If four decades of French fashion appeals, buy Jean-Jacques Picart’s book Des Vies et des Modes (Life and Fashion in English). True, Des Vies is entirely written in French but frank interviews with the likes of Helmut Lang, Suzy Menkes, Thierry
If four decades of French fashion appeals, buy Jean-Jacques Picart’s book Des Vies et des Modes (Life and Fashion in English). Self-published, it’s available on Picart’s website and selling out at boutiques like Colette. True, Des Vies is entirely written in French but frank interviews with the likes of Helmut Lang, Suzy Menkes, Thierry Mugler and Dries Van Noten merit the struggle while most of the snapshots suggest a light-hearted time "dans la mode" when there were fewer brands and less big bucks. Picart’s handwritten additions equal another plus. He cites the late Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès – Hermès’ legendary president – as his “luxury teacher, ” he describes working alongside Mugler as “a formidable challenge” and congratulates Van Noten for “knowing how to evolve".
Picart ran Christian Lacroix’s company in the heady years (1987–1999) and it’s no secret that he nurses strong ties with power brokers like LVMH’s Bernard Arnault and has helped the careers of designers like Hedi Slimane, Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, Carven’s Guillaume Henry and Hermès’s Christophe Lemaire. No doubt, such dealings explain why he is viewed as an eminence grise; political enough to be likened to Talleyrand and Cardinal de Richelieu.
"He cites the late Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermès as his “luxury teacher, ” he describes working alongside Mugler as “a formidable challenge” and congratulates Van Noten for “knowing how to evolve""
Still, when I catch sight of Picart’s back at fashion shows – often-clad in Dior Homme – it reassures. His alert, elf-like face framed by his signature tortoise shell glasses and presence reminds me of Star War’s Master Yoda. Each time we talk, I am struck by his wisdom, how curiosity and integrity guide him and how forgiving he is about the fragile ego of the creative. Meanwhile, my favourite Picart quip is comparing an ahead-of-the-game designer to a porn star. “Both share the same need to keep it up all the time,” he says.
Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is a Paris-based British journalist who covers fashion and lifestyle as well as being the author of Sam Spiegel – The Biography of A Hollywood Legend, Understanding Chic, an essay from the Paris Was Ours anthology and soon-to-be released Chanel book, for Assouline's fashion series.
Robert Beck is former New Yorker currently based in Paris. Also known as C.J. Rabbitt, he is the author and illustrator of several children's books, including The Tale of Rabbitt in Paradis, Un Lapin à Paris and the soon-to-be-published A Bunny in the Ballet.
