…………………….I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve been to Paris. My first trip was in 1970……right after I graduated from Parsons. My best friend Bobby was studying in Sweden, so I met him there and spent a week with him during the summer. I loved Sweden, and met wonderful people. What immediately struck me was how CLEAN it was!!! Then the two of us went off to Copenhagen for a few days for fun and mischief!!!! He went back to Sweden at the end of our trip and I went on to Paris and stayed with Linda Fox who was a close friend from Parsons, and was now living and working in Paris. If was all wonderful…..my first trip to Europe has all good memories……I started going to Paris regularly when I started to work at Anne Klein in 1974, and went every year, at least once, but often twice a year. We basically went to shop and look at the trends….go to fabulous restaurants, and all of the hot clubs. We really wanted to see how the young and rich looked. We were young too and wanted to see all of the night life…….GREAT TIMES! A flood of memories comes back when I think about those days and nights in Paris…..It was a great and exciting time in my life….Oh to be young and playing in Paris. Fortunately, I was there on the company so I stayed in the finest hotels……Jac started going to Paris when she was just 17. At first she went with her mother, and was immediately booked for shows, the very first being for Givenchy! That was the start of it, and she continued to go to Paris year after year to do all of the ready to wear and the Couture shows. I could easily say Jac went to Paris and stayed much longer and more often than I did, and I went often………..With all of the trips we both made during our careers we were never there at the same time. She went during the “Fashion Week”, and I usually went to Paris after a fabric show in Germany, or Italy. Eventually Paris opened its’ own fabric show, “Premier Vision” which I went to twice a year…….When QVC England asked me to come and do a show Jac and I thought this would be a great time to take a side trip to Paris….TOGETHER for the first time…….We had a ball……She would take me to all of her stopping grounds….places where she worked like Dior, Nina Ricci, Chanel etc. and all of the shops she loved like Guerlain, which is like a mirrored little jewel box inside. Her favorite perfume was Mitsouko. There are still many unopened bottles of it in the house. It was also her Mom’s favorite so it made perfect sense to me that it was also Jac’s. I love it too. Jac would spray it in the air and walk through the spray….She showed me the cute, small hotels she stayed in, and she already knew the hotels I stayed in!!! We walked our feet off, and always stopped for lunch at some wonderful little restaurant….Angelina’s is a very old famous restaurant in Paris….perfect for lunch or a tea with deserts……We were true tourists and went to all of the museums, the Eiffel Tower…we took a ride on the Bateaux Mouche, and walked in the beautiful parks and sat and watched the kids with their sail boats….We spent a whole afternoon in the famous “Flea Market” of Paris that both of us had frequented many times on our separate trips…..an experience in its’ self…One morning we took the train to Versaille, and she told me all of the stories from the great “Battle of Versaille” fashion show in 1973. Her eyes lit up as we walked through the palace……After the show there was a grand dinner in the “Hall Of Mirrors” Jac was escorted into the dinner by Tom Fallon. Tom was Bill Blass’s right hand man. He was extremely handsome, and the two of them must have been quite a sight. Jac wore a flesh color sleeveless deep V somewhat see through mesh gown completely covered in tiny tonal sequins…….She told me Tom said she was the most beautiful one there, and it wasn’t even a Bill Blass dress!…..Back in Paris I had noticed a large poster of a YSL exhibit going on in Paris while we were there…so we went to see it……The poster is at the bottom towards the left…..The FAMOUS ICONIC photo was taken by Helmut Newton of Vibeke Knudsen in YSL’s “LE SMOKING”….his famous tuxedo…..I loved that photo the first time I’d seen it and wanted to meet this incredible model. She was Danish and worked almost exclusively in Europe, but she did come to the states and I booked her for a photography shoot with Michael Doster taking the pictures. They new each other and were good friends so it was very easy. I loved her….she was so sweet. I booked her for a runway show which she hardly ever did. They made her nervous! When she came to NY again I booked her for another show. While she was in NY she fell and BROKE HER ARM!!!!