The Luxe Chronicles

Luxury Travel: The Newly Restored Prince De Galles Opens Its Doors.

2013-05-15T12:30:28+02:00

Despite its crotchety taxi drivers, prickly locals and morose economy, Paris remains one of the world's leading tourist destinations. Thanks in large part to a steady stream of well-heeled travelers from the U.S., Middle East and various BRIC nations, Paris' hotel and tourism sector continues to thrive notwithstanding the current economy. The newly refurbished Prince de Galles Hotel, set to officially reopen tomorrow (May 16), is therefore perfectly poised to take advantage of the demand for luxury accommodation.

The luxury hotel sector is a notoriously competitive one however and even treasured landmarks cannot afford to rest on their past glories for long. In the last three years alone, the city has witnessed the arrival in its midst of foreign luxury hotel chains including the Mandarin Oriental and the Shangrila Hotel forcing legends like The Ritz and Le Crillon to undergo costly makeovers to keep up with evolving standards of luxury. Establishments of this category therefore need to go the extra mile to seduce and retain a highly discerning clientele.

With this in mind, the Prince de Galles has pulled out virtually all the stops. Closed back in February 2011, the five star landmark has undergone no less than 115 weeks of top-to-bottom redesign at the hand of interior designers Pierre-Yves Rochon (lobby, suites, rooms & fitness/spa) and Bruno Borrione (restaurant, bar and terrace). The result is fairly spectacular. Built in 1928, the hotel is a testament to the French Art Deco movement. Elegant mosaics and other period details have been lovingly restored and complemented with contemporary pieces to add a modern touch. The suites are furnished with precious Makassar furniture including custom-built cabinets and luscious shagreen-covered writing desks. The suites have been thoughtfully laid out for maximum comfort including suitable work and entertainment space for business travelers, spacious walk-in closets and well-lit bathrooms, details too often overlooked in many high-end hotels.

The hotel's bar with its Picabia-inspired painted ceilings and lush decor worthy of a latter-day Daisy Buchanan will no doubt attract its share of jet-setting travelers and glamourous locals. It opens onto a lovely interior courtyard laid with mosaic-tiled floors, elaborate greenery and a zen-like atmosphere to buffer patrons from the city's hustle and bustle. The hotel also counts a soon-to-be world-class restaurant, La Scene, which it has entrusted to rising young chef Stephanie Le Quellec, an alumnus of chefs Philippe Legendre (George V Hotel) and Philippe Jourdin (Four Seasons Tourrettes) and laureate of the 2011 edition of Top Chef Competition (French edition).

While F. Scott Fitzgerald is said to have written The Great Gatsby on the Cote d'Azur, one could easily imagine him tucked away in a corner of the Prince de Galles' terrace laboring over a turn of phrase or holding court at the bar with Zelda and their coterie of bright young sophisticates. Given it's splendor and location amidst one of the city's most exclusive shopping district, the Prince de Galles looks poised to welcome a new generation of bright young things in search of glamour and good times. You can experience it yourself starting tomorrow, May 16. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

N.B. In keeping with my policy of full disclosure, guests of the pre-opening received a Lomography camera and a fine chocolate bar emblazoned with an image of the hotel's exterior. No further gift or remuneration were solicited or received.

Fashion: Isabella Blow Collection To Be Exhibited (Finally)!

2013-05-13T18:34:37+02:00

So, so happy to learn that the entire collection of magnificent garments (many by Alexander McQueen) and hats (many by Philip Treacy) collected by the late stylist and muse Isabella Blow will finally be exhibited at London's Somerset House from November 2013 to March 2014. This deserves a massive shout out to Daphne Guinness without whom this exhibit might not have happened at all. Many thanks to you Ms. Guinness! I can hardly wait to see it!!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Travel: Off To Seville!

2013-04-29T11:32:09+02:00

Dear Readers: I'm off in search of a little Andalusian sun, culture and hospitality this week. I will resume my normal posting schedule next Monday.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

A Toast To The Weekend!

2013-04-26T08:45:32+02:00

It's Friday and the weekend is only a few short hours away. That deserves a toast! Raise your glass to the weekend, raise it high, raise it often! A lovely weekend to all.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

"This Space Available": The Limits Of Branding.

2013-04-25T10:21:39+02:00

As consumers, we are bombarded with branding and advertising messages virtually from the moment we wake in the morning until we drift off to sleep at night. The growth of social media and mobile technology has only escalated this phenomenon. We rarely have time to stop and ask ourselves about the impact of this constant barrage of information not only on our purchasing behavior but on our perception of the world around us.

