Hemingway, Paris & Salon de Lingerie ~ A Movable Feast

By ELLEN LEWIS

Illustration by Geoffrey Beloeil of Camille Roucher Lingerie

Next week I depart to Paris for the  2018 Salon de Lingerie and Interfiliere expositions. About this time each year, I begin questioning the process. Is going necessary? I have been tainted by the number of trips to this French show and the familiarity of the city so many others dream of visiting. Croissants and café au lait don’t do it for me anymore.  I often ask myself; how important is luxury lingerie in today’s retail reality? Yet, the fact is, I never return disillusioned. On the contrary, I am inspired and motivated by the “je ne sais quoi” that is the French experience.  Indefinable as this reaction is, as I listen to Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast, I finally understand. The book is a multi-course banquet, not only of the 1920’s Parisian artist’s lifestyle, but also a descriptive map of the city itself; street names, cafés, theaters, gardens, restaurants. More pertinent for me is that I recognize these places, have been there and absorbed their vibe. I am reminded why the French style is so completely unique. I remember why French Lingerie matters when one studies it, as we do at Lingerie Briefs, as an art form. Without absorbing its essence, one can never really appreciate its soul. So next week when I meet my team at the show (Alison and Tina will be there too) we will be sharing our notes daily as well as upon our return. I don’t want you to be left out.

“If You are Lucky Enough to Have Lived in Paris as a Young Man, Then Wherever You Go For the Rest of Your Life, it Stays With You”
~Ernest Hemingway