La Mer de Pianos (The Sea of Pianos)

Here's a short film about Marc Manceaux, the owner of the oldest piano shop in Paris. It's beautifully shot and edited by Tom Wrigglesworth and Mathieu Cuvelier. 

www.tomwrigglesworth.com
www.flavors.me/mathieucuv

The Kooples

When I was in Paris earlier this week, I kept seeing poster ads for The Kooples, featuring very hip and beautiful couples highlighting how many years they've been together. I didn't get a chance to check out the shop, but I just checked out their website and found out they have video ads as part of their campaign with even more painfully hip and beautiful couples. 

The Kooples is a French label founded by three brothers Alexander, Laurent and Raphael - the sons of the people behind the Comptoir des Cotonniers womenswear.

The Kooples is bringing chic back to the streets, dressing men and women in sharp allure, with a style borrowed from icons of fashion and a love for vintage.

This franco-british elegance made for urban living has everything from dress shirts to party dresses, jeans to suits, shoes to jewels, and a state of mind that has the somber thoughts of night owls falling in love in the early hours of the morning.

The Kooples has chosen to side with Savile Row, that neighborhood in London made famous for its tailoring. By teaming up with these master tailors, The Kooples has created the hip neo-dandy with a tailored fit, narrow sleeves and snug shoulders. A London cut revisited by the infamous “je ne sais quoi” of the French.

And, because music is an integral part of the brand’s image, The Kooples is launching The Kooples Records, a platform for indie, rock, pop, electro, and folk... celebrating the talent of couples. (via TheKooples.com)

Here are some of the videos I'm talking about (you can see more videos here). Not sure if they are real couples, but if they are, I hope they don't break up. Otherwise, it would be awfully awkward.

Corinna & Johnny

Fahrani & Luke

Venus & Jonas

www.thekooples.com

Paris in November

I just got back from Paris, I went for Paris Photo 2011 and a plethora of photography exhibitions happening across the city. I love Paris in November, no tourists, crisp autumn weather, perfect weather for hot chocolate and sitting alone in cafes watching the world pass by. 

I will try to post about the photography exhibitions I went to, but for now, here's a small selection of photos of some street art taken around Marais and Centre Pompidou. They bought a smile to my face.

Louis Vuitton - City Guides

I recently posted a Louis Vuitton commercial which made me want to pack my un-Louis Vuitton looking suitcase and go on an adventure. Well, I am in Paris this week for Paris Photo and really enjoying a proper winter break. Coming from Dubai and it's almost never ending summer, I've embraced this cold season with open arms. I am also drinking lots of great coffee and hot chocolate and eating lots of yummy desserts.

Which brings me to why I have yet another Louis Vuitton related post. The latest edition of the Louis Vuitton City Guides was released recently. The guides cover the best in food, art, design and fashion in several of the world's most exciting cities. In addition to the guide books, the following videos were also created to support this latest launch. The videos feature Paris, Berlin and New York, each one exploring a unique aspect of the city. Each one is beautifully filmed and I hope more cities will be covered.

I will try to get my hands on the Paris City Guide soon and hope it leads me to new discoveries in this lovely city.

www.louisvuitton.com

Three years at the same place by Pierre Jolivet

 

This time lapse video by Pierre Jolivet was shot over a span of three years between January 2007 and September 2010 in Paris, France. It consists of 45,000 images and I have to say, I'm quite impressed.

Here in Dubai we are very familiar with destruction of the old and construction of the new and watching this made me wonder if there are any time lapse videos shot in Dubai that span a few years. I imagine a Dubai version would make me sad, as it would be a reminder of how much the city's facade has changed.

But let's not go there ... instead, I invite you to watch and enjoy this video.

www.vimeo.com/pierrejolivet

Dreamlands at Centre Pompidou

Dreamlands is an exhibition currently showing at Centre Pompidou in Paris. It questions how World's Fairs, international exhibitions, theme parks and kindred institutions have influenced ideas about the city and the way it is used.

Duplicating and reduplicating reality through the creation of replicas, embracing an aesthetic of accumulation and collage that is often close to kitsch, these self-enclosed parallel worlds have frequently afforded inspiration to the artistic, architectural and urban practices of the 20th century, and may even be said to have served as models for certain contemporary constructions.

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