Created in 1843, Le Prix de Diane Longines, also known as ‘French Oaks’, is the most prestigious horse racing event of the year.  Sponsored by luxury watchmaker Longines, the race itself, a Class 1 categoried competition, crowns the year’s best 3-year-old filly over a distance of 1 mile 2 1/2 furlongs.  Set in the sumptuous surroundings of the Chateau de Chatilly, located just one hour outside of Paris, Le Prix de Diane is more than just an ordinary day at the races.  Famous for its class and elegance, Le Prix de Diane Longines is an extraordinary festival of fashion, food and fun where haute couture headpieces are worn like crowns and picnics come in the fashionable hat boxes that have made the event an international rendez-vous for all filly followers.  Although formal attire is not obligatory, this is surely the chicest picnic you will ever attend, so make sure to dress for the occasion and don’t forget your fancy hat for the sexy star of the Mentalist, Australian actor Simon Baker will be present once again at Le Prix de Diane as the Longines Ambassador of Elegance.

Le Prix de Diane / Diane’s Prize

The grounds to the world renowned Chateau de Chantilly open at 11 am, just in time to collect your priceless picnic basket and find a place on the grass to enjoy the free concert, starring French singer Nolwen Leroy, and savour le culinary creations of your lavish lunch.  While waiting for the festivities to start, meander through Les Jardins de Diane, a temporal creation of lovely garden tents showcasing all of Diane’s Passions, including a variety of boutiques to shop and featuring a select array of services to satisfy all your last minute needs.  The races begin at 2 pm sharp and Le Prix de Diane is run at 3h45 pm.  The finalists of the Mademoiselle Diane by Longines 2103 beauty contest will take to the catwalk at 4h45 pm, with the winner being announced and prizes given out at 5h25 pm.  The last race of the day will run at 7 pm, with the after party hosted by Deezer running on into the night.  For a chance to win tickets to the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris, held at the Hippodrome de Longchamp on July 13, 2013, post your pictures of the day’s events on Instagram before noon on June 21, 2013, labeled with the hashtag #PrixdeDianeLongines.

An Afternoon of Splendor at the Races in Chantilly / Le Prix de Diane Longines
(Sunday June 16, 2013 at 11 am)
Hippodrome de Chantilly   Avenue de la Plaine des Aigles   60500   03 44 62 44 00   Chantilly   
www.prix-de-diane.com

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(Photo Credits: Le Prix de Diane © Regis Grman; Simon Baker © Scoopdyga;  Courtesy of Le Prix de Diane Longines)

In keeping with their artistic heritage, Le Bristol Paris takes advantage of the warmer months to highlight some of the top talents in the contemporary art world.  From now until the end of summer, Le Miroir du Bar lights up every night to the great pleasure of its patrons with a little bit of art for all.  Following in the footsteps of Adrien Missika, Louidgi Beltrame, Christophe Herreros and Philippe Terrier-Hermann, renowned French artist Xavier Veilhan, famous for his monumental sculptures that graced the grounds at the Chateau de Versailles a few years ago, takes his turn at transforming the hippest happy hour in the capital into an authentic artistic experience.

Le Miroir du Bar / The Bar Mirror

For his appearance at the Bar du Bristol, Xavier Veilhan offers an original look at his highly visual world transforming Le Miroir du Bar into a giant video screen.  Each performance is punctuated with the screening of four unique videos, Le Film du Japon (2002), Cruiser (2005), Radiator (2008) and Pendule Dripping (2011), that exhibit the highly creative world of Veilhan, who describes himself as a visual artist that challenges the conceptual notions of reality by manipulating the archetypical and prototypical forms leading us to question the historical and contemporary representations.

