L'Officiel · 2004
Parisiennes
Translated from the French. Original: L'Officiel, October 1, 2004 · French version
October 2004
PARISIENNES
By David Benaym
Photo Roger Moenks/Laurent Alfieri
Highly privileged, they could have settled for a gilded life. On the fringes of the jet set, Parisian “socialites” prefer to give their existence another meaning, in this following the lead of New York women. Across the Atlantic, “socialites” are a breed apart, whose every move is tracked by the press. How do “socialites” differ from the jet-setters and society ladies of yesteryear? The glitter of parties is not enough for them; they also lead a hectic professional life, and their social life serves their careers as much as their desire for excitement. “Nothing is ever taken for granted”: such is the motto of these young women, as active by day as by night. Far from being content with their often comfortable inheritance, they want above all to succeed on their own. Like the children of actors who have to make a name for themselves, they forge their own personality, far from received ideas about the traditional bourgeoisie.
They gently insist that money is not everything. Their priorities lie elsewhere. The art world fascinates them, but they are also very visible in communications and fashion. Fashion shows, premieres, charities: they like to combine interest, pleasure and passion. They are constantly on the lookout for new clients, new contacts, new faces. Paris, St Tropez, Gstaad, London or New York: nothing is too far to satisfy their thirst for discovery and conquest. Privileged, they know it and accept it, and that is the key to their success.
Curiosity is an art, keeping up one’s relationships a talent. They are constantly on their toes, ready to bounce on the opportunity of the moment. They had a chance to be noticed by a celebrity magazine at a party and have been riding that mini-fame ever since. Alejandra di Andia, the most Latin of them all, knows that “it is only temporary”. This small notoriety does, however, allow them to carry out certain projects more easily, to open more doors and to win their independence. Cordélia Lanvin, just 23 and already the mother of two children, shows astonishing maturity for her age: “I would never have found fulfilment if I spent money I had not earned.” An ambitious epicurean, she gracefully juggles her work as a stylist, her children and her social life. She perfectly embodies this new generation of Amazons.
Alejandra di Andia, the wild child of haute couture
Wide open spaces cradled Alejandra di Andia’s childhood. It was on the land of a Chilean hacienda that the wild child forged her character. Born of a passionate marriage between a Scottish woman and a Chilean professional polo player, she grew up in a pampered environment before the political situation in Santiago deteriorated. Her looks reflect her roots: a little Briton in winter, pale-skinned with her hair pulled back, she transforms astonishingly into a tanned, curly-haired bomba latina under the effects of sun and sea.
Alejandra escapes. First in her head, then through her various getaways around the world. Very quickly she became a model: “Mum dressed my sister and me like dolls. Sometimes dressed up as Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie, sometimes in Laura Ashley, we were her muses.
Trilingual, lively and extremely sociable, the ravishing Chilean has everything it takes to succeed. She studied at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, then joined the house of Torrente for a year before moving to various lesser-known houses to learn marketing. “I always had the goal of creating my own line, but since nothing replaces experience, I was patient, observing and listening, like a sponge that absorbs everything.” Since then, Alejandra has been offering made-to-measure to her clients. Very personalised made-to-measure. Between respect for tradition and the use of new materials.
Although she goes out a lot in Paris, Gstaad and St Tropez, Alejandra is also a nomad at heart. After taking part in the Rallye des Gazelles, she decided to keep roaming the desert for the benefit of charities. Next step, a fashion show of her brand in Chile, the first of its kind, for the benefit of Alter Ego, a charity dedicated to children in difficulty. A new turn that, unsurprisingly, takes her back to square one.
Arabelle Reille-Mahdavi, from Russia to rue Louise Weiss
“I love the asphalt, the noise and the energy of the city.” Urban. That is how Arabelle Reille-Mahdavi, a prominent gallerist, likes to define herself. From the Empire bourgeoisie, she distanced herself from family traditions, preferring to cultivate the art of others. A very young entrepreneur, she began her professional career in the Sentier garment district. “To learn business, it is the best school, ferocious but fun.” Then it was through Russia that she learned the world of luxury alongside her sister, a true woman of the field and of contacts. After meeting her husband, Arabelle, between two babies, went back to school late to satisfy her real passion: art history. At Christie’s Education, then at the École du Louvre, she developed her knowledge in order to become an art dealer. Since September she has joined Emmanuel Perrotin’s gallery. She loves sharing what lies behind each canvas. “Between Picasso, Marcel Duchamp or Kandinsky, I cannot choose my favourite. Art just would not be the same without these talents.” She can talk for hours about art history and its heroes, sharing her passion in an educational and didactic way. “A work must necessarily go through a shock, positive or negative; the eye must be challenged. If you immediately understand what the artist meant, the work is useless.” She loves, for example, the nerve of the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, from the world of manga. Her eclectic taste ranges from Pop Art to the great canvases of the 18th century.
