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MAINTAINING PARIS AS A WORK OF ART

Advertisement for Louis Vuitton on the facade of the Louvre.

Paris, as a modern city with an historic heart, is above all, a work of art.  As such, it must be continually refreshed to present its wonderful collection of public monuments and private buildings in the best possible light.

This requires a major commitment of funds for conservation, funding that can be difficult to allocate or generate given the many calls on the public purse.

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HUBERT DE GIVENCHY – THE GREAT MASTER OF STYLE

The iconic Little Black Dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 

Today we were saddened to learnt of the death of one of the greatest fashion designers of the 20th century, Hubert de Givenchy, at the age of 91.

He is perhaps best remembered for his long association with Audrey Hepburn, his muse and close friend for over 40 years, for whom he created the timeless looks that became instantly identifiable with her and made them both style icons. He once said their relationship was a true collaboration, “like a kind of marriage.”

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TRAVELS WITH YOUR NAVIGO –DISCOVERING PARIS AND BEYOND

Navigo Decouverte Transport Pass.

We have often been asked about the best way to get out and about to explore Paris and all the many attractions in the vicinity suitable for a day’s excursion.

Paris has a terrific transport pass, a smart card called the Navigo Découverte—simply referred to as a “Navigo”—similar to London’s Oyster card, Sydney’s Opal or Hong Kong’s Octopus.

However, there are a couple of points of difference with these cards and a Navigo.

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Fondation Louis Vuitton – a magnificent new cultural venue for Paris

I dream of designing a magnificent vessel for Paris that symbolises France’s profound cultural vocation.

The soaring glass sails of Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton. 

With these words, the famous architect, Frank Gehry, creator of Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum (1997), gave his blessing to the opening in October 2014 of his masterpiece, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris.

We were lucky enough to be in Paris that week and joined perhaps 10,000 others for its first open weekend.

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