Francophilia: Hedi snapped Yves and Yves snapped at Tom!

While he keeps the entire fashion world hoping that his much-wished-for return to design is imminent (but let's not play fashion musical chairs here), Hedi Slimane released this week a group of images that reaffirm what we all knew: this is one talented guy! Shot in black and white, of course, and in the atmospheric yet promising style that has come to be known as very Hedi - just like one of his YSL Homme skinny black suits - they stand out from the rest, that can be seen on his website, due to an air of nostalgia that hangs around them and slight feeling of sadness that his superb portraits of rockers and skaters stick well away from. The subject? The late - but so present in recent collections - Yves Saint Laurent!

Hedi shot backstage at le maître's swan song of a show in 2002 and I find these so beautiful and clean and powerful. Don't all the women (the choice of word over 'models' purposeful) look beautiful, elegant and strong? Like they are about to have a helluva time? And is that a look of worry on Monsieur Saint Laurent's face or melancholy? Still, it is this first image of Yves et Pierre that I find most touching. A great love, an era-defining empire, a beautiful friendship.

And if this all seems too sugary for you, here's Tom Ford talking about some pretty special 'fan mail' he got in his days at YSL from Yves himself. And yes, Tom - we'd all care to see that book even if you're 105!

All images by Hedi Slimane and video by CNN.

Francophilia: Yves et L'Amour Fou.

Reading the Q&A with director Pierre Thoretton in the New York Times' T magazine has got me even more excited to see L'Amour Fou, the documentary on the relationship between Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé as seen through the sale of their mouth-watering art collection. Not that further encouragement was necessary, you understand, but I've always been particularly interested in Monsieur Bergé and intrigued, not alone in this, by his decision to let go of their art collection right after Yves's death.

What also got me excited about L'Amour Fou is the rare footage the director has included of a giddy and young Yves Saint Laurent facing Bergé's camera and delivering his answers to his Proust Questionnaire (Bergé's voice can be heard asking the questions). You can see the clip here.

I will not even attempt the pointless task of rounding up the sheer talent and genius of Saint Laurent here but the interview did bring back memories of the seminal YSL retrospective exhibition that I saw in Paris last year (and never posted about, well done me!). If the sign of a master, in any field, is having a design stand the test of time and appear as relevant and desirable decades later as when it originally appeared then Monsieur Yves is The Master of them all. I even managed to sneakily take some pics (forbidden at the exhibition) and face the contempt of two chic but formidable French madames, (whose advanced age stopped me from responding) who confronted me in front of the Mondrian dress! Paris, you never fail me, I though, offered them a smile and moved on.

The giddy young Yves of the Proust clip is really a sight to behold, in sharp contrast, of course, to the older, frail designer taking his final bow in 2002. And so is the even younger Yves on the clip below, appearing at the US television show What's My Line in 1965, to promote his perfume Y. So pretty, chic and sweet - and so hilarious in retrospect to hear the presenter praise the young Yves and wish him success with the perfume. "He might go places, this kid", you can almost hear him think. And he did, Monsieur. He really did!

L'Amour Fou trailer by IFC Films, What's My Line clip by CBS, YSL exhibition images by moi.

Francophilia: Sam Sits - Patiently! - For Louis Vuitton!

Earlier this week I went along to a private viewing of Louis Vuitton's latest film project, Double Exposure (a very intriguing name, don't you think?). A series of portraits - styled by Bay Garnett and shot by photographer Tom Craig with the 19th century 'wet plate' photographic process, is accompanied by a very 21st century digital film where the subject - the first being the always-interesting Sam Taylor-Wood - shares some of their dearest, most treasured possessions and the stories behind them.

I wrote in more detail about the project for Grazia Daily so take a look here and scroll down this page for the film itself. A further three subjects will be revealed soon and I can't wait to see who will be next. Frankly, anyone that's already starred in a Louis Vuitton Core Values ad (Francis Ford and Sofia Coppola, Buzz Aldrin, Mikhail Baryshnikov) will do just fine!

Film by Louis Vuitton, images by myself.

Francophilia: Charles and Valentine.

