Fashionistas, a heartthrob and the magnificent pyramid
Bonjour, Paris! A glorious sunny day in October always brings out the Parisiennes and tourists outdoors to take in the sun at the chic sidewalk cafes along Champs Elysees, St. Germaine de Pres, around the Opera district, the Louvre, and the parks around the city.
On a day like this, I decided to roam around the city with my partner in fashion and cultural meanderings, Jojo Banaag, a resident of Paris for the past 30 years and someone who knows the city like the palm of his hand.
As we got out of the Metro at the Place de la Concorde, we noticed some young fashionistas around the fountain, delighting themselves in taking photos of each other. They did not mind that we joined in their pictorial; in fact, they were so thrilled to pose for us. One pretty jeune fille in a layered pastel dress was having fun playing around the fountain with no inhibitions, taking off her Repetto ballerina shoes while she wet her feet in the water. Out of curiosity, I asked them what their interests are and found out that they are not merely bon vivants but have serious ambitions in life.
Two are working as graphic artists in an ad agency, one is studying foreign relations and wants to be a diplomat, and the other one is studying journalism and wants to be a press attaché for famous people. This got me thinking that youth is not wasted on the young! The youth of today really know what is going for them and with the modern technology of this era in every field of endeavor, they have countless opportunities that our generation and past generations before us did not have.
It was time to set off for the street of the rich and very rich — Faubourg St. Honore — to do some window shopping. We decided to check out the Hermes store where we noticed a good number of Asians (including a Filipina lady) buying or putting orders for the much desired, but very pricey Birkin and Kelly bags. While waiting endlessly for Jojo B. to pay for the stuff that he bought, I asked a sales lady if the store was this busy every day and she said, “Oui, Madam, it is Christmas Day in Hermes every day!”
What recession are the economists talking about? I did not see it in Hermes, where the clients seemed oblivious of the R word.
It was time for high tea and it was on our itinerary to go to our favorite tea place, Laduree at St. Germain. On our way to Laduree, someone tapped JoJo B. on the shoulder and a tall, dark and handsome, Enrique Iglesias look-alike stood in front of him. He turned out to be Daniel Lundh, who lives in the same apartment building as Jojo B. and whom he has known for years. The young aspiring actor has just finished doing a film with Woody Allen in Paris. The film, Midnight in Paris, has an impressive cast of stellar actors including Oscar best actor awardee Adrienne Brody, who plays Salvador Dali; Oscar best actress Marion Cotillard, who plays the muse of Picasso and Hemingway; France’s First Lady Carla Bruni, who plays a museum director; Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, a tormented married couple trying to save their embittered union. Daniel Lundh himself plays a Spanish toreador, this much he divulged before bidding us adieu. He was not allowed by his agent to talk about the storyline so he could not tell us more. But I extracted a promise to interview him, which he willingly gave, date to be texted after he consulted his agenda book. I instantly liked his unassuming, no-airs attitude and heartthrob looks, which he said he inherited from his Moroccan mother.
After Daniel left, Jojo B. told me that Daniel’s father was a Swedish diplomat who served in many countries and that’s why Daniel is fluent in five languages including Spanish, which he had to speak in his role as a Spanish matador in the Woody Allen film.
At Laduree, after we placed our orders, Jojo B. whispered to me that the handsome hunk seated one table away was Gaspard Uliel, a French movie star who is currently the fantasy of every young girl in France. He warned me not to even attempt to take a photo as it could be very embarrassing if he turned me down. When I told my two young nieces about him, they literally swooned. It was a star-studded afternoon, even if the stars are not known in our part of the world.
We next hit the Bon Marché store, which had an ongoing sale and very interesting designer shoes and dresses on reduced prices. But the euro being a strong currency, the prices still came out higher than USA and Asia.
It was getting late so I insisted on heading to the Louvre Museum, which I try to visit every time I am in Paris. IM Pei’s Pyramid glowed like a mountain of gold in the dark. There it was, the perfect cone, drawing countless visitors till close to midnight. As we sat enjoying our glass of wine at the terrace of the Louvre’s Cafe Marly fronting the Pyramid, I could not help but say a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving for this wonderful opportunity of being in Paris, the City of Lights, and many other delights as well.