On the social side, things stay simple but fun. The parties Arabelle throws at home are like her: both classic and modern. Country music on the sound system, an Iranian buffet: she can invite up to 60 guests. “My friends are always surprised by the variety of my guests; that is what makes the charm and success of my parties.” Without cultivating her difference, Arabelle combines opposites very well.
Cordelia Lanvin, an unshakeable ambition
Cordélia Lanvin breaks every record. Youth first. At 23, she is already a fulfilled woman. She owes her success to her exceptional ambition. Hungry for knowledge, encounters and success, she grew up on the right side of the Seine. Born Cordelia de Castellane, to an interior decorator mother and a father who heads Bacardi, she worships her father. “He made it on his own; he is my hero, a true self-made man,” she says. Success stories fascinate her, so she dropped out of school very early to launch herself into the ruthless world of fashion. Between photocopying internships and odd jobs with the great couturiers, she ended up dressing French actresses for Emanuel Ungaro. She then rubbed shoulders with Sophie Marceau or Emmanuelle Béart, without losing her head. “I am not impressed by celebrities; an exceptional scientist or businessman will have more effect on me.”
With the birth of her two sons, she came up with a new concept. “Children grow too fast to spend fortunes on T-shirts or rompers,” she says. So she created Douce, sold exclusively at home: a line of stylish children’s clothes for less than 30 euros. And it works. She manufactures in India in a dedicated factory and designs 3 collections a year.
Cordélia is not afraid of words. Frank and direct, she does not hesitate to embrace her status as a socialite. Outings, planes, parties: she quite likes all that, but always with the aim of moving forward to succeed. “I want to go very far, by working very hard.” Very far in both the literal and figurative sense, since she is very seriously considering leaving the Paris she adores for a country with a milder climate.
Sarah Besnainou, family and friends first
Even though Sarah Besnainou is steeped in luxury through her work, it is the word values that comes up most often in her sentences. Communications director for Baby Dior, at 22 she is an almost candid young woman who marvels at everything. From her Tunisian Jewish parents, she inherited warmth and joie de vivre. Pierre, her father, made a fortune riding the Internet bubble with Liberty Surf. Sarah, for her part, has travelled since she was very little, dreaming of the world of luxury while keeping solid roots.
Loyal in friendship, she favours life’s small, unexpected but simple moments. From a grandiose event in Venice, with arrival by gondola and a tour of palaces, she remembers the very late dinner of bread, butter and mozzarella. Every time the Eiffel Tower lights up, she remains dazzled by the endless flashes of Paris’s Iron Lady. Smiling, she watches with detachment the celebrities who make up the after-parties of the capital’s lively evenings. Having a drink at La Suite with Lenny Kravitz, or ending an evening among “friends” with Eve or Naomi Campbell: nothing impresses her. Her real values lie elsewhere.
A graduate of the American University of Paris, then of a diamond school, she is very much at ease in the world of luxury. Jewellery in particular. She admires the work of Victoire de Castellane. “I am never jaded when faced with beauty,” she says. No frivolity for this young lady who still lives with her parents. And who, in her spare time, is considering getting involved in charity work. Particularly in the Middle East, to which she has a very special attachment. Not so baby after all, Miss Sarah.
Sophie Douzal-Sarkozy, the grape variety of communication
“Happy is the one who communicates”: such is the motto of Sophie Douzal-Sarkozy. Head of a major press office and sister-in-law of a prominent minister, she is also the daughter of the owner of a Burgundy grand cru, Auxey-Duresses, her father having become a master in the art of blending different ingredients to produce a fine nectar. Sophie herself is made of Argentine spices for partying and good humour, and French roots for good taste and family heritage. And though she comes from the countryside, it is in the city that she feels most at ease. Organising parties for her friends or clients, launching an event for the luxury world: she is the specialist of successful parties. Not very studious at school, rather unruly even, she nevertheless got her baccalauréat and entered EFAP, the French school for press officers, before being shown the door. She then drifted from internships to odd jobs at agencies before creating her own office. Thanks to the support of her first client, the jeweller Mauboussin, she opened the Douzal-Sauvage press office with her partner. Berluti, the Plaza Athénée, the very fashionable perfumer Frédéric Malle: all trust her. In September, she plans to put the spotlight on the Pavillon des Antiquaires. A communicator by day, she puts her mother’s clothes back on the rest of the time to look after her two children, Arpad and Anastasia. Her marriage to the brother of the most fashionable minister of the moment has changed nothing in her priorities. But she appreciates that Nicolas is so famous, her name immediately becoming easier to carry. And if by chance that were to change, Sophie would always find a way to stay positive, by com-mu-ni-ca-ting.