 Xavier Veilhan Exposes His Work Every Night at the Bar du Bristol in Paris  -  August 31, 2013
(Showing every night from 8 pm – 9h30 pm)
Le Bristol Paris   112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré   75008   Paris   01 53 43 43 00   M Saint-Philippe-du-Roule
www.lebristolparis.com

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(Photo Credits: An extrait from Le Film du Japon, 2002 © Xavier Veilhan, Courtesy of Le Bristol Paris)

La Maison Lacoste was founded in 1933 by tennis star René Lacoste and his partner André Gillier as a luxury sportswear company specializing in the commercialization of La Chemise Lacoste, otherwise known as the Polo Shirt.  An immediate success in the sporting world, Lacoste began to branch out into men’s and women’s wear in early 2000 with the arrival of artistic director Christophe Lemaire.  Today, Lacoste is one of the most sought after fashion brands with a faithful preppy, yet trendy following living under the guise of the  ‘unconventional chic’.

 Maisons Françaises / French Houses

To celebrate their 80th anniversary, the luxury fashion brand Lacoste invited nine Maisons Françaises to pay tribute to the chic little crocodile that has dominated the world of fashion for the last 80 years.  Each of the privileged guests, who included none other than Baccarat, Bernardaud, Boucheron, Christofle, Fauchon, Goyard, Hermès, S.T. Dupont and Veuve Cliquot came bearing an exclusive gift designed especially for the occasion.  With a show of friendship and admiration, each of the distinguished French Houses took the time to hand craft a very special gift designed with the crocodile in mind.

La Maison Baccarat, famous for their priceless crystal creations, chose to pay tribute to René Lacoste and his legendary sporting family with the creation of a 1930′s style jeweled crystal vase in the iconic shade of green.  Harkening to the award winning husband and wife team, René for his prowess on the tennis court and his wife Simone Thion de la Chaume for her prowess on the golf course, the alternating green rectangles, with the crocodile symbol hidden inside, can be interpreted as either grass tennis courts or putting greens.

La Maison Bernardaud, renowned for their precious porcelain creations, decided to highlight the history of golf in the Lacoste legend by editing a variety of 27 colored golf tees.  Starting with the original white golf tee, which represents the iconic white polo shirt spotted on the court and the course until 1950, then spreading to 26 other symbolic shades that have appeared just about everywhere since, each tee is numbered at the tip and crowned with a crocodile on its base.

La Maison Boucheron, celebrated for their charismatic jeweled creations, chose to perpetuate their preference for animal-inspired creations by designing two crocodile shaped broaches, one made of diamonds and the other made of emeralds.  A romantic gesture that mimics that of René Lacoste’s as he offered his wife Simone a Bucheron broach.

La Maison Cristofle, renowned for their sumptuous silver creations, decided to pay tribute once again to the superior golfing heritage of the Lacoste family, starting with his wife, the champion Simone Thion de la Chaume and continuing with their daughter Catherine Lacoste, a champion in her own right, by designing one of the most exclusive putters ever made…one of solid sterling silver!

La Maison Fauchon, famous for their incredible culinary creations, opted for the traditional French éclair with a very unconventional French flair as they decorated the delicious delights in colors of green and white, stamped with the texture of the polo shirt, with just a few stripes.   Choose from a variety of flavors, ranging from Green Tea to Almond, Vanilla, Lemon, or Strawberry, each dotted with a little green crocodile.

La Maison Goyard, renowned for their luxurious leather creations, decided to create the perfect travel bag, in keeping with the jet-setting life of a professional athlete.  Made of their highly stylized chevron patterned monogram in white leather, the Goyard travel bag is perfectly sized for the woman on the go, piped with the traditional Lacoste green and finished with the emblematic crocodile in the front.

La Maison Hermès, famous for their flawless leather creations, chose to bring the legend of Lacoste back to center court with the design of this incredible crocodile skin tennis bag.  As the story goes, René Lacoste earned the nickname ‘crocodile’ for his tenacious character, and after winning a bet he made with his team captain, his reward was a crocodile suitcase.

La Maison S.T. Dupont, renowned for their luxury accessory creations, offered a secret white leather box containing a crocodile embossed notebook, two distinctive pens, a lighter and two travel sized candles, all in a luxurious travel case that neatly fits into any travel bag.

And last but certainly not least, La Maison Veuve Cliquot, famous for their extraordinary champagne collections, decided to create a unique trolley cart to transport the precious bubbly straight onto the 18th hole for the victory celebration.  For the 80th anniversary of Lacoste, the Veuve Cliquot-Ponsardin is designed to wheel the bottle in with the sound of the cork popping echoing the sound of a golf ball dropping in the hole!

