The New Look of the 50th

The iconic 'Bar' suit from 1947 is one of the 100 dresses installed in the exhibition on the Fashion of the 50th shown until November 2 this year in the Palais Galliera Museum. http://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/exhibitions/50s 

After the wartime austerity, women were eager for an ultra feminine style. The ideas of the couturiers and the skillful execution of French seamstresses revived Paris as the centre of High Fashion.  Women who could not afford Haute Couture dresses could buy sewing patterns of the dress models and sow themselves 'low' couture….

At the end of the 50th 'teenagers' were inspired by actresses like Lesley Caron, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and a new look appeared: natural hair, soft sweaters,  ballerina shoes and circular felt skirts in strong colors.  Circular - is the word in the world of 'new looks'.

Tour de France 2014

The tour is not over yet, but we are back home to continue watching on TV the tour on the Champs Elysee.  To see the group 'live' we waited with other fans on the Pont Mirabeau where we knew they would pass.
We waited and waited ……. patiently ………for one hour.  And then the excitement rose, the sirens on Police cars passed and in some seconds the peloton swished by.

In about 20 minutes now the Tour de France 2014 will have its winners.

Three weeks of July excitement will be over.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/tour-de-france

Return of a Goddess

T'he Louvre's Denon wing was not the same during the last year.  On top of the Daru stairs the Winged Victory Goddess of Samothrace was missing. She had been removed for a substantial renovation. The vigorous motion of her landing on the prow of a ship trapped in her garments and wings makes us forget that it is a Greek marble sculpture from the 2nd century BC. 

In the first moment she seems somehow smaller now because the bulky pedestal which she was placed on was removed.  Go and judge for yourself but we thought it is an improvement.

http://goddessnike.com/goddess_nike_gallery.php

Fireworks

Last Sunday during the World Cup final between Argentina and Germany there was a full moon quietly hanging in the sky despite the world wide excitement.  At 11 pm,  just when the overtime started, the opening fireworks for Bastille day started too. I tried to watch both! Outside from the balcony and inside on the TV.

Fireworks of joy after the crucial winning goal by the German player Mario Goetze!

The following evening we watched for 40 minutes the majestic fireworks at the Eiffel tower 

in the company of 400 000 happy spectators.

http://youtu.be/dRjHJCbKWQA

An Impressive Mosaic

Above the altar inside Sacre-Coeur in Paris, France's largest mosaic of 575 square yards is installed.
Next to the figure of Jesus Christ revealing his sacred heart stands Joan d'Arc and then priests offering a model of this basilica.  This is just a small section of the large mosaic.

I wonder if the mosaic artists were aware that at the time of the construction - 1875 to 1919 - painters living in Montmartre like Renoir, van Gogh, Picasso and Braque were busy finding new ways of expressing themselves like Impressionism, Expressionism and Cubism.

Wandering around the apse, there is the large bronze sculpture of St. Pierre and if one touches the right foot of this Saint and looks up, there is a grey bearded God looking at you.

This touching gesture is a highlight for many devout visitors.  That the saintly right foot has become a 'paw' I see as an expression of the many believers and their comfort in the Holy Trinity.

http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/english/visit/article/panoramic-virtual-tour-of