Fashion - Paris - page 675

MING TANG-EVANS / LONELY PLANET ©
Bobo & Hipster
Bastille, Le Marais and the 10e around Canal St-Martin are stomping grounds of the bobo
(bourgeois bohemian) - modern bohemians with wealthy bourgeois parents whose style
roots itself in nostalgia for that last voyage to India, Tibet or Senegal and that avowed com-
mitment to free trade and beads. The wildest bobos wear Kate Mack and dress their kids in
romantic rockesque designs by Liza Korn, at home in 10e.
Younger professional bobos frequent iconic concept store Colette or smaller concept
stores with carefully curated collections like L'Éclaireur and the Broken Arm in Le Marais.
Isabel Marant - with boutiques in Le Marais, Bastille and St-Germain des Prés - enjoys cult
worship among Parisian bobos thanks to her chic but easy style that teams wearable-year-
round floral dresses or denim miniskirts with loose knits and lush scarves. Another favourite
is Vanessa Bruno, a Parisian brand again known for its wearable, if slightly edgy, fashion:
exposed midriffs, zebra stripes and a sportswear spirit enlivened her Spring 2014 collection.
On the jewellery front, designs by Marion Vidal in the 9e are bold, funky and heavily
architecture-influenced.
Hipper than hip, Paris' Brooklyn-styled hipster is similar to a bobo but younger (typically
aged 18 to 25 years) and usually without the money. Parisian hipsters only drink juice that is
freshly squeezed and flout big-name or known fashion labels for a 'purist', often vintage,
look.
Ready to Wear
Céline, prided for its stylish and clever minimalism since 1945, is a luxury label so popular
it's practically mainstream in its ready-to-wear, 'fashion for everyone' approach. Chloé is
the other big ready-to-wear house, created in 1952 and the first haute couture label to intro-
duce (in 1956) a designer ready-to-wear collection. Paris' prêt-à-porter industry was born.