…She came up to see me at the office, her arm in a cast, to apologize for not being able to do the show. I said of course you can do the show!!!! I said will you do it?….She was astonished and so happy!! She said are you sure, I don’t want to ruin your show. I said absolutely yes! I made arm slings for her that matched the outfits she was to wear…She was a real trooper!! Her agency loved me for doing this for her, because everyone else, understandably, canceled her…..She looked wonderful and got applause every time she came out….She even got her picture in the paper! We were BFF….She stopped modeling a few years later and became an actress in Denmark. I never saw her again, but she will always be in my heart. I have such warm feelings for her and her marvelous smile. I also loved the way she said my name with her particular accent! Whenever I see that iconic photo of her I am flooded with great memories…She was a true beauty inside and out!!!!..Jac had a very good friend named Francis. He used to run the Nina Ricci showroom, and also designed their all weather coats, which had become an important part of the collection……Francis also booked all of the models for the Ready to Wear and Couture…..He did everything…..He adored Jac and booked her for every show……He invited us to his apartment for drinks and then to dinner. In one room of his apartment he had four or five LARGE glass cabinets filled with antiques perfume bottles as far back as Marie Antoinette to the present day. The collection was unbelievable, and worth a small fortune!!! When Francis passed away [his Christmas cards were returned, and we knew], he left his collection to a museum in Grasse where all of the best perfumes were developed for centuries. He was a sweet heart and Jac missed him terribly….I did too…….Jac and I had a great time together in Paris for our first trip….We had planned to go back……….but we never made it.
Lovely stories of happy times. The world needs more of this. Thank you, Louis.
Thank you so much for sharing your life stories. I miss seeing you on tv. I just happened to stop by your sight tonight. You and Jac had such a wonderful full life
Dear Louis,
I love to travel and I have always loved to hear travel stories! I enjoy all your stories and this account of Paris is especially lovely! I’m currently healing from knee replacement surgery, As I am doing my therapy and passing the time healing, I’m dreaming of finally being closer to returning to Europe, after much too long away. It is a delight to see your pictures and read the stories you posted! Thank you so much!
Hi Louis,
Thank you so much for posting the memories of your trips to Paris!
I love reading about them and seeing your pictures.
They bring back so many happy memories. Thank you!
I am so ready to go back…
Happy thoughts,
Patty from Houston
PS: The Paris “Flea Market” was a surprise to us. WOW! So many wonderful things.
PS2: Your book, “Paris in the Spring Time” would be a great read… Just a thought. 🙂
The Paris Flea Market was a must see for me. Donna and I used to spend two days combing through every stall. Back then there were real treasures. Lots of old couture clothes, and fabulous antique jewelry that was just begging to be reinvented. You had to have a good eye to weed through the junk. When Jac was modeling she used to buy fabulous jackets, some were men’s that looked great on her. She always brought them back to the studio for us to see. I don’t know if it’s the same now, but I hope so. The last time I was there there were more jean stalls than I remembered, but there were still a lot of interesting things.
Hi Louis,
We first went to the Paris Flea Market in 1974, and purchased some beautiful antique brass hardware to finish of an armoire that we bought in Germany. There were so many beautiful antiques! Not at all what I expected when friends recommended it. Back then there were so many antiques with stained glass doors, beautiful wood carvings and brass hardware. We were fortunate to purchase several large pieces then… Good times… Happy memories…
Patty
Thank you so much, Louis!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures from Paris and your other travels! Such a delight to see them! Keep them coming, please!
Stay warm in our wintery weather! Hugs to you!
I love reading about your life Louis…and oh what a life you have had so far. What strikes me most is how wonderful you are in sharing your experiences with us in a way that is enjoyable and doesn’t come across as bragging. I have been a fan for years and these stories you share make me feel like a friend that you are reminiscing with over coffee. Thank you for being you.
Dear Ginny….I am so happy you enjoy my little stories….Telling them, instead of keeping them a secret, helps me to relive the most important times in my life.