Paris '99 in Paris 2013 pt1!

Hello dear '99ers!

About a year ago, a dear dear friend of mine announced the date for his wedding, to be held somewhere in Israel. I was overjoyed and began to make preparations, at which time my bestiest of friends Maria, announced her interest in joining me, making me even more overjoyed! And even more-so when we decided together to add some time in Paris and London to proceedings.
The following posts chronicle our 3 week extravaganza trip in the heat the European summer, and what wonderful heat it is! Enjoy!

We must have had the air-plane gods on our side; spare seats, a two in a row window/aisle combo, and remarkably few screaming children. A pick me up coffee and massage at Bangkok airport and we were on our way to a 6am landing in Tel Aviv, which was really a self made 'transit' (of course we had to collect our baggage and pass Israeli security twice in the process), before finally arriving in Paris almost 40 hours later, hooray!

For those who are seeking a place to stay in Paris that is actually local and not over-run by tourists, I highly recommend the Oberkampf area nuzzled in between the Marais and Republique. Think of it like Northcote, Collingwood and Fitzroy all in one. Grungy, scungy, hipster, vibing and fun. I had actually stayed in the same hotel when we went to Paris for fashion week with A.F Vandevorst, and I actually bumped into Arnaud, the owner of the awesome showroom that A.F use every season. Even though the last time we'd met was 2009 he remembered me as the one from Australia, I must be memorable haha!

Rue St. Maur, and a sneaky snap of the entryway to what is the A.F Vandevorst showroom; the memories!

So, in Paris, one must trudge, hit the curb and not stop. Well, that's how we saw it anyway. Leaving the hotel at 8 every morning and returning sometime around 11 or 12 at night while on foot 90% of the time soft feet doth not make! In fact I didn't realise that such blisters could actually exist! (Don't worry, everything has since subsided and my feet are back to normal as such...).

A summary of our foot coverage. From Republique to the Av. Montaigne, then down way south past the Rive Gauche (thinking we were heading back north, nope). From the Tour Eiffel back along Rue de Rivoli towards the Marais, with a detour to Sacre Couer and Montmartre into the 16th by way of the Quartier Latin. Yes, here there and everywhere. Add to that a firm stroll along St. Honore (ay) and the Place Vendome and literally the fastest mega tour through Le Louvre (every floor of all three wings visiting every room that was open) in 3.25 hours and you could say we definitely 'did' Paris!

First dinner in Paris!

Place de la Republique!

Tango at Republique, 11pm on Tuesday night, ahh Paris!

The Chambre Syndicale! So many have walked through its famed doors!

Perhaps my favourite place to wander, wonder and relax a Paris, the Palais Royale!

I've been informed Parisians find this annoying and touristy. I tend to agree.

Our first glimpse of the Tour!

Another Tour, of St Jacques. As we walked past here a good friend (Stellsy) recounted the story of when another gorgeous girl (Low-Ren) was working for Kanye on his collection and he told her to drop her pants! Imagine what you would do/think/say/squeal!

Chicken salad after chicken devoured. One of the countless amazing meals we enjoyed on the corner of a fabulous terrace, with bread, butter, cheese and the most divine mustard! Oh, and L'eau de Robinet (which the waiters hate so much when you ask for!)

Stunning evening view from one of windows at Le Louvre!

The Tour close up; we came, we shrugged, we didn't climb, we left.

Sacre Couer, we came, we climbed (proper steps steps btw), we entered, we left. Duh.

Quintessence.

As close as I got to the Arc this time, unless you count the zoom of course.

Last Petit Dejeuner in Paris, and as luck would have it, the best! xx!

Et Voila, first one down. Come back in a few days for installment two; Fashion and Art in Paris 2013! xxxx

Jack Jacket Jackety goodness!

Hello again all my lovely Paris '99ers!

So besides celebrating our 2nd birthday this week we are also celebrating the wonder that is/are (?) jackets!

You all know I love, LOVE, a jacket, I actually have about 52 of my own, and that number is always growing, obsess much! 

It's also no surprise that throughout the two years of the salon, I dare say that my most collected garment category is most likely jackets; blazers, bombers, bikers, slim, boxy, round shouldered, pointy shoulder, seamed around the bust (throwback to an amazing YSL Tom Ford I had once, will post soon) double breasted, single breasted, triple breasted, well not yet, but one day I'm sure!

Here are 4, well, 3 jackets and one coat that I couldn't resist showing you, each one different to the next in its design and detail, but all worthy of attention and of course a good home!

Enjoy, voila!

This Dries Van Noten pure silk, just too big to be a dobby yet just too small to be a jacquard, though I guess a dobby is a mini jacquard. This is purely technical textile talk, for you tex-heads out there haha.

Anyway, you could almost see this pattern as a being on a tie but slightly blown up. They are little thatched crosses which are on grain, but of course like all patterns come off the grain on the curves, and that's where it gets interesting.

The fabric is not exactly crispy, it's more flaky, don't be perturbed or put off by this description, it feels rather lovely, and the lining is a luxurious twill weave. Silk is soft, and warm, and this jacket, though perfect for spring, can be layered with a few fine woollen knits underneath and a thicker coat on top, and on arrival becomes the centrepiece!

