subscribe to style file blog via RSSThe Best Places For A Parisian Pre-Party
March 3, 2009 12:38 pm
By the time Paris fashion week arrives, editors and models alike are suffering from sore feet, fried hair, and perhaps one too many swigs of Champagne. The solution? No, it’s not more under-eye concealer; it’s serious beautification—from your abs to your aura. We scoured the City of Light for the best places to rejuvenate, refresh, and—just in time for that intimate Chanel dinner on the 10th—impress.
Delphine Courteille
Ever wondered who French fashion PRs turn to when they need to pull it together for fashion week? Delphine Courteille, a longtime protégée of hair maestro Odile Gilbert—with whom she is working backstage this season at Lagerfeld Gallery, Hermès, Rykiel, Vanessa Bruno, and Nina Ricci, among others—has spent the past decade traveling the world for fashion shows, photo shoots, and private customers. In late December, Courteille opened a place to call her own. “The name Studio 34 comes from all the ideas I pick up from shows and shoots,” she told Style.com. Fellow backstage stars—makeup artist Rafael Pita (brother of Orlando) and manicurist Marcea Gomes—are on hand to help her realize the vision, as is color virtuoso Jean-Luc Fouillade, formerly of Christophe Robin. Rates: €150 euros (about $190) for a haircut, €200 (about $255) for une grande transformation.
34 rue du Mont Thabor, Paris, www.delphinecourteille.com, court.del@infonie.fr.
L’Usine
Paris has never been known for a workout scene to rival its American counterparts, but L’Usine has set out to change all that. Just look at its roster of clients: Marc Jacobs, Diane Kruger, Rick Owens, and Lenny Kravitz all keep fit here when they’re in town. The chic chocolate and bronze decor, comfortingly discreet ambience, and that ever elusive commodity—towel service worthy of the name—make L’Usine the city’s top sweatshop. Following the flagship’s success, the L’Usine team opened a second venue in January near the Centre Pompidou. During fashion week, a €40 daily fee grants open access to all facilities and classes, so fitness junkies can spin, stretch, and pump to their heart’s content. One caveat: Membership is full up at the original space, so head to the new Beaubourg location for easiest access and best hours.
8 rue de la Michodière (original space), and 16-20
rue Quincampoix, Paris, www.usineopera.com.
Julie Imperiali
A onetime classic dancer, former national champion of France in aerobics, and member of one of the noblest of Italian families by marriage, Julie Imperiali is a fitness/wellness guru with an A-list clientele—not least among them is France’s First Couple (she and Carla Bruni met four years ago, when Imperiali was fitness manager at the Ritz). This month, she is putting the final touches on a space where clients can receive her signature “holistic, global, and made-to-measure” fitness, nutrition, and well-being program, or even just a massage. “I wanted to create a space that was cozy, that resembles my philosophy,” she told Style.com. In other words: No group classes here; the whole principle is based on personalized sessions of one or two hours. The Espace Julie Imperiali won’t be open this fashion week, but the address is worth holding on to.
33 boulevard de la Tour Maubourg, Paris, www.tectonicworkout.com, espacejulieimperiali@gmail.com.
tags: Delphine Courteille, Diane Kruger, Hermes, Julie Imperiali, L'Usine, Lenny Kravitz, Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci, Rick Owens
