Stories du Moment
A new mayor for Paris, Eva Longoria Searches France, the future of French tech, and a few recs on French skincare.
I realize that we increasingly need verification before believing what we see online these days but I can confidently fact check this: I did, indeed, appear in the new CNN show Searching for France with Eva Longoria, debuting Sunday! It was surreal, fun, and very intimidating, but I’m really happy for the experience. I don’t appear in the trailer but you can catch me in the first and final episodes, both of which I have not yet seen!
NEW MAYOR, NEW ERA?
I had planned to write a debrief on March 23rd, once Emmanuel Grégoire was announced the city’s new mayor, but I poked myself in the eye while in line to vote the first round, March 15, ended up in the ER (having successfully voted first, of course!) and spent nearly a week in the dark recovering. Recording audio was easier than reading or writing in that first week so if you’re up for listening, here is that post-election debrief I recorded on The New Paris Podcast with the political journalist Léa Chamboncel. For other commentary, don’t miss this one by Katy Lee: Three Things to Know About the New Mayor of Paris.
RELATED…
One of Paris Mayor Grégoire’s plans is to open a second Station F, currently one of the world’s largest startup hubs. In my latest podcast episode with my dear friend Rahaf Harfoush, we speak about France’s approach to tech and innovation and how the model needs to be completely reimagined, particularly given the news (that I first saw reported by French Tech Journal) that a recent study of the European VC-backed unicorn ecosystem shows some seriously sick companies, with France landing #2 on the leaderboard of the fallen. As Rahaf put it to me:
“My theory has been, if you have to copy, you’re always going to be a step behind. I’ve posited that these unicorns are actually trojan horses. These French companies are trying to replicate a success strategy that is very American and one that is based on very specific investment objectives. They only care about revenue and growth, not long term value to society. Who is actually benefiting other than the investors? I don’t think it’s most French people in society.”— Rahaf Harfoush
The question she poses during the conversation: what is the innovation thesis of France? What is our vision of the future? What do we want innovation to be?
Our discussion also covers societal turbulence and having no emotional preparedness for the shifts that are taking place nor the ability to grieve what we’re losing. We chat about global interconnection and why that means we cannot speak about the future of France without considering the impact of decisions made much further afield, by other nations. I really hope you’ll give this a listen:
STÉRIN: AU SECOURS!
You’ve all read me rant about billionaires before but some are more nefarious than others. We’ve got Vincent Bolloré who is behind Canal+, CNews, Europe 1 and JDD, and Pierre-Édouard Stérin whose profile in the NYT should raise everyone’s eyebrows. A French hotelier and retail investor I’ve known for years sent me a private note after I shared the profile on Instagram. “I know him. He is NUTS and extremely dangerous. I’m very concerned.”
Some might argue it’s useless to spend your energy worrying about these figures, that pieces like this only serve to stir up fear. I strongly disagree: we must know who are pulling the strings behind the scenes, just like we needed to know (and too many ignored) the power-hungry techno-capitalists in America pulling the strings there. And I think it’s especially important given how many English-speaking/reading foreigners live in France and pay very little attention to policies and ideas that will impact the place they’ve chosen to live. Time to wake up.
20 MILLION EURO APARTMENTS IN PARIS?
A few weeks ago, the FT reported about the city’s foray into catering to the ultra rich. What does that look like, exactly? Well, for starters, the Maybourne St Germain hotel, when opened, will also include 23 residences. Currently, one such three-bedroom residence is listed at nearly 20 million euros.
The launch, one of several new amenity-rich developments due to open by 2027, comes amid a surge in super-prime sales in Paris. Last year’s included a €62.5mn purchase by music producer and Louis Vuitton creative director of menswear Pharrell Williams, and nearly €200mn spent on three homes by the billionaire Arnault family, including a €44mn triplex for Bernard, the family patriarch and chief executive of LVMH. (Financial Times)
The housing crisis and deep wealth disparity remain, unsurprisingly, minor details of the story.
THE ODE TO THE PARIS PHARMACY (and a few personal faves)
Marisa Meltzer’s ode to the Parisian pharmacy in Vanity Fair is one of VERY few I care to read. One big brownie point for the French pharmacy anywhere:
“It turns out not having almost every product locked up as prisoners behind plastic barriers is a much less depressing shopping experience than our pharmacies.”
CVS: RIP.
FWIW, I’m a devoted SVR user (including their sunscreen) but a recent discussion with the skincare gal at the Parapharmacie opposite the Opéra Garnier (which I find less swarming than CityPharma, which the influencers flock to in Saint-Germain) prompted me to try a sunscreen with more hydratation. This recommendation came after she looked at my face and said, “your skin looks thirsty, what did you use today?” It could have been the result of my lapsed routine after the eye incident. Either way, I take sunscreening very seriously so off I went to the register with Filorga’s daily repair mineral UV 50. I can’t say I love it but I’m giving it a chance. She also suggested I try Vichy’s vitamin C, which is concentrated and less expensive than the oil I’ve been using from the UK company Medik8. This one isn’t available in stores, either. (But it was recently acquired by L’Oréal so maybe that will change.) Other things I like for very specific reasons:
Embryolisse lait-creme: I was skeptical but I applied it every couple of hours on the flight to and from Tokyo and found it very soothing and hydrating. It’s now a permanent member of my trousse de toilette.
Where are my fellow atopic-skin friends? 👋 I swear by SVR’s huile lavante, a shower oil that protects the skin’s moisture barrier, crucial for excessively dry, itchy skin, but Bioderma, La Roche Posay and Ucerin all make their own, all of which are good. I also have to be religious about hydrating after the shower and tend to use La Roche Posay Urea gel, as strongly encouraged by my dermatologist who checks out every patch of skin each January and can immediately tell whether I’ve been diligent or not. I’d say I’ve been a B student. “Yes, really, every day.”
My favorite hand cream for winter or during flights (or any dry environment, really) isn’t French at all but Neutrogena’s “Norwegian formula” glycerin-rich cream. Many big pharmacies and parapharmacies in Paris carry it but it’s also available in the U.S.
For everything not carried in pharmacies, I’m fairly brand agnostic, so long as it won’t irritate my sensitive skin. If you’re in the U.S. or the U.K. and have reactive skin or full blown eczema, Tower 28 is excellent. These are the two products I use consistently.
ELSEWHERE
Keeping the spook alive but updated in the Catacombs (The New York Times)
Lined from floor to ceiling with bones of some 6 millions people, the Paris catacombs have been given a much-needed face lift. Check out how it was done.Lest you thought “French girl style” was anything but a business strategy (Vogue Business)
Related: every year, a new one of these, all for traffic and clicks. I know this is how the internet works but that doesn’t make it any less exhausting. (Elle)
Paris dining: a few new/new-ish options (by me for The Infatuation)
What defines French interior design and who are some of the talents shaping the aesthetic? I worked on a new book with Alice Cavanagh that answers the question— now available from Phaidon x Monacelli!
How the Guillotine Got Axed ( Lauren Collins for The New Yorker)
Who hasn’t wondered this?!Are third spaces in France the antidote to political extremism?
(Alexander Hurst for The Guardian)
OVERHEARD IN
“Je suis toujours de mauvaise foi, c’est mon côté féminin”
I’m always unreasonable, it’s my feminine side.
--A butcher at a small town market“joking” to a client.
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Love SVR skincare! The vitamin c night crème is excellent.