Prompted by the city of Sao Paolo's decision to ban virtually all outdoor advertising as a measure to combat visual pollution, the father/daughter team of Marc Gobé (a branding expert) and Gwenaelle Gobé (a filmmaker) set out in 2011 to examine the impact of this measure on the city's residents. The film, entitled "This Space Available", offers some interesting insights into how our perception of our environement is distorted by the constant barrage of billboards and adverts that greet us every day. It has already been acclaimed at various film festivals around the world so you may already have seen it or at least heard of it. I've been rethinking about it lately in light of the increasing presence of brands on social media networks.

I see an obvious parallel between the appropriation by brands of public space for commercial purposes with the appropriation by brands of social media platforms (many of which were never designed for marketing purposes at all). From where I sit, I see an increasing amount of chatter and most disturbingly of all, commercial messages disguised as editorial content with no disclosure. I think the film offers a great deal of food for thought for both brands and consumers. If you've had the opportunity to see it, please let me know what you think.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Gay Marriage Legislation Adopted in France: Welcome To The Club!

2013-04-24T09:50:35+02:00

So, have you set a date???

Congratulations to all my French gay friends! You now have the legal right to marry. How exciting!! Of course, you do realize that with that right comes certain responsibilities (obviously), not to mention lots and lots of questions from well-intentioned friends and loved ones: "So, when are you going to settle down?" and, "He/she is lovely. What are you waiting for to pop the question?" and, "So, have you set a date yet?".

And that's only the start. Wait until you actually do set the date and then all hell breaks loose amongst those well-intentioned friends and loved ones over the guest list, choice of venue, seating plans, flower arrangements, etc., etc. Oh the joy that awaits you then!!

But really, no pressure. Marriage after all is an important decision and you don't want to enter into it lightly. Just know that my dancing shoes are ready and I look forward to dancing at your weddings. By the way, have you set the date???

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Lucky 13: Viktor & Rolf Return To Haute Couture.

2013-04-23T10:33:04+02:00

After a thirteen-year absence from the haute couture calendar, Dutch design duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren will be returning to the Paris runway this coming July 2013. If you, like Christian Dior (the man, not the brand), view the role of haute couture in fashion's ecosystem to be a sort of incubator of ideas, then this announcement should be cause for celebration.

After seeing the restrospective of their work at the Barbican Art Gallery in London in 2008, I came away with the impression that the work of Viktor & Rolf is probably as close to the creativity inspired by the Surrealists that emerged in Paris during the 1930's as our generation will ever get. Given the current state of the fashion industry, a dose of their particular brand of irony and humour, not to mention their tremendous creativity, will be a welcome addition!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Books: Christian Dior on the Merits of Fashion and Haute Couture

Digital Privacy: An Open Letter To Sheryl Sandberg & Ben Rooney.

2013-04-22T10:36:14+02:00

Dear Ms. Sandberg & Mr. Rooney:

I would like to address with you the April 19 blog post entitled "Facebook Understands Europe's Privacy Fears Says Sandberg" published on the WSJ's "Tech Europe" blog.

In the blog post in question, Ms. Sandberg is attributed the following quotes by Mr. Rooney:

"Far from not understanding European sensitivities to privacy Facebook has become a global leader in technology to help internet users safeguard their privacy and control exactly who can see their personal information."

and

“I believe there is a perception and fear that because we are American we don’t take privacy as seriously as Europeans do.”

Setting aside Ms. Sandberg's rather fanciful claim regarding Facebook's "leadership" role in privacy and data protection for a moment, I would like to address her proposed explanation for the deep distrust Europeans have generally of Facebook and its data collection practices. While cultural differences, as Ms. Sandberg suggests, might be one way of explaining this deep distrust, I would like to suggest that Facebook's credibility problem in Europe (and beyond) may in fact be due to a number of other considerations which neither Ms. Sandberg nor Mr. Rooney bothered to address.

I don't think it would be unreasonable to suggest for instance that Europe's deep distrust of Facebook might stem from the fact that the company's entire business model is built on its ability to collect and exploit people's personal information unfettered by data collection and privacy protection laws. In fact, so crucial is FB's continued ability to stockpile and exploit its users' personal data that on pages 17-20 of it's IPO prospectus, the company lists as one of the key risks to its business "U.S. and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection, and other matters." FB also lists "Unfavorable publicity regarding, for example, our privacy practices (…)" as another key risk to its business interests.

