Where Luxury Meets Art: Promenade Pour Un Objet d'Exception
The first time I strolled down ultra-exclusive avenue Montaigne after moving to Paris, I was intimidated by the opulence and grandeur. I didn't feel confident enough to go in the stores, much less to inspect the exquisite pieces. This is precisely why there is something so magical about the annual "Promenade pour un Objet d'Exception". It makes the extraordinary and exceptionally rare accessible to everyone.
While Fashion Week was in full swing last week in New York, the third annual "Promenade pour un Objet d'Exception" was taking place in Paris' famed triangle d'or — the exclusive golden triangle between avenues Montaigne and George V running from the Seine to the Champs-Élysées. Hosted by the Comité Montaigne, this year the event took place on avenue Montaigne to highlight what the triangle d'or is best known for: luxury, fashion and art. On opening night on Sept. 13, thirty-one fashion houses presented an extraordinary object, an archive collection, or an exclusive piece for the four-day event. Art, tradition, creation, craftsmanship and awe are the key words that best describe this event. It is also an expression of cultural diversity, as American, French, Italian, Spanish and Lebanese luxury brands are all on display.
Excited and curious to see what would be exhibited, I visited a few of my favorite fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Valentino and Louis Vuitton. Not knowing what to expect, so many questions raced through my mind. Would the store personnel mind me asking questions about the event? Would they take the time to explain the significance behind the objects or dismiss my intrigue? I was delightfully surprised to find they were incredibly personable and I felt totally at ease roaming through these fashion temples. In fact, the event personnel actually appreciated my asking about the "art objects" (as they call them) and took their time explaining the concept and design process behind each one. Indeed, tonight was for one and all.
Lady Dior gag as seen by Ran Hwang. Image Credit: Culture Box
Christian Dior
Dior regularly collaborates with exceptional sculptors and photographers to give them the opportunity to create their own interpretation of Lady Dior, one of Dior's most iconic bags. Arguably one of the most beautiful creations of the night, artists Youkyeong Oh, Wanda, Helen Feifel and Ran Hwang all paid tribute to the Lady Dior bag through their own renditions of it. Oh designed an emblematic bag entitled "Moving Bag" in bronze, Wanda named her paper bag, "The Wandaful Bag," Feifel's "Sans Titre" is in ceramic, while Hwang created the "Eternal Muse" (pictured above) with buttons, pearls and pins on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
Louis Vuitton Marthe Chenal toiletries. Image Credit: Culture Box
Louis Vuitton
Known as the it brand for travel accessories, Louis Vuitton exhibited the beautiful Marthe Chenal travel kit designed for the famous couturière, Jeanne Marie Lanvin in 1926. These pieces evoke the deepest sense of luxury as the objects are made of only the most opulent materials: ivory, silver and crystal.
Image Credit: The French Jewelry Post
Valentino
This romantic yet modern brand opted to display three necklaces straight from the runway, made in collaboration with Italian jeweler Alessandro Gaggio for the Fall/Winter 2016 Ready-to-Wear collection.
Caron's collaboration with On Aura Tout Va. Image Credit: Culture Box
Other brands such as Caron, collaborated with fashion brand On Aura Tout Vu and created a one of a kind corset dress made out of satin ribbons, gold metal Caron links and more specifically, 500 pink, fuchsia and purple goose feather puffs.
Givenchy makeup by Pat McGrath. Image Credit: Culture Box
Givenchy exhibited the now famous masks shown during the Spring/Summer 2016 Haute Couture show in New York. Leather, pearls and lace are combined to create the mask meant to replace makeup.
Ménagerie de Cartier. Image Credit: Luxury Design
Cartier, one of the most prestigious jewelry brands in the world, showed an exceptional object that was surprisingly not a piece of jewelry. Known for their polishing, marquetry and embossing, Cartier chose to create a precious stone chessboard named "Ménagerie de Cartier," which required 700 hours of work.
Although the fashion industry appears to be very exclusive, brands are opening their doors more and more to the public. Comité Montaigne has been inviting those interested persons to step into the world of luxury and art to discover the most beautiful, prestigious and exceptional objects ever created. It's a clever idea and one has to wonder, is their sole purpose to promote awareness and engagement with le triangle d'or? Or do they simultaneously hope to increase sales through this event knowing the European luxury market is down? Regardless, it is always a good idea to bring fashion, luxury and a veritable savoir-faire together in the name of art.
