French Vogue February 2014 Part 1

I decided to share the February issue of French Vogue with you instead of the March US edition.

I gotta tell you guys that I downloaded the issue the other day and Rihanna was on the cover.

Now please don't mistake this as a dislike of her because 

I think she is stunning and a talent of her generation. 

But this isn't Rolling Stone is it? 

Or is it?

I feel like I am being so negative and I was left rather flat that I won't bother reviewing that issue. But for those who are interested, 

I will pin pages from it to my Vogue Pinterest board. 

( Just give me a week or so.)

So meanwhile, you can browse French Vogue with me.

The cover girl was Emily Didonato.

She is not an actress. ( Yet. )

She looks like she is in good old fashion supermodel league.

Amazing feline features and going through her photos on her instagram,  she also has chameleon virtues.

For those inclined to read the letter in French from the editor, 

Emmanuelle Alt, please click to enlarge.

Otherwise, the tone of the letter wasn't about stars of Hollywood perse but she seemed excited about the female Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo and Benazir Bhutto's niece and her legacy.

I appreciated how she assumes we must be fashion enthusiasts but most women are layered and can be interested in other topics 

albeit at different depths and breadths. 

THE cult minaudiere by McQueen with this season's trend of fringing everything

The word Minaudiere ( please click on link for an article about it) 

is rarely used in Vogue of other countries which 

I always found odd considering one has a captive market and 

fashionistas love a new word to throw around to civilians.

But it was created in the 1920's by Van Cleef and Arpels.

It was a cross between a purse, evening bag, and a bejewelled cigarette case but it was meant to fit comfortably in the palm of the hand for evening social engagements.

I thought I would include their beauty page as France still does get certain exclusives ahead of other countries as French women do have very high standards and they do spend more money on certain types of cosmetics.  

Christian Dior is coming out with a new system of a perfume kit that one can layer and mix according to one's own mood and one can control the "sillage" which is the perfume world's way of saying how long a perfume lingers.

Plus the architect Peter Marino has also gotten his paws on the refit of the Guerlain store alongside Chanel. 

I do wonder how he manages to handle and accommodate all his clients who compete against each other! 

I do respect him for his diplomacy along with his obvious talent.

This was a bit surprising as Vogue used one whole page 

to promote the David Bailey exhibition at the 

National Portrait Gallery in London, not Paris.  

They also promoted another exhibition of Richard Deacon at the Tate in London. Plus there was a review of a biograpy of Marguerite Duras of whom I am a fan.  If you don't feel like reading her books, then please do try watching a movie which still captures the mood like L'Amant or The Lover.

As the Eurostar is 2 hours and 15 minutes to Paris from London, 
the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition at the Pompidou center might be a good excuse to go for a day trip.



How refreshing is it that you have no idea who they are and
 you just appreciate the mood and the fashion?
Plus that male model is a thing of beauty 
and out-pouted his fellow model.

Well it is a business after all so they had to flog that 
graffiti Chanel backpack.  But I remember having roller skates 
like that when I was 6 years old.

Frange ( sorry I have a UK keyboard so can't do the 
flecks over the E's) means fringed.  
I think we are going to see everything with fringes on them.

Vogue France also does it outright flogging of goods 
in the context of being fashionable,

going out in the evening,

and for the weekend or as they say week-end.

Don't know why but I could hear Donna Summer's - 

She works hard for the money - in the background.

No prices on any of these pink diamond "objets."

Like they say, if you have to ask then...

French Vogue don't mess about do they? 

The insurance and security for this photo shoot 
must have been a logistical nightmare.

I was zooming into those rings myself so thought I would blow up this picture as big as I can.  

They followed this editorial with a proper article about 
pink diamonds and a chart of the color grades for them.

This editorial was in contrast to the high value advertising of pink diamonds and showcased clothes of a budget that is found on the high street.  I find that Vogue USA don't feature many affordable clothes so this was appreciated.

 

The concept of the editorial was of the Parisian Titi.

The French seem to like its diminutive social typecasting.

BCBG - bon chic bon genre, Bobo - bourgeois boheme.

The Parisian Titi  isn't so much a fashion tribe but someone who is a dinky-di Parisian and not necessarily posh.  I say simplistically

 it is like the Parisian version of Oliver Twist.

 

Edie Campbell is very much the hot model of the moment - 

she was also in the US March edition.

Another interesting thing of note is that Emmanuelle Alt who is the editor in chief still takes time to take care of a few fashion editorials which Anna W. hardly ever does.

 

Don't you just love a classic fashion editorial with awkward posturing and black clothes on a neutral background?
 One rarely sees this anymore.

 

This issue feature many of the latest top models.
I will admit that apart from Kate Moss and a few others like 
Gisele that I don't know the names of models anymore.

So think of this keeping us up to date or au courant as the 
French would say.

Part two will follow shortly but hope you enjoyed a change of pace!