Pauline Ducruet’s collection hits Paris catwalk

Pauline Ducruet has presented her latest collection at Paris Fashion Week, with mum Princess Stephanie and sister Camille both showing their support for the young designer.
25-year-old Pauline returned to the catwalk in Paris on 26th February to present her new unisex collection at the Palais de Tokyo, as she did her very first show in June 2019.
The eclectic style of her collection combines recycled jeans and flowing fabrics of a few select colours. The line is clearly inspired by the circus, a great love of her mother’s and grandfather Prince Rainier III.
Princess Stephanie, who recently celebrated her 55th birthday, was dressed by her daughter in a silver pantsuit with frayed seams, which she accompanied with a long red coat, matching the one worn by Pauline.
It seems that Pauline is following in the footsteps of her mother who trained as an apprentice at Christian Dior in 1983, and launched a swimwear line in 1986.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Casiraghi caused a sensation at Paris Fashion Week when she turned up in a pirate bandana as she took in Saint Laurent’s creations from the front row. Her outfit included an army-inspired XL navy blue blazer combined with an olive shirt and tartan pants.
 
Photo: Pauline Ducruet centre with models showcasing her new unisex collection. Screengrab of paulinedcrt official Instagram account.
 
 

Shock in art world as Artcurial's François Tajan dies suddenly

François Tajan, the Deputy Chairman of French auction house Artcurial, has died at age 57 after suffering complications from a bout of food poisoning.

The art world is in shock and mourning over the loss of Tajan, a father of three who shook up the auctioneering world by famously jumping ship from his family-owned auction house Tajan in 2005 to join Artcurial.

The death comes as a surprise, not just because of its suddenness, but also because of the strange circumstances. Tajan fell ill with food poisoning two weeks ago, and the complications stemming from that are what eventually took his life.

After graduating in law and art history in the early 1990’s he took over the Art Deco sales department of Tajan that was then under his father’s rule. He rose to become chairman of the company. After Tajan was sold to LVMH, he decided it was time to make a move and joined Artcurial, becoming instrumental in developing the Monaco branch.

Tajan led some of Monaco’s most successful auctions including the sale of stairs coming from the Eiffel Tower which brought in a staggering €523,800. He was also responsible for Artcurial’s expansions into Belgium, Italy, Morocco and Austria as well as the creation of the company’s jewellery department. He established two main jewellery sales each year in Monaco, the last one being in January of this year.

Artcurrial Director Louise Grether has expressed her deep emotion and immense sadness at the news, saying: “The Artcurial family will forever be imbued with the knowledge, passion, creativity and curiosity of this incredible man. His human qualities, his humour and his kindness were known to all. François was also, above all, a generous friend, available and very attentive. All my thoughts, my affection, go out to his wife Véronique and his children as well as to his whole family.”

 
 

Into The Arctic at the Oceanographic Museum

Highlighting the extraordinary beauty of a rugged place, Into the Arctic shows what we have and what we have to lose.
Canadian painter Cory Trépanier spent more than a decade travelling in the Arctic. Now he brings his work to the Oceanographic Museum on the 1st of March in a series of paintings and films devised to show the public a place many will never have the chance to see in real life.
He aims to hit home the fragility of this frozen region and the untoward damage being done every day due to climate change, whilst also showing the immense variety and stunning landscapes of the wild Canadian north.

Photo by Carl Trepanier. Trépanier takes in the view while hiking to Henrietta Nesmith Glacier, Quttinirpaaq National Park, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada.

“Exploring and painting the Canadian Arctic has been challenging and awe-inspiring, bringing me face-to-face with some of our planet’s greatest natural wonders,” said the artist. “After many years of solitary development, I am humbled to learn that others are being moved by my canvases. And that the exhibition is inspiring conversation about the North, the Inuit, the power of nature, and the importance of humanity’s role in protecting it.”
Photo by Marten Berkman. Trépanier paints a tor in the remote British Mountains of Ivvavik National Park, Yukon, Canada.

With more than 50 original paintings and three feature-length films, the exhibition gives visitors a chance to be transported to places so remote that no human has ever documented them before.
Into the Arctic was commissioned as part of Canada’s 150th Anniversary celebration, and the Canadian Embassy premiered the exhibit in Washington DC in 2017. Since then, it has travelled to a number of museums, now finding its way to the Oceanographic Museum, where it will remain until 30th April.
 
 

New chef heads Monte-Carlo Beach’s all-organic restaurant

Elsa Restaurant at Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel has announced the arrival of a new chef for the spring-summer 2020 season.
Chef Benoît Witz is taking the helm at Elsa restaurant, known for its 100% organic Mediterranean dishes sourced from local producers.
Sustainability is on the lips of everyone these days, and the restaurant adopted a menu in line with the ethos of the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel, eventually becoming the first all-organic restaurant to receive a coveted Michelin star. The restaurant will be serving produce from two local farms, Jardin des Antipodes in Menton and Domaine d’Agerbol in Roquebrune Cap Martin, as well as selections from the chef’s own garden.

New seafood dish on the Elsa menu by Chef Witz

New signature dishes will be added to the menu. Amongst them: Bagna Cauda, fresh vegetables and wildflowers, avocado mandarin or Alpilles lamb cooked with almond milk and baby fava beans. On the seafood menu, guests can find freshly caught local fish with sweet courgettes and Cap Martin citrus fruit, or shellfish, calamari and crustacean pasta with squid ink and rock samphire.
The hotel, too, will undergo a few changes. As they are furthering their commitment to biodiversity and the environment, the hotel has created a reef dyke to protect the beach and allow the creation of a marine protected area. The dyke sits 100 metres offshore and has created a lagoon with a sandy beach for swimmers and sunbathers alike.
Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel

Additionally, the Pointe de Vigie has been classified as a bird protection refuge. The pine forest is an ideal place for the more than 20 species of birds who make a home there. Of the 20 species, 15 of them are protected and 10 are nesting species, making the Monte Carlo Beach an essential refuge for local biodiversity.
 
Photos courtesy: SBM