The collaboration between Charles Anastase and Valentine Fillol Cordier is more than just a suitable work arrangement. You do get the feeling these two London-based French expats have a close relationship, understanding each other deeper than 'this season's look'. Or at least, I do and this adds that extra little touch to how I view Charle's collections. Valentine, I love; her personal style, that effortless manner that breaths a chic practicality to her looks only Parisian girls seem to get just-right but combined with a touch of London attitude. These are some images from the Charles Anastase Resort '11 collection that she has styled, as shot by Jessy Adams. I love the patent black raincoat, the white shirt, the ankle length black trousers and high-waist washed jeans and yes, the shiny, sparkly gold jacket! In fact, these images even make me want crazy curly curls and this is how whatever Charles and Valentine do gets in my head!

All images by Jessy Adams for Charles Anastase.

Francophilia: The day a café saved my life!

Tying-in smoothly with the last Paris-focused post, this is a big Thank You! to the lovely Tommy, the proprietor of Mamie Gateaux, his delicious fig tart and the blog world in general and if you think I've gone and lost my mind, well, you've never really known me after all!

This lovely café did save my life - or at least my day! - when I made my way to it after another of those long, tiring days when I think Paris is a postcard and not a modern city, and walk and wander and get lost to the point of exhaustion. Throwing myself on one of its outside chairs and immediately falling in love with the floral print cover on the table in front of me (one that my grandmother probably has) I sent a mental thank you to Tommy whose lovely posts about Mamie Gateaux inspired me to visit. The owner was lovely, the little menu he handed me even lovelier and the crumbly and sticky slice of fig tart I chose (not really a choice as I'm programmed to opt for whatever is on the menu with the word fig next to it) was, you guessed it...divine! A tasse de café gave me energy and a few pages of my book later (can you guess which one it was?) I was off, walking and wandering and getting lost all over again!

Francophilia: Merci Paris!

I've promised to not do the whole 'I haven't posted anything in ages, lazy Kiki, bad Kiki' thing so I won't. A promise is a promise and all that but still, forgive me readers for I have sinned! I went to Paris and the Versailles and took hundreds of pics and yet I posted...none, nothing, rien. I went to the Maison Martin Margiela exhibition still on show at Somerset House here in too-hot-to-handle London and took dozens of illegal pics (photography is not allowed) and yet I posted...a big fat nada. I've had delicious tea and cake at Lanka with lovely friends and took...well, no pics whatsoever as I greedily ate it all far too quickly to even consider snapping them for your viewing pleasure so no post there. You get the point.

So, expect to see posts on all the above and more soon. At the moment, I'm at a Le Pain Quotidien, lunching on a crab and avocado tartine and an iced cappuccino determined to get a few of these babies out there to you. Don't hold your breaths!

On that visit to Paris, while T and his buddies holed themselves up at some digital animation/short film/blah blah/geeks-rule (and they do and I love them for it!) conference I finally got to see the retail wonder that is Merci. I had read so much about it I probably expected to find The Missing Link but what was there certainly did not disappoint. Far from it. I was impressed with the space itself, the easy nature of the whole place, the interesting selection of product and - well, are you surprised? - the buzzy café downstairs. As the girl that loves nothing more than a walk through the kitchen department of John Lewis on a spare day, I spent more time at the equivalent space at Merci than the fashion area and happily snapped away until I realised I had to be somewhere else, reluctantly left, promised to come back and have at least a coffee at the café and walked outside, yet again managing to get lost in the backstreets of Paris!

Although if you did follow one of these bags out of the store and through the 3rd arrondissement's streets I doubt you'd end up to The Famous Columbia Rd. Flower Market. But still, funny to see them on sale here!

FRANCOPHILIA: La Maison LV c'est chic!

The brand sparkling new Louis Vuitton Maison in London will be open to le public this Friday and following last night's epic sounding opening party - Anjelica Huston and Donna Summer in the same room! - today was a chance for press to be given le grand tour (oh oui, the mock french will go on and on). The space is incredible, vast, full of merchandise, art and trinkets to look at and yet light and intimate, all thanks to Mr Marino, of course. Think of it as walk through a friend's beautiful apartment or more precisely your friend Marc Jacob's apartment. I have a lovely book full of info on the store but as I can't wait to post some images it will have to wait. I think these speak for themselves. Oh, and pardon for the small size, in typical Kiki fashion my camera's battery ran out before the first shot was taken so these come courtesy of le Blackberry. Prepare for a Louis Vuitton image marathon!

Louis Vuitton 17-20 New Bond Street, London