INES DE LA FRESSANGE

Inès de la Fressange is a lovely dark-haired woman.

So fascinating that when she was in her twenties she wrote Claude Lévi-Strauss, telling him that she would love working for him, even if it was just pouring him a cup of tea, the famous anthropologist replied that he was honored by her offer, but that he would spend his time watching her instead of studying. Of noble birth, with elegant manners and sophisticated tastes, Inès was Chanel’s model/muse and, in the early 90s, the face of the Marianne whose marble bust adorns all the prefectures in France. She is the ambassador of the brand Roger Vivier and she edited a lovely book, La Parisienne, wherein she tells of the inimitable style of Parisian women.La Redoute, a mail order service company known for its extensive catalogue, relies on her expertise. She has selected 40 pieces fromLa Redoute’s spring/summer 2013 collections, from home design, clothing and accessories. “I could do as I liked” she commented. “Joke, play, give my personal interpretations.” It will be interesting to see how a woman used to the most expensive brands will navigate in the low-cost universe, that is like an institution inFrance.