tour de France cycle race sees its final stage along the avenue. Most occasions of any national significance will be celebrated by a gathering here, with visiting international dignitaries being welcomed by bunting and flags in their national colours alongside the tricolore decorating the staffs along the way.

As Maurice Chevalier used to sing ... Ah! Champs Elysées, Champs Elysées …

Paris - Arc de Triomphe Montmartre - 8me

Plate LXXI1 - From the Arc de Triomphe – Montmartre

Some distance away, the outline of the Basilica of Sacre Coeur on the Butte Montmartre is clearly distinguishable. Visions of its cafes, artists, and the legendary chanteuses of the area (as so brilliantly captured by Marion Cotillard in Piaf – La Môme) come so easily to mind. If the essence of the city is distilled in one part of it, that place must be here.

Have you ever had the feeling that you want to be in a thousand different places at the same time? In the time I was here, above Paris I must have changed my visiting plans a hundred times. I somehow could not determine any rational priorities, or the sequence I should take while looking three hundred and sixty degrees around the city. Perhaps the air is thinner at this height. 

Perhaps in Paris one should not try to be rational.