Another potential explanation might be the fact that in anticipation of the debate over consumer privacy legislation in the U.S., Facebook recruited several high profiled lobbyists including former deputy White House chief of staff Joel Kaplan, a man widely credited with helping President George W. Bush's administration successfully shepherd the highly invasive Patriot Act through Congress. Moreover, Facebook along with Google and other Silicon Valley giants, is currently engaged in similar efforts to stymie proposed European legislation that would strengthen privacy protections for European consumers.

Yet another possible explanation might be the fact that while virtually each new feature rolled out by Facebook has been designed to encourage people to "share" more and more personal information, each new change to its privacy policy has to date been designed to water down users' privacy protections.

Or, another potential explanation might be that over the course of Facebook's short history, it has already garnered a truly impressive list of class action suits and investigations by public bodies relating to its privacy and data collection practices including at least one instance where the company settled a complaint relating to the deception of customers and the violation of U.S. federal law.

Or, stll another possible explanation could be that while Facebook once claimed that it wasn't tracking users across the Web after they had logged out of their accounts, it subsequently admitted that it had and moreover, it was later revealed that Facebook had applied for and received a patent on technology enabling it to do just that.

I could go on and point out in response to Ms. Sandberg's claim that the Irish Data Protection Commissioner declared the company to be in compliance with data collection practices, that she conveniently left out the fact the Irish DPC's decision is currently facing legal challenge by an Austrian data protection group called Europe v. Facebook but that might be overkill on my part.

Of course, Ms. Sandberg as Facebook's COO has a significant financial interest in the company's viability which might account for her rather rosy portrayal of FB's record on privacy and data collection practices (even though in this case, her account sounds more like outright fantasy than positive spin). The real travesty is the fact that Mr. Rooney, a journalist and editor, actually thought this post was fit to be published at all. It has me wondering whether the blog post is in fact sponsored content courtesy of Facebook's public relations department. If it is indeed sponsored content, shame on you Mr. Rooney for failing to disclose it to WSJ's readers. If it's not, shame on you for publishing such an egregiously shoddy piece of journalism.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

A Toast To The Weekend!

2013-04-19T09:00:00+02:00

I'm totally into Megan's groovy pantsuit with it's nod to the early 70's fashions about to make their entrance on the Mad Men series but suffice it to say that the tiny little glasses she and Don are about to toast with are simply and wholly inadequate. Join me in raising a (much larger) glass in toast to the impending weekend! Enjoy your well-earned rest!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

The Very Long Schiaparelli Striptease (Finally) Draws To An End. Almost.

2013-04-18T11:18:39+02:00

First came the announcement that the fabled house of Schiaparelli had been acquired by Italian financier and Tod's owner Diego Della Valle way, way back in May 2007. Much speculation ensued about the identity of the eventual designer who would be entrusted with reviving the house until it dragged on for so long that everyone lost interest and moved on.

Then, in May 2012, Della Valle announced that the uber-elegant Farida Khelfa, muse to both Jean Paul Gauthier and Azzedine Alaia, had been appointed brand ambassadress, a move that calls to mind Della Valle's choice of the equally elegant Ines de la Fressange to guide designer Bruno Frisoni's revival of the Roger Vivier brand a decade ago. Everyone applauded and speculation about an imminent appointment of a designer began anew. Moreover, Ms. Khelfa announced at last November's IHT Luxury Conference in Rome that the brand would be unveiling a haute couture collection this coming July. Cue renewed speculation and excitement but still no designer.

Last week, we learned from WWD that Marco Zanini (an alumnus of Versace and Halston currently ensconced at Rochas) perhaps may be headed to Schiaparelli (the leak remains unconfirmed to date) while yesterday, it was announced that Christian Lacroix will be designing the brand's upcoming couture collection. The latter will be a one-off collection composed of fifteen pieces which will reinterpret Schiaparelli's most iconic pieces. According to press reports, his mini-collection will then be followed by various artist collaborations, a nod to the founder's affection for the surrealist movement, details of which often found their way into her couture creations.

I'll be perfectly honest. I'm just a little bit baffled by the unfolding of the Schiaparelli relaunch. No doubt this stems in part from the fact that Della Valle's orchestration of the Roger Vivier brand revival has become a virtual blue print for operations of this type for its graceful restraint and flawless execution. I simply don't understand why the house of Schiaparelli needs a haute couture collection designed by one designer and a pret-a-porter collection designed by another. I also don't understand why we need a one-off collection revisiting Schiaparelli's most iconic designs. Wouldn't an updated version of her most successful designs (like the updated Roger Vivier Pilgrim buckle shoe) be the key to seducing the monied customer with a discerning eye and a taste for whimsical details? Then again, what do I know? I'm just a consumer.

We'll all just have to wait some more.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles