Latest news with #LeMeurice
Elle
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Kennedy Yanko Plays Dress-Up at Maison Margiela's Couture Show in Paris
It's a sultry summer late afternoon in Paris, and the air inside Suite 403 at Le Meurice—the grande dame hotel perched regally over the Jardin des Tuileries—is thick with anticipation, perfume, and that certain brand of old-world opulence only the French can perfect. Gilded moldings, toile de Jouy armchairs, and ornate mirrors set the scene as artist Kennedy Yanko prepares for her first-ever haute couture show: Maison Margiela, designed by newly-minted creative director Glenn Martens. 'I feel like I'm playing dress-up,' Yanko laughs, sliding on a pair of stormy grey Margiela gloves that sweep dramatically past her elbows—an accessory her grandmother Juanita, a lifelong glove devotee, would no doubt admire. She lounges effortlessly on an antique chair, her sculptural blonde waves pinned with precision, channeling the elegance of a 1930s film star with a Miami edge. Her look for the evening is pure Margiela seduction: a soft grey cashmere sweater casually slipping off one shoulder, a sheer black lace skirt that reveals just enough, and those impossibly chic Tabi pumps paired with delicate lace socks. A slouchy, perfectly worn Margiela bag in deep oxblood leather ties it all together. 'It's classic Margiela,' she says. 'There's this incredible sheerness and texture play—it's both hard and soft, sculptural yet fluid. It reminds me of my own work.' Yanko's sculptures—an alchemical fusion of metal and paint skins—grapple with tension: weight and lightness, vulnerability and power. 'I approach dressing the same way,' she tells me between sips of espresso. 'It's about responsivity—how I feel that day, the space I'm in, the energy I want to carry.' Tonight, that energy is reverence. Maison Margiela's fall 2025 collection—staged at Le Centquatre, a vast industrial arts space—is a triumph of Gothic sensuality and material mastery. Martens, ever the Flemish romantic, draws from the towering cathedrals of Northern Europe, weaving ecclesiastical grandeur into corseted silhouettes, veiled figures, and lavish textures inspired by 16th-century Flemish interiors. Trompe l'oeil brushstrokes reminiscent of Gustave Moreau transform bodies into canvases, while crushed velvets, aged brocades, and repurposed plastics collide in breathtaking fashion. As we drive through the Parisian streets en route to the show, Yanko muses on Martens's singular genius. 'He's a true materialist,' she says, her voice tinged with admiration. 'There's such curiosity in his work—this push and pull between construction and deconstruction. I feel completely aligned with his ethos.' Inside the venue, the audience is met with a surreal mise-en-scène: walls and floors covered in collages of palatial interiors, chairs haphazardly scattered like a decadent afterparty in some forgotten château. The show begins, and from the first look, it's clear that Martens is leading us deep into the labyrinth. Two standout moments captivate our attention. Look 10, a gilded, heart-shaped skirt woven with metal threads and printed with vintage floral leather wallpaper motifs, is pure opulence. Worn with a corseted body and matching Tabis, it radiates the aura of a Renaissance painting reanimated for the modern age—one can almost hear the whispered intrigue of Medici salons. Then comes Look 38—otherworldly, erotic, unforgettable. A floor-length, skin-toned jersey gown with a built-in corset that seems to melt into the body, its draped sleeves cascading into the skirt with hypnotic fluidity. The model's face is veiled, a towering necklace of vintage emerald costume jewels coiling around her throat like some medieval relic. It's Saint Teresa in Ecstasy meets Helmut Newton—divine, provocative, and utterly Margiela. Backstage after the show, Yanko's eyes are still wide with wonder. 'Those pieces are for tomorrow,' she breathes. 'The yellow one—the volume, the texture—it was divine. Honestly, some of those looks She giggles, then adds: 'I don't know how this moment will manifest in my own work yet, but I'll be dreaming about it for a long time.' As we step out into the Paris night, it's clear that Yanko, much like the maison itself, understands that couture isn't merely about fantasy. It's about rebellion, rarity, and the eternal seduction of craft—one exquisite stitch, one sculpted silhouette at a time. 'I mean…the gloves, the bag—what else do you really need?' 'It's giving Miami meets Paris, with just a hint of trouble.' 'This is my version of stepping out for the night—fully suited in Margiela.' 'Sometimes I get ready just to watch myself transform—it's part of the art.' 'Why not turn the closet into a stage? It's couture, after all.' 'Even when I'm sitting still, it's all part of the performance.' 'The gloves, the glasses…they always set the tone before I step out.' 'This bag has seen some things. Tonight, it's coming with me.'
UAE Moments
27-06-2025
- Business
- UAE Moments
Viral French Pastry Chef Behind the Wedding Cake for Bezos
The superstar French patisserie chef, Cedric Grolet, has created 'one of the most expensive wedding cakes' for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding, happening on Friday, June 27. The Daily Mail reported that Grolet has spent weeks designing a wedding cake for the celebrity couple's nuptials, which the chef hopes will be an "unforgettable" part of the $20 million event, according to sources in Paris. Grolet's contribution to the wedding was revealed on Tuesday, June 24, by the Mail; however, no further details have been revealed about it. The wedding cake will be unveiled at the wedding reception on San Giovanni Evangelista Island in Venice. Grolet is the executive pastry chef at Le Meurice, which has branches in Paris, London, and Singapore. He has received various accolades, including from the World's 50 Best Restaurants.