For an exclusive look at all these incredible gifts, head to the Parisian concept store Colette where all of the items above will be on display for a special one week preview.

Lacoste Celebrates 80 Years of Unconventional Chic – June 9 – 16, 2013
Colette   213 Rue Saint Honoré   75001   Paris   M Tuileries
www.colette.fr

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(Photo Credits: All Photos © Courtesy of Lacoste, Paris)

Discovered in Paris in 1998, Noémie Lenoir took off for New York City in the hope of becoming the next best thing on the fashion runway.  The young French girl with the feline features and incredible green eyes joined the Ford Modeling Agency in Manhattan and quickly captured the attention of famous photographers Mario Testino and Peter Lindbergh.  Following a successful career as a top model, gracing the covers of international magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and even Sports Illustrated, Noémie turned her attention to the silver screen where she secured a number of roles in several French productions before joining Pierce Brosnan and Selma Hayek in After the Sunset by Brett Ratner.

Mannequin / Model

In her latest endeavor, the talented Noémie Lenoir follows in the famous footsteps of other audacious women including Arielle Dombasle, Dita Von Teese, Pamela Anderson and Clotilde Courau as she takes to the stage at the legendary Parisian cabaret, Le Crazy Horse, to interpret three choreographed topless dances.  Accustomed to the spotlight and the provocative world of high fashion photography, the sensual siren knows no difficulties when it comes to strutting her stuff on stage.  Accompanied by the Director General of the Crazy Horse, Andrée Deissenberg, and her team of creative collaborators, including Ali Mahdavi and Djanis Bouzyani, Noémie Lenoir gets into character for her three-act performance, featuring numbers entitled ‘Jungle’ and ‘Freedom’, with a little help from the British duo “Monarchy” on the soundtrack and the racy banded costumes imagined by French designer Hervé Leroux.

Tonight in Paris / Noémie Lenoir Guest Stars at the Crazy Horse Cabaret in Paris  -  Through June 8, 2013
Le Crazy Horse   12 Avenue George V   75008   Paris   01 47 23 32 32   M George V
www.lecrazyhorseparis.com

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(Photo Credits:  Noémie Lenoir, 2013 © Antoine Poupel, Courtesy of Le Crazy Horse, Paris)

For the 13th edition of the famous Designer’s Days in Paris, the avant-garde design event continues to renew itself by adopting a brand new visual identity and shortened logo, imagined by the CakeDesign Agency, transforming the international encounter into a hyped up hybrid called D’Days.  Created by Alain Lardet thirteen years ago, Designer’s Days was invented to promote the artistic prowess of French design through a series of visits, exhibitions, talks and tours.  An instant success, the original Designer’s Days won over the Parisian public in record time and developed bit by bit as the years went by.  Today, D’Days attracts journalists, editors, designers and manufacturers from around the world to this unique public exhibition that plays out across the Parisian stage, starting from the Rive Gauche as the point of departure, crossing the River Seine to the Rive Droite, and extending all the way up into the outlying suburb of Pantin in the North of Paris.

Et demain… / And tomorrow…

Each year, Designer’s Days sets up shop around a central theme that not only guides designer’s in their choices but also inspires them in their creations.  This year’s theme is centered around a simple, yet extremely complex, question that coyly asks, Et demain…  In a world that seems to be changing at the speed of light, tomorrow is nearly yesterday and the future is the here and now.  To answer the ominous question of And tomorrow…, todays designer’s didn’t seem to have any difficulty in responding by looking at the numerous propositions from the present luminaries that dot the design trail from the Rive Gauche to the Rive Droite and even Pantin.  In honor of the agricultural world, American designer Hilton McConnico transformed the Place du Palais Royal into a giant field of linen with his installation, ‘LINcroyable Récolte’, creating a field that resembles the French countryside from which it comes, French designer Vincent Darré beckoned to Salvador Dali in his surrealist window installation, ‘L’oeil eclipse la lune’, set in the Haussmannian decor of the Poltrona Frau boutique situated on the Rue du Bac, and the Dutch designer Renny Ramakers brought his famous Droog design to the concept shop Merci with the temporary installtion of the innovative Hotel Droog.

