Paris

Freda Josephine MacDonald, known as Joséphine Baker, was born in 1906 in the United States. Since 2021, she has rested in the Panthéon, alongside the "great men [and women] whom the homeland is grateful for." In 1925, at the age of 16, she was a dancer on Broadway and followed the troupe to Paris. The lead of the revue became the Black icon of the Roaring Twenties. Clad in a simple loincloth, she enthralled audiences and outraged puritans. In 1931, she won the hearts of Parisians with the famous song "J’ai deux amours" written by Vincent Scotto. Becoming French in 1937, Joséphine fought for Free France and was decorated with the Resistance Medal in 1946. A civil rights activist in the United States, she was the only woman to speak alongside Martin Luther King, in uniform, during the "March on Washington" in 1963. Fearless, generous, idealistic (and spendthrift), she lived in a princess’s castle in Périgord surrounded by her 12 adopted children. She passed away in 1975, after a final performance. Farewell and thank you, artist!

Joséphine Baker in 1949 © VanVechten/LibraryOfCongress

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A matter of rags... chic ones. Since 1974, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode gathers in Paris the greatest French and international designers. Four times a year, lovers of draping and folds gather at the foot of the runway, where both women’s and men’s fashion parade. Paris thus reconnects with the century-old tradition of "tailors and dressmakers for ladies". From Rose Bertin, Marie-Antoinette’s dressmaker, to Simon Porte Jacquemus, the rising French stylist, the fashion industry innovates or recycles, transgresses or consolidates (several fashion schools in Paris train for fashion professions). While the two haute couture fashion shows for spring/summer and fall/winter (a uniquely French pride worldwide) attract handpicked global stars from cinema and business, those of "ready-to-wear" draw thousands of enthusiasts and Instagram chroniclers, who come to watch, be moved... and be seen. Beware then of shocking rags!

During a fashion show ©Unsplash/Gbenga Onaleja

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