SBS Australia
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
"One day I'd like to be a wild woman"
A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking When world-renowned chef, Analiese Gregory gave up the restaurant business around five years ago, she started on a path of personal discovery that eventually silenced the mental noise of self-doubt. 'Before I moved to Tasmania, I was always so nervous,' Gregory tells SBS. 'I used to ask myself 'can I actually cook?' I wondered about my cooking skills constantly. I had big impostor syndrome.' This was despite the fact that Gregory was – and still is – one of the most celebrated chefs of her generation . She fine-tuned her cheffing skills under the mentorship of Peter Gilmore at his acclaimed restaurant, Quay and later worked at the Michelin star restaurant Le Meurice in Paris. Her personal journey is faithfully documented in the SBS series A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking and in season two , it's apparent that Gregory has settled into a much wilder existence. And she is also ready to come full circle as she works towards opening an eatery, run out of a renovated shed on her property. The 'anti-restaurant', which is due to open some time in August 2025, does not focus on serving fine dining dishes, nor will it focus on increasing covers. Instead, the plan is to host 10 diners at a time. Guests will eat seasonal food that Gregory has grown, hunted and foraged. The menu will work with nature and hero ingredients that celebrate the chef's connection to her local environment. In Tasmania, the chef feels she's returned to a truer version of herself and rediscovered her connection to food, the land and sea. 'There's been a real joy in living here and doing what I am doing,' she says. 'As a child I was always out in the fields. Then, I got older and hated camping. For so long in my adult years, I didn't own a flat pair of shoes (apart from my kitchen clogs). I only wanted to wear dresses and high heels, and be in big cities visiting art galleries. I was very much the city girl. 'When I lived in Sydney, before I moved to Tasmania, I didn't even cook at home. I worked six days a week and, most nights, I'd eat a staff meal before service and snacks after service. On my night off, I'd go out to eat. I think I only ever cooked at home once every six months.' Eventually, Gregory heard the call of nature summoning her to live a more sustainable life. So five years ago, she bought a cottage in need of renovation in Tasmania's Huon Valley , 40 minutes drive from Hobart, and chased her food goals. 'I used to dream of having an old wooden farmhouse and a kitchen that was filled with bowls of homegrown produce. I really tried hard to make my house in Tasmania be just like my dream. It's now all paid off.' 'When you live in any big city, all kinds of food are available at any given time of year. But in Tasmania, you have to eat and live with the seasons properly. You can fight against it but it's much easier to give into it. I've come around to accepting these sorts of things.' Now, Gregory eats regularly at home and feasts on foods that she's passionate about because she's grown, sourced or made them herself. In her kitchen there are fruits and vegetables from her garden, homemade pickles and other condiments, honey from her bees, cheese that she personally crafted and prosciutto that she cures herself. She also eats sea urchins, fish and abalone that she sources locally herself, often forages for native greens and has also raised chickens, goats, pigs and sheep, as well as grown herbs in her farm. And, she courageously takes on hunting – even if it feels confronting – and fishing in the wild, including underwater spearfishing, in a bid to stay true to her values. 'I feel as though I've come full circle. I feel more fulfilled. Nature has definitely been healing.' The impostor syndrome is also gone. 'This period in my life has been a time of upskilling. Now I'm like: 'oh okay. I can do this'.' Gregory now aims to continue strengthening her connection to nature. To do that, she seeks inspiration from Indigenous females across the globe who have traditionally fulfilled the hunter-gatherer role. 'One day, I would like to be 'a wild woman'. To me, being 'wild' means being able to live within nature but not necessarily harm it. You have to be comfortable being with yourself in nature, with your own thoughts. There's also a certain amount of self-reflection that has to happen for you to be able to do that. That's what I think of as being 'wild'. 'I don't know if I fully achieved it yet, but I feel like that is something I want to work towards.' Season 2 of A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking premieres on Monday 23 June, 2025 at 7.30pm on SBS On Demand and SBS Food. Watch now Share this with family and friends
Hospitality Net
14-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Pascal Billard has been appointed General Manager at Le Meurice in Paris
Dorchester Collection announces the appointment of Pascal Billard as general manager of Paris's Le Meurice, effective from August 1, 2025. It will be a welcomed return to Dorchester Collection for Billard, who served as resident manager at Le Meurice's sister Parisian hotel, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, from 2009 to 2013. With more than 35 years' experience in the hospitality industry, Billard joins Le Meurice having held the position of general manager at Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona for the past 12 years. Born and educated in France, Billard has held food and beverage and management positions across an exceptional portfolio of luxury hotels in the Americas and Europe. He originally studied at the Jean Drouant Hospitality School of Paris, and his illustrious career has included roles for Novecento, China Grill Management and Morgans Hotel Group. His most recent position with the Majestic Hotel Group saw him reposition the brand's flagship Barcelona hotel on the Passeig de Gràcia. Open since 1835, Le Meurice was the first hotel awarded the official "Palace" distinction in France, and last year was awarded three Michelin Keys. The hotel is home to two Michelin-starred Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse, and a patisserie by world leading pastry chef, Cedric Grolet. Billard will be taking this position following the retirement of Franka Holtmann, who departed in February having served as general manager for more than 18 years.
