A hand pops up at the bottom of the cafe. Arriving a little early, fashion designer Vanessa Seward invites us to join her in those few square meters behind the white onyx bar where no one passes, neither waiters nor customers. A corner so hidden that you will miss Vincent Lindon who came to have a drink with his children. No bad place: benches and the view for both, it avoids salamalecs.
On the first floor of the Café de Flore, the epicenter of show business located a few streets away, the author of Gentlewoman’s Guide (JC Lattès, 2021) preferred Le Rouquet. This family bistro for four generations plays the card of discretion in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Here, nothing has changed since the 1954 renovation: neither the red and yellow neon lights integrated into the cornices, nor the water lily sconces on the bright blue opaline panels, nor the Formica tables and the oxblood benches in moleskin. “Check out the old coin-operated telephone box and toilets”, suggests Vanessa Seward, admiring this subtly modest decor, where her amazon face framed by thick black hair is diffracted in the angled mirrors. She carries her back straight, without disdain.
Nostalgia. Five years ago, this is where the Argentinian designer, renowned for its blouses and ascots, celebrated the opening of its third Parisian boutique, located on the sidewalk opposite: her husband, Bertrand Burgalat, director of the Tricatel label, had rented a jukebox to play the tape- sound of his shows, a refined pop composed by him. Even Arnaud, the bar owner, remembers it. That evening, platoons of pretty girls rushed on the pedestrian crossing, in front of the establishment, to join the shop. Since, “the Vanessa Seward sign has closed”, she says soberly, following the withdrawal of her investor, Jean Touitou, the founder of APC, but Le Rouquet has remained the place of her friendly and professional meetings. She drinks half, not what we had imagined.
“Sophisticcool”
While fashion is only seasons and lessons, parades and wardrobe renewal, the one that has multiplied the red carpets by Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie, and dememerized Kate Middleton, perpetuates the “sophisticcool” style, neither have you seen me nor unnoticed. Shirt matching the jeans, cowboy belt, she wears an outfit from an old “Vanessa Seward for La Redoute” collection: “The monochrome functions as a flattering optical effect for the silhouette. Looks like a combination. » Her impeccable brushing contrasts with her bare nails and patinated lips, the unmistakable mark of the iconic strawberry Labello. Around her neck: a miraculous medal lent by her 11-year-old daughter. “She is a believer and I like talismans”, she summarizes, as if to ward off her anxiety about the release of her book.
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