Jose Castro seals in style.
Photo By Giovanni Giannoni
DOWN TIME: Lapo Elkann is the latest designer to hook up with Moncler, the Italy-based down jacket specialist, for his lifestyle brand Italia Independent. The collaboration produced two unisex garments, a black down vest and slim-fit hooded jacket. Both pieces, unveiled at Elkann's Pop Art-filled pad here Friday, will hit stores in July, with an exclusive U.S. department store deal with Barneys New York. "I've tested [the jackets] in Paris, in New York and in the mountains in Italy," said Elkann. He also plans to put one of his new techno peacoats, lined with a wind- and water-proof membrane, through its paces when he sets sail on a cross-Atlantic voyage this November in his state-of-the-art sailboat, named Stealth.
AIR SUPPLY: Some designers work in a bubble; José Castro puts them on his runway. On Friday, he sent out two outrageous looks that left the audience — but thankfully not his models — gasping. His bubble girls — ventilation systems attached — underlined the message that puffed-up volumes are in; germs are out.
BREATHING EASY: The Bleu Comme Bleu beauty salon, off the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, recently opened what's billed as Paris' first oxygen bar — just in time to ease end-of-the-fashion-marathon malaise. The purified oxygen comes scented with aromatic cocktails, including Retour de Fête (Post Party), a zesty ginger, peppermint and lemon mix designed to help with headaches and hangovers. Proponents of oxygen bars — already popular in the U.S. and Japan — say it can increase alertness, reduce stress and reinforce the immune system. Each 10- to 15-minute session is free-of-charge to Bleu Comme Bleu clients and 10 euros, or $15.20 at the current exchange rate, for everyone else.




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