The thing that does it for me is Dries always does something to slightly subvert his designs. Minus the black grosgrain band this would jacket would be a little trapeze a little box; but the position of the ribbon actually distorts the proportions. It shrinks the jacket inwards, almost as if you are hunching over as though there is a backpack on your shoulders. Good old Dries, nothing is ever just 'pretty' with him, and I love it!

PS, any jacket that has working cuff buttons is excellent in my books! hahahaha :)

Moschino, the joker of fashion. AIDS, The Fashion System, Hippies, the Circus, the Wild West, every theme covered in a tongue in cheek manner, yet with the highest quality finishings and attention to detail, Italian after all si!
This jacket is particularly great, it's so surprising! The front is simple cut blazer, with a little hint of what's happening at the back. The neat row of contrast white top stitching. And Boom!, turn around, or if viewed from the back, the same thing; stark white with a fine trail of black. Guess, what, it's a bit Corporate Cruella, a bit high strung tight bun librarian with a little sense of humour. She's black, she's white, Pierrot, chess board, I'm now stream of consciousnessing, and I'll stop.
Workable cuff buttons of course! in an almost resin carved heart shape; also a recurring happening with Moschino, because fashion is love! LOVE!

So here is the sneaky coat, forgive me. Calvin Klein, the king of restrained sexiness in his clothes, and almost raw sexiness in his campaigns, Brooke, Kate, Travis, Lara et all. Boobs and teeth, but always in black and white, erotic, not slutty. Excellent.
What I love about this otherwise long line, man style coat, well first of all its a long line man style coat :P, and secondly, is the full leather facing which could have easily stopped at the edge of the lapel, but continues all the way down. It give an amazing anchor to the coat, lengthens the line, elongates the figure, and contrasts with the potentially meh brown wool as a shiny, sharp, modern insert. Funnily enough it feminised the coat completely, let me know if you agree, and come and try it on to see! xx

Finally, and not because of the position of his name in the alphabet, we finish with the majestic Yohji Yamamoto. He who popularised the rip-torn, oversized, black is black is black look so synonymous with art gallery owners and architects since the 1980's; yours truly wears it too, I guess Paris '99 is some sort of an interactive gallery, yes, haha.
Where many feel that fashion is about highlighting, flattering and perhaps 'thinning out' the wearer, I love that the Japanese approach is more about the garment and its relationship around the body, rather than what I described at the beginning of this sentence/paragraph. (Enter) ;)
With this in mind, observe below. Instead of lengthening the legs by being cut cropped around the waist, this jacket actually lowers the hemline and pretty much spreads out around the hips, with what I've decided are kind of, amphibian, fin like bursts of volume. This reminds of me a penguin, all torso no legs, and I think its amazing. If it fit me across the shoulders I would probably wear it myself! Detail is the key; look at the 'shoe lace' edging that is so perfectly sewn around the little vents at the cuffs, with just the hint of white thrown in for good measure. And only one side of the lapel is given the same treatment, the subtle asymmetry is just imperfectly perfect. I also love how the lower down snap fasten means that the bust line is left just that little bit exposed, so if you want to sex it up in this jacket, just wear a bra, or nothing at all!
Favourite piece from all the ones from today, what think you?
xx

Happy Bon Birthday Anniversaire Paris '99!

All my dear Paris '99ers near and far,

I can't tell you how excited I am to be celebrating 2 years at the salon today!
Thank you all for all your support and fabulousness!
To those of us with a penchant for amazing fashion, endless style and no doubt a taste for my many a concocted mixed drinks, (and that water housing Dom Perignon bottle, which will retire today ahh),
Merci Merci!

Looking forward to seeing you all soon and keeping in touch online too!
xxxxxx
Yahav

Design Frenzy

Hello lovely '99ers!
So literally minutes after being visited by and having had a most fabulous time with the amazing Rose McGowan and Greg Cipes, I entered a design frenzy. Till 3am I wrapped, draped, pulled, sliced and pinned, and created three more unique Yahav Ron garments. All are made using the same piece of salvaged khaki wool as in the first 'Cipes' coat as seen in my previous post.

So you know, this series is over, as the fabric has run out, and that's how it works! As for the dress at the very top, well, I had a length of what I've called 'elephant grey' viscose, which was used as sleeves in other pieces, but of course there remained the extras I had to cut off to create the sleeve shape, and well, here they are! Some times mistakes lead to gold, and the main body of the dress was a sleeve that I had cut on the wrong side of the seam! Oh no!
After a minute of head on the ground, in sadness, and tiredness obviously, I draped it back on to my slim lady and found it made a rather nice halter-esque piece. The parachute skirt was added later and you know what, I love it!
As you know, I try to elimate cutting and manipulate the fabric to function as a garment in a whole piece through different sized and length slits, snap fasteners and more, and the three pieces have been constructed in this way. A sleeveless vest, collar down, resembles a detective style cutaway vest with contrast wool facing, so soft on the skin. Collar up and around the front, the back is sharp and lean, the front allows for spontaneous folds to occur like a scarf.
The second tricky tricky piece is a shawl-cum-wrap-cum-coat-cum-top-cum-whatever-you-like!
Turn in inside out, back to front, upside down, snapped over itself, left to flow free, folded around, tucked it, the possibilities are endless, and so is the use of commas in this sentence :S haha.
And finally, a little scarf-vest worn around the neck with reference to the back finishes off this session, how much fun!
Next up, some beautifully deep deep red wool that must be made into scrumptious things for winter, wish me luck! xx