D’Days 2013 / Discovering the Dynamics of French Design  -  June 4-9, 2013
Association Designer’s Days   12 Rue Saint Sabin   75011   Paris   01 40 21 04 88   M Saint Sabin 
www.designersdays.com

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(Photo Credits:  Bathrooms of Tomorrow ©  B’Bath; Astrid Krogh, Sky, 2012, Installation Fibre Optic © Torben Eskero,
Gallery Maria Wettergren; Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec © Musée des Arts Décoratifs; Hotel Droog © Merci;
Courtesy of Designer’s Days, Paris)

Unlike the famous Versailles Castle, which is known to almost everyone, the beautiful City of Versailles remains a mystery to most.  With a desire to introduce the City of Versailles to the visiting public, Deputy Mayor François de Mazières came up with the ingenious idea of rehabilitating the old antique district of Saint Louis to house a royal ‘scent court’.  Located 100 metres from the Chateau de Versailles, La Cour des Senteurs pays tribute to the early perfumers of the time and creates a contemporary dialogue between the castle and the city today.  At the heart of  the renovation lies a desire to revive the gilded age of the French monarchy through the the history of French fragrance.  In the heart of La Cour des Senteurs lies La Maison des Parfums, a small interactive museum that traces the history of French fragrance throughout the centuries, underlying its intrinsic correlation to the City of Versailles itself.

La Cour des Senteurs / The Scent Court

Long before perfume was ever sold to the public, it was secretly manufactured by local artists to please the French monarchy.  Artisans, botanists and chemists alike all bustled with brilliance to create a fragrance that would satisfy the senses of the King.  The reign of Louis XIV was characterized by the therapeutic use of plants and perfume was elevated to the statute of art by Colbert.   The reign of Louis XV was marked by his passion for fragrance, with the other European monarchs baptising his court as ‘the perfumed court’.  The arrival of Louis XVI exposed Marie-Antoinette’s passion for floral fragrances such as rose, violet, lily and above all, jasmine, which tended to dominate the perfume industry for many years to come.  The fragrant history of Versailles began its royal ascension in the 17th century, when perfume became a pretext for luxury and played a role in defining not only the bottled fragrance, but also perfumed pouches, gloves and even fans.  When the master perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon presented a pair of perfumed gloves to Marie-Antoinette, he not only became the official perfumer to the royal family, he also created a fashion trend that would spread well beyond the confines of France.

Le Parfum / Perfume

Heralding the heavy task of representing France, four emblematic brands have masterfully set up shop within the recently renovated grounds of the ancient courtyard.  Upon entering La Cour des Senteurs the visitor is immediately drawn to the beautiful boutique Guerlain, which sits at the entrance to the left, conceived by architect Patricia Grosdemange.  The history of La Maison Guerlain is inherently linked to the royal family tradition, as the first Guerlain boutique in Paris was installed on the ground floor of the Hotel Meurice, home to the royal families of France.  Upon exiting La Maison de Guerlain, the eye immediately looks to La Maison Fabre which beckons from across the cobble stone courtyard.  La Maison Fabre has been transmitting their savoir faire from one generation to another since 1942 to become the first luxury glove maker in the world, transforming an item of necessity into a highly refined and sought after fashion accessory.  After a whiff of the wonderful scented gloves from Fabre, take a peak into the corner boutique diptyque, home to some of the most luxurious candles ever conceived.  Look to your right to find La Maison des Parfums, designed by architect and scenographer Philippe Pumain, which chronologically traces the history of French perfume through a series of interactive screens that tell the tale of this sweet smelling story.

