To the question: “Which woman best represents Parisian chic?”, many people will answer Inès de Fressange. She embodies for most of us the Paris of Fashion, of elegance and remains the emblematic figure of fashion and the image of the Parisian woman throughout the world. The former model turned artistic director and ambassador of the House of Roger Vivier has that little something infinitely chic that makes her unforgettable.
On Friday, January 22, Bertrand Delanoë awarded the Grande Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris to Inès de la Fressange as part of the “Salon Paris, capitale de la création”. This ceremony, charged with emotion as the former model is appreciated, was an opportunity for the mayor of the Capital to say how proud the City of Paris was to reward Ines de la Fressange for the contribution she has made, throughout her career, for the world of fashion.
Inès de la Fressange embodies fashion but she is also a woman of heart, of courage, the qualifiers did not fail for the Mayor of Paris, visibly moved on a personal level.
Mr. Delanoë saluted her grace but also the woman of conviction, the woman of thought and the free woman that is the former muse of the Chanel house: “It’s not easy to make fashion one of the recognized arts. And if many of those who have brought fashion to life have contributed to making Paris a richer city through what fashion brings to culture, there are a few characters who, through their personal identity, contribute to this process“.
Ms. de la Fressange’s speech was her image, sparkling with a touch of humor when she finds it funny to embody the Parisian woman when she was born in Saint-Tropez, her mother was Argentinean and her grandmother Colombian. “It’s funny to bring up this kind of thing at a time when we’re talking about national identity.“She charmed the audience and showed how much this prize corresponded to her, even paying homage to the Monnaie de Paris where this medal must have been made, and telling us about the aura of French and especially Parisian couture brands abroad. His emotion was palpable.
Inès de La Fressange made her first photos in 1975 for ELLE magazine with Olivier TOSCANI, then appeared for the first time on a catwalk during a fashion show for Thierry Mugler. From 1983 to 1989, she became the muse of the CHANEL house and was the face of the famous Chanel N° 5 perfume during this period. She was the first model to sign an exclusive contract with a fashion house. Representing a certain image of beauty, and embodying Parisian elegance, she imposes her personal style, full of naturalness and humor, which earns her the nickname of “talking model”, and makes her the most popular personality in fashion.
She was chosen in 1989 as the model for the Marianne and left the House of Chanel in 1990. In 1991, she created her own ready-to-wear house and opened her first boutique at 14 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, with her own label, which was an immediate success in the United States and Japan.
After creating her own perfume in 2000, she published an autobiographical book in October 2002: “Profession Mannequin”, published by Hachette Littératures, co-written with Marianne Mairesse, a journalist at Marie-Claire magazine. In 2004, she collaborated with Bruno FRISONI to relaunch the haute couture shoe brand Roger VIVIER. She is Director of Communications and consultant for Roger Vivier. The ambassador of this haute couture bootmaker is also a knight of the Legion of Honor since June 2008, appointed by Georges Kiejman in their salons in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.
Inès de la Fressange has used her great popularity to support charitable works, notably by supporting the association Orphelinats d’Afrique. She is also the patron of the association Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque, which allows children from underprivileged countries to undergo heart surgery in France.
This decoration is amply deserved and we hope that she will continue to represent the Parisian woman, this incredibly chic woman of emotion, full of life and freedom…
Photo credits: ©Sophie Robichon/Mairie de Paris
Marie-Odile Radom
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