The Paris Scene This Couture Season

PARISFear not. Restaurants and museums will remain closed during this couture season, but there’s still a lot to do in between watching virtual shows. Here, a taste of gourmet takeout, online art expos and on-demand beauty treatments in Paris.

GOURMET TO GO: With Caviar Kaspia, La Société, Voltaire and other Paris fashion canteens still shuttered amid the pandemic, gourmet takeout has become a culinary and social media phenomenon, with the likes of LVMH executive Alexandre Arnault posting his Jean Imbert lunchboxes on his Instagram Stories, and publicist Lucien Pagès showing off what he’s whipped up from the fabulous chef-made ingredient baskets dispatched by We Are Ona. (We Are Ona also organizes private chefs if you don’t know the difference between chop, julienne and chiffonade.)

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Imbert, famed for his restaurant Mamie par Jean Imbert, even has a luxurious click-and-collect collaboration cooking with Dior for Valentine’s Day: A sumptuous dinner for two replete with a chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé and two limited-edition Dior Maison plates, all for 395 euros.

Pavillon Ledoyen, the Yannick Alleno restaurant that has been the site of a lavish Giambattista Valli dinner, has also adapted to the new reality with takeaway and delivery options from its bistro and elite sushi counter L’Abysse, which boasts two Michelin stars. — Miles Socha

VIRTUAL REALITY: You may not be able to hit the City of Light and check out the sights between shows this season, but some of the major art exhibitions have taken content online, so you can get the Paris experience, wherever you are in the world.

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is offering a 20-minute filmed visit of its Cindy Sherman exhibit through Jan. 31. With subtitled commentary, the visitor can discover 170 artworks by the American photographer, who questions the notion of identity through her images.

For accredited Paris Fashion Week visitors, there’s a special virtual visit of the “Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto” exhibition at the Palais Galliera in the works for Jan. 26. With the fashion museum’s doors currently closed to visitors, it may be the only opportunity to check out the first Paris retrospective of Chanel’s work that opened last October, featuring more than 350 pieces created between 1910 and 1971.

If you’re interested in fashion culture of a more democratic kind, “Jean,” at the Cité des Sciences et de L’Industrie, explores the history and culture of jeans, production methods and the various steps in the supply chain, and how the denim industry is working toward a more sustainable future. Showing until Jan. 22 next year, the expo, designed like a giant workshop, can be visited online by appointment every Wednesday and Sunday. — Alex Wynne

BEAUTY ON-DEMAND: For a pampering pause in Paris, it’s possible to have beauty services easily carried out in the privacy of one’s home or hotel. That’s thanks to apps such as Popmyday, Simone, Wecasa and Planity, which are popular in the French capital.

Popmyday, for instance, provides in-home beauty and wellness services — ranging from manicures and makeup to yoga and personal training.

Simone’s menu includes various manicures, massages, a facial, hairstyling and coloring, plus eyelash enhancement.

Planity enables people to make appointments with hairstylists, aestheticians, barbers and manicurists. While Wecasa’s offering extends beyond beauty and wellness, to comprise housekeeping, child care and athletic coaching, too. — Jennifer Weil

For more, see:

Paris Scene: What’s New for Couture Season

EXCLUSIVE: Elie Saab Drops Out of Paris Couture Week

Valentino to Present Couture Collection Digitally

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