Le Jardin des Senteurs / The Scent Garden

Once your olfactory senses have been sufficiently revived by the pure scents offered in the first three scent boutiques, revive your palette with the pure pleasures offered by the gastronomic greatness of La Maison Lenôtre.  Famous for their particular prowess in producing incredible pastries, La Maison Lenôtre is also a renowned caterer, renowned for preparing luxurious lunches for French celebrities and dignitaries.  Sit down for a sumptuous meal served in a delightful dining area, or simply take away all of the treasures that make Lenôtre what it is today.  To celebrate the opening of La Cour des Senteurs, creative director Guy Krenzer has imagined a magnificent lilac macaron in honor of Marie-Antoinette.  End your ‘scensational’ tour with a walk through the bucolic Jardin des Senteurs, conceived by architect and landscape artist Nicolas Gilsoul, a veritable secret garden of over 200 exceptional plants and herbs that hold the key to the aromatic perfumes present in all of the Scent Court’s boutiques.

A Fragrant Tale of the History of French Perfume / La Cour des Senteurs in Versailles
La Cour des Senteurs   8 Rue de la Chancellerie   78000   Versailles   RER C Versailles Rive Gauche
www.versailles-tourisme.com

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(Photo Credits: All Photos © Courtesy of La Ville de Versailles)

A legend in its own right, the Prince de Galles was created to house its name sake on his annual visits to Paris.  Towards the end of the 1920′s, two men disputed the right to purchase the prestigious plot located on the Avenue George V, known as the Avenue de l’Alma at the time, with each one planning to build a luxury hotel on the premises.  Since no agreement could be reached by the buyers, the Paris Town Hall decided to split the plot in two.  On one side, François Dupré built the Hotel George V, named after the King of England, and on the other side, André Million built the Hotel Prince de Galles, named after the king’s son, the Prince of Wales.  The original decor was designed by André Arfvidson, famous for his Art Deco style.  From the moment the Prince de Galles opened its doors in the spring of 1929, a parade of international celebrities and dignitaries peopled the plush palace halls, starting with Sir Winston Churchill, Orson Welles, Laurel and Hardy, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Gary Cooper and even Elvis Presley.  The legend continued well into the 1980′s, with the arrival of Hollywood legends such as kirk Douglas, Michèle Morgan, Dalida, Michael Jackson and more.

Le Prince de Galles / The Prince of Wales

With the passage of time, however, the Prince de Galles lost its luster and slumbered into a sort of melancholic state.  After two years of renovation, the Prince de Galles, part of the Starwood Luxury Collection, has just reopened to the public in a renewed state of majesty that is as rare as the mastery of this monumental renovation.  Under the guidance of internationally renowned interior designer Pierre Yves Rochon, the Prince de Galles has taken on an incredibly modern and minimalist approach to the restoration of the Art Deco style.  From the exquisitely elegant Makassar furnishings in the entry, custom made to perfectly fit the palatial proportions, to the exceptional hand crafted pieces in the suites, the magnificently restored mosaic tiles, the marble Saint Laurent floors and the sublime chandeliers, every aspect of the hotel, right down to the art deco doorknobs, has been redesigned to pay tribute to the decorative arts tradition of the time.  The fitness room is literally a work of art, the hallways are lined like gallery walls, with fabulously framed black-and-white photographs from the 1930′s, that bring back the eternal elegance of the time.  The suites are simply sumptuous, surprisingly spacious for a Parisian hotel, painted in a pleasing palette of plush pastel tones, punctuated by a panoply of cosy period pieces that include soft settees, dashing desks and bedside tables, not to mention luxurious bathrooms fit for a King, fully furnished with bathrobes, slippers and Bulgari accessories.

Les Heures / The Hours

The ravishing renovation of the Prince de Galles restaurants was entrusted to Bruno Borrione, a former collaborator of Philippe Starck, who has magnificently managed to seamlessly slip the starship space of La Scène, a bastion of French gastronomy, behind a wave-shaped wall of glass that allows the visitor to peek at the pure white marble tables set in contrast to the masculine Makassar walls.  The transparency of the window affords a view of the open-space kitchen where executive chef Stéphanie Le Quellec, winner of the inaugural Top Chef competition, holds court to woo her suitors with her simple yet authentic cooking, savored with the accents of the South of France.  No meal would be complete without the expertise of renowned sommelier Philippe Marquès, and for those who prefer the dessert to the dinner, pastry chef Yann Couvreur has the perfect solution to any sweet tooth.  The hotel bar sets the tone of the Art Deco demeure, appropriately named Les Heures, for the hours one could spend enjoying the scenery and the sophisticated cocktails concocted by head barman, Guillaume Bisiaux, who has imagined a list of favorite follies such as the refreshing Pimm’s de Galles, the Satané Marie or the Champs-Elysées.  And last but not least, take advantage of the warm weather on the private patio surrounded by palm trees, the perfect Parisian paradise.

