Thanksgiving in St. Barth...

Outside the restaurant "L'Isola," the best in town...

Sales, sales...

In the US, Tradition says that the day after Thanksgiving, one of the most important celebrations of the year, the first sales of the Fall-Winter season kick off. So, the first Friday after the holiday is now known as Black Friday. And many malls and department stores open their doors on midnight, giving birth to Midnight Madness: people being able to actually shop for 22 hours.
And today, Saturday, we have what's known as Small Business Saturday.
It sounds like a bit to much, right?
Anyway, in North Carolina, things got pretty ugly: on a parking lot outside Walmart, a commando group of thieves attacked the poor shoppers leaving happily with their precious bargains...
Another note: a crowd of thousands waited patiently outside Macy's, hoping to get inside...
All this shopping fever is trying to lift the temperature of the weak American economy...
Let's hope it works...

Shoppers entering Macy's at midnight...

Versace for H&M... Part II

At 4 pm, I went back to the H&M store... There were only some printed dresses left and many many women walking around in disappointment...

Versace for H&M...

Wow, it was tough!

In spite my dear friend Marc got up really early to get in line by the Champs-Elysées around 5 am, and I got there around 9 am... It wasn't easy getting inside the H&M store!

I was told that even some people got there by 11 pm of the previous night!

But, as usual, H&M, a brand that has my total admiration for being able to catch the attention of such a diverse clientele, did everything just right...

As on previous occasions, we were allowed to enter in small groups and had only 15 minutes to shop inside.

Lots of amazing things, very Versace, of course: bags, neon dresses, leather jackets, flashy prints...

I bought a couple of dresses and many gifts.

A special note for the packaging: silk covers and colorful shopping bags.

Once again, another H&M success...

Auction of Elizabeth Taylor's jewels at Christie's...

To tell you the truth, I didn't feel like dressing up and going out... I would have stayed at home... It's already cold, it's Fall and it gets dark much earlier now...

But, how could I not go to the private exhibition of Elizabeth Taylor's jewels, to be auction between the 13th and the 17th of December in Christie's New York?

I'm a great fan of the recently deceased actress. She was also a pisces, like myself. So, in her honor, I got dressed and gathered strength to leave home. All of Paris was there, including the Counts of Paris, the Princess of Bragance, the Duchess of Orléans and Hubert Guerrand Hermès, among others. I was very lucky to be also invited to the conference by Madame Francoise Cailles, an expert in the study of pearls. She told us the story of the "Peregrina," a unique pearl of 204 grs, that is more than 500 years old. In 1969, Richard Burton gave it to Liz and since then it has taken part of her collection. Now it's on sale...

I was bewitched by all the pieces... Cartier's ruby earrings, the huge "Elizabeth Taylor" diamond solitaire (33,19 karats), the "Mike Todd" earrings, JAR's ball clips... All those jewels have a soul and a particular story and were used by one of the most important actress in the history of cinema. Who will buy them now? I can only tell you that part of the money raised during the auction will go to the foundations she has always supported...

Loulou de la Falaise...

An icon of fashion and Parisian elegance died a couple of days ago...

Louise Vava Lucia Henriette Le Bailly de la Falaise, known as Loulou de la Falaise, was born into a family where glamour and style felt natural. Her mother, Maxime, and her grandmother, Lady Roda Birley, marked their time with their particular fashion senses. Loulou was, from 1972, muse and best friend, together with Betty Catraoux, to Yves Saint Laurent. It was she who inspired the incredible jewelry of the maison, which was always her passion. She also worked as a mannequin.

For some years, she had her own jewelry boutiques and I remember accompanying my sister to buy a necklace on the one at Rue de Bourg.

After her marriage to an English Lord, she went out with Thadée Klossowski de Rola, son of the great artist Balthus. She was always related to the fashion world, worked for Harpers Bazaar and collaborated with Oscar de la Renta in his accessories line.

She had style and fantasy in her genes. And disappeared with only 63 years...

La Beauté des Argentines...

If you want to know how a Parisian sees the women of Buenos Aires ("porteñas"), do read my friend Constance Bouteloup Charloux's blog. A beautiful blond that shares her days between Paris and Buenos Aires.

Te post is really funny. Click here to read it.

Tonight I cried because I'll never know how to tango...

Although I've just arrived from Marrakech, tonight I went to see the last performance in Paris, at the Theatre du Chatelet, of "Tanguera." This amazing Tango show, created in 2002 by Diego Romay and Mora Godoy, has already toured the world with huge success and, for the second time (the first one was in 2008), is being presented here, in Paris.

I've already seen the show in Buenos Aires, but I couldn't help seeing it again on a different setting and, above all, in such a passionate city for tango as Paris is... By the theatre's doors, many handed out brochures announcing tango classes in different Parisian neighborhoods... Tempting!

But no, it won't be. After 85 minutes of the best tango in the world, danced by incredible professionals, I've realized I will never be able to tango dance... I have no talent.

Theirs, however, is huge. And all the audience perceived it so, because they were given a standing ovation and asked for more, which they happily complied. A pleasure.

As usual, everything that has to do with Argentina gets me emotional... It must be that my heart just belongs there...