[I] was so thrilled last week to attend the book launch of fashion illustrator Megan Hess at the Le Bristol Hotel in the heart of Paris. Her new book “New York through the Fashion Eye” was a wonderful walk down memory lane for me with all the sparkle and glamour that makes New York the fashion capital it is. Flipping through the book brought back a rush of memories and made me, for a moment, homesick for the city that had become my adopted hometown. Even as I spend this extended time in France, I do still feel like a New Yorker and this book was a reminder of all the beauty she bestows.
The fashionable event was held at the historic Le Bristol Paris, a five star luxury hotel in operation since 1925 and is one of my absolute favorite Parisian hotels. The hotel is part of the Oetker Collection which has announced the Australian born illustrator as their ongoing artist in residence and will be traveling the world to all Oetker properties creating exclusive fashion and lifestyle illustrations for the luxury brand.
After the event I checked into my room on the 8th floor. Always breathtaking, the Le Bristol is classically French from the linens and drapes to the Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture and of course, the Eiffel Tower views her windows gaze out upon. What The Carlyle Hotel is to New York, the Le Bristol is to Paris…. that perfectly Parisian dream.
Enjoying the soft morning light of my hotel room vanity with my current favorite beauty products: Darphin for sensitive skin, Chantecaille liquid lumiére, Aerin Rose Lip Conditioner, Tata Harper Cheek Tint, and Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Lighting kit.
Above, illustrator Megan Hess with her newly published book of fashion illustrations “New York through the Fashion Eye“.
Enjoying the balcony views in a two piece wool Christine Alcalay ensemble and Ralph Lauren heels before heading to dinner at Arpege, a three star Michelin restaurant by chef Alain Passard. The very vegetarian menu changes daily based on what comes out of the restaurants own gardens. After watching the Chef’s Table France I was very taken by Chef Passard’s approach to focusing on vegetables as the main star in a heightened culinary experience.
When I first started my extended stay in France a follower recommended this book “Every Frenchman Has One” by Olivia de Havilland who was an actress in the golden era of Hollywood who moved to Paris in the 1950s after falling in love with a Frenchman. This book is a reflection of her rocky transition into a new culture, some of which I have experienced in modern day just the same.