A Royal Relooking at the Prince de Galles in Paris / Hotels
Hotel Prince de Galles   33 Avenue Geroge V   75008   Paris   01 53 23 77 77   M George V
www.hotelprincedegalles.fr

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(Photo Credits:  All photos © Courtesy of the Prince of Wales Hotel, Paris)

Anyone familiar with Philippe Starck knows that the iconic French designer has always been one step ahead of the crowd.  Known for his idiosyncratic style, Starck has left his mark on more than just a few tables in Paris, from the original Kong Restaurant on the Pont Neuf, to the upscale Bon in the 16th, to the trendy Mama Shelter Hotel in Menilmontant, or Le Paradis du Fruit near the Champs-Elysées, to the cozy little Ma Cocotte cantine located in the Paris Flea Market in Saint Ouen.  His latest triumph, Miss Kô, is a mysterious maze of madness that combines the frenzy of a street fair in Shanghai with the fabulously phantasmagoric imagery of artist David Rochline‘s monumental fresque that covers an entire wall of the restaurant.  A veritable concept shop of contemporary culture, featuring a restaurant, lunchroom, cocktail bar and boutique, the mysterious Miss Kô is defined as a young eurasian woman without a face, her body tattooed by her life, she is the hostess yet she has no function other than to welcome her clients into her own special world.

Mysterieux / Mysterious

The restaurant itself looks more like a giant tattoo parlor than an upscale dining hub, with its exposed brick walls and industrial seating reminiscent of a Wong Kar Wai film.  At Miss Kô, paper umbrellas hang upside down from the ceiling, asian television channels broadcast across the tables, music pumps out the rhythm from morning to night, with videos flashing upon screenless walls, while tireless chefs cut, chop, toss, tun, mix and match to make some of the most interesting culinary creations to date.  A fusional foray of Asian and European flavors, the menu was created by executive chef Fabrice Monot, with a little help from Linda Rodriguez of Bond Street in New York and Martin Swift of Nobu in London.  While the motto here is still street food, in direct contradiction to the host of sophisticated tables located nearby, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the presentation, featuring artistic arrays of seafood, with plates of sushi evoking Samurai warriors and sandwich platters lined up like toy soldiers.  From salad to sushi, tartar to bo bun, pad thai to fried rice and even a few burgers (Kobe or Salmon), the menu at Miss Kô is always on the go.

The Mysterious Miss Kô / The Latest Parisian Table by Philippe Starck
Miss Kô Restaurant   49/51 Avenue George V   75008   Paris   01 53 67 84 60   M George V
www.miss-ko.com

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(Photo Credits:  All photos © Courtesy of Miss Kô, Paris)

The 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is set to break new ground in 2013 with an international selection of directors for the Official Competition.  As President of the Jury, Steven Spielberg has united an all-star cast of celebrities to accompany him in the arduous task of choosing the best films, actors and directors, including Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Lynne Ramsay, Daniel Auteuil, Naomi Kawase, Ang Lee, Vidya Balan and Christian Mingiu.  Jane Campion has been appointed to judge the Cinéfondation and Short Films, Thomas Vinterberg will tackle Un Certain Regard, and Agnès Varda will reign over the Caméra d’Or.  And last but not least, the talented Audrey Tatou has been named Mistress of Ceremonies for the opening and closing events.  Although some old faces are back to grace the Croisette with their presence again, notably Steven Soderbergh, James Gray, Arnaud Desplechin, Roman Polanski, the Cohen Brothers, Sofia Coppola and Jim Jarmusch, several newcomers will also be on hand to compete for the prestigious Palme d’Or, including Paolo Sorrentino, Takeshi Miike, Kore-Eda Hirokazu, Nicolas Winding Refn, Alexander Payne, Asghar Farhadi and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as the only woman chosen for the Official Selection.

