Eye Postcard: Julie Macklowe From Paris

Julie Macklowe sent WWD a postcard from Paris:

As I return to New York after a girls’ weekend in Paris with my friends, I reminisce about our first day there: Chanel, Hermès and Valentino shows, followed by an amazing dinner at Chez George. The evening ended with drinks at the Ritz Bar with Lauren Santo Domingo, Olivia Chantecaille, the stylist Cristina Ehrlich and Robert Burke. But of course we had to make ended at the Hemingway Bar, a place for reflection — what a city!

On Saturday, we had lunch at L’Avenue, where, upon leaving, we crossed paths with Patrick Demarchelier. Thank god for one of my girlfriends — one of his fortunate subjects — who not only flew us over, but recognized him on the street. Patrick, of course, then escorted us to his own exhibit at the Petit Palais, highlighting 400 of his most famous portraits. The best part? We got to skip the long line.

After an amazing dinner at Hotel Costes (next to Ashley Olsen’s table — it was quite the scene), the girls’ long weekend ended with a boys’ night out at the famous Maxim’s.

We went there at the urging of Valentino’s Garine Zerounian and the stylist Tanya Gill, for what was supposed to be a chic Parisian lounge setting. Clearly, we had no idea what we were getting into, as we entered a club filled with many very tall “ladies” — aka topless men — with a lot of tattoos and, of course, a pair of topless women in matching blonde bobs and red lipstick who were performing a dance involving bottles of Chanel perfume. Très bizarre! I can only imagine it was what Studio 54 in its heyday must have resembled. Needless to say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, so we danced till we could dance no more.

These are tough times, but as we drove back to our hotel watching the lights sparkle on the Eiffel Tower, feelings of hope and inspiration arrived. Bonsoir Paris, à la prochaine, au revoir!