Le Festival de Cannes / Cannes Film Festival

While the Festival de Cannes is all about supporting and promoting an international cinematic experience, there is no doubt that the films often take a back seat to the glamourous fashion-minded red carpet and its famous ‘montée des marches’ that calls for a super-star welcome to all participants and celebrity visitors.  Climbing the steps to the top of the red carpet is a daily event that attracts more viewers than the films themselves, and this year the Cannes Film Festival will be waiting to welcome a whole host of Hollywood legends, including Leonardo de Caprio and Jay-Z for their roles in “The Great Gatsby”, directed by Baz Luhrmann, which will raise the curtain at Cannes this year in the Official Selection but out of competition, Emma Watson for her part in Sofia Coppola‘s “The Bling Ring”,  Micheal Douglas and Matt damon for their participation in Steven Soderbergh’s “Behind the Candelabra”, Ryan Gosling in “Only God Forgives” by Nicolas Winding Refn, Orlando Bloom for “Zulu” by Jérôme Salle, Clive Owen for Guillaume Canet‘s “Blood Ties”, Joaquin Phoenix for his role in James Gray’s “The Immigrant”, James Franco for his film “As I Lay dying”, and of course the charming Marion Cotillard who will be appearing for her roles in two selected films, “Blood Ties” by Guillaume Canet and “The Immigrant” by James Gray.  Kim Novak, the heroine of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece “Vertigo”, will be making a special appearance at Cannes this year to celebrate the restored version of this classic film.

A Star Studded Red Carpet Event / Cannes Film Festival 2013 – May 15 – 26, 2013
Festival de Cannes   La Croisette   Cannes   France
www.festival-cannes.fr

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(Photo Credits: Poster from The Great Gatsby, 2013 © Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures; Photo of Festival Steps © Semec-Ajuria,
Courtesy of Le Palais des Festivals, Cannes)

Just over ten years ago, Le Palais de Tokyo took the city of Paris by surprise when it opened its doors to an entirely new cultural concept, that of exhibiting unknown artists in a museum like setting that also served as a laboratory of contemporary culture.  The building itself was left untouched, exposing the girders, cables, barren columns and raw concrete walls, as a tribute to the artists for whom everything is always a ‘work in progress’ and the public was invited to enter and share in the ongoing experience of making and displaying art.  Ten years later, the Tokyo Palace remains one of the most compelling cultural institutions of our time, combining a contemporary art experience with a cultural initiation across any and all mediums, be it painting, sculpture, video, installation, film or photography.  The program is highly charged with several expositions showing simultaneously, featured modules or evenings that include live performances, screenings or even artistic happenings.

Le Palais de Tokyo / Tokyo Palace

Unlike the intimidating white-washed walls of the museums and the galleries, the unassuming grey concrete surroundings of the Tokyo Palace are what make it so special, for almost everyone feels comfortable upon entering.  Behind the giant iron doors of the palace lies a magical world of construction and destruction, intertwined with a series of secret compartments that lead the visitor from one exhibition to another.  Several different levels represent the different spaces within the palace, that of the Tokyo Art Club, with its rooftop terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower, the fabulous Bookshop, where you can track down cult fashion mags, the iconic restaurant Tokyo Eat, that takes you back to Japan, the Chat Room, for when you need a rest, the Children’s Place, with activities for the kids, the VIP Lounge, for the openings and other events, and the brand new restaurant Monsieur Bleu, imagined by architect Joseph Dirand, a must on the Parisian gastronomic scene.

Revolutionizing Contemporary Culture at the Tokyo Palace in Paris / Le Palais de Tokyo
Le Palais de Tokyo   13 Avenue du Président Wilson   75016   Paris   M Iéna
www.palaisdetokyo.com

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(Photo Credits: Feature photo and Post photo – Palais de Tokyo, 2012 © Florent Michel/11h45;  Courtesy of the Tokyo Palace, Paris)