An Exceptional Trip to Paris with Sisley

My avid reader know how much I love Sisley products. Without my beloved Black Rose Cream Mask and  or the So Intense Mascara my life would definitely not be the same. Therefore, I was all over the moon to be invited to Paris to visit their newest spa and boutique which marks the first in Paris for the upscale French beauty brand and to finally meet Sisley co-founder Mrs Isabelle d’Ornano in person.

Having beautiful skin is a state of mind, it helps lift the spirits and improves the deep sense of self.” – Isabelle d’Ornano

The 360 m2 space is situated on 5, Avenue de Friedland, in the centre of Paris’s 8th district off the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Divided into four areas, it is the perfect place to unwind after a busy week.

The beauty salon houses five treatment rooms - including one double treatment room and offers a menu of facials as well as body treatments for every age and skin type. I had a facial that was truly special as Sisley has developed exclusive “rituals” designed to combat the effects of urban life.

It is one of the most tasteful places I have seen, a haven of good taste inspired by Isabelle and Christine d’Ornano’s love for a quirky mix of interesting furniture and designer pieces, sourced from both flea markets and luxury brands.

There’s for example a «Jetlag» sofa by India Mahdavi and framed sketches by Marc Chagall in the lounge area where pre-treatment consultations take place.

The bathrooms have wallpapers that are made from magazine articles featuring Sisley.

The «secret» café is exclusively reserved for clients and invites them with tribal elements to relax and have a drink. This house is also home to the first Sisley Boutique in Paris where you can buy all the products the brand has to offer.

Traditional and modern touches mingle in this space where painted woodwork and mouldings exist alongside an animated, luminous wall display. Isabelle d’Ornano’s niece Elzbieta Radziwill painted the central lampshade, and the walls are covered with hand-painted wallpaper from 1874 called “the Cells” by Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, which was remodelled, reproportioned, and recoloured specifically for the space. I especially adore the handpainted sofas.

Sisley, 5, avenue de Friedland, 8th arrondissement. Phone: +33 1 86 21 11 11.
www.sisley-paris.com

From left to right: Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream, Black Rose Cream Mask and Black Rose Precious Face Oil.icon

On display of course the newest addition to the Sisley Black Rose family: The Black Rose Skin Infusion Cream iconfor plumbing and radiance (Baume-En-Eau à la Rose Noire). Infused with soothing rose and magnolia essential oils, this nourishing cream absorbs deep into the skin for a plumper, fresher complexion. Black rose combats free radicals, while red vine extract evens tone, leaving a glowing more radiant finish. Its texture is absolutely different from what you might have ever experienced due to an exceptionally sensorial application as it transforms into micro-droplets of water and permeates into the heart of the epidermis. Hydrated, the skin is infused with moisture, as if rejuvenated.

After this beautiful experience in the spa, I was fully of energy the next day and so much looking forward to finally meet Mrs Isabelle d’Ornano which is not only a style icon for me but whom I also admire for her way of combining work, motherhood and success.

In 1976 she launched Sisley with her husband Hubert d’Ornano who headed the company for over thirty years as a visionary creator and daring entrepreneur until his death at the age of 89 in 2015. He believed in aromatherapy and phytotherapy as one of the first ones in the cosmetic industry. Until today, the brand is family owned, distributed in over 90 countries with 4000 employees worldwide. Mrs d’Ornano, President of the Supervisory Board, is chiefly in charge of creation and advertising, while her son Philippe d’Ornano is President and directs the company’s International development. Her daughter, Christine d’Ornano is Global Vice President, also heading one of the group’s subsidiaries in Britain.

Mrs d’Ornano is truly amazing. I learnt from her employees that until this day she reads all the sales reports personally to understand how her customer tick. Sisley is a brand that launches a product when it is ready and not when a line has to be completed.

Above the new Maison Sisley, on the top floor, Mrs d’Ornano has furnished a private apartment overlooking the rooftops of Paris that is quite stunning. Here we chatted about the brand she built up, life and faith.

Mrs d’Ornano, I read once that your key to a strong marriage, family, work, and a happy life in general is your faith. Can you explain this a little further please?

I believe in God. The world has been created by God. We all have a special mission. I pray. The more comfort you need, the more you pray. I was born in Poland that had a difficult history in the 19th century. Therefore Christianity played an important role. Personally speaking, I don’t understand people who don’t believe in anything.

Together with your husband you have built up this beauty empire. Your whole family is involved in the business. How can we imagine your daily life? Were you able to leave the business behind to a certain point when being on vacation for example?

For years, we never left the business behind. One of our daughters who was not involved in the company would point it out when it was too much. On the other side, we always had something to speak about. When we had ideas, we could express them immediately. Sisley became my 6th child.

What do you think about this century?

I am happy. It is not on me to judge. We are experiencing an acceleration in daily life, so much more is possible. On the other side, I am sometimes worried that humanity will be lost in this digitalized world. I think for the younger generations it is not always so easy. Of course, there are more possibilities, but on the other hand, they are asked so much more. Men seem to have less work as women are capable of doing the same things.

Your own beauty regime?

I try to walk every day and do gymnastics. In general, I have a healthy taste in terms of eating. But most importantly, I like people, I am always curious and enjoy meeting new people. In my age, that changes a lot.

You in three words.

Loyal, efficient and fun!

Thank you Mrs d’Ornano for this interview and to the whole Sisley team for this beautiful experience in Paris!

TO SHOP SISLEY PARIS ONLINE, CLICK HERE PLEASE.
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LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades

Louis Vuitton enriches its collection with 10 new items Objets Nomades that will be presented during Salone del Mobile in Milan from April 4th to 9th 2017.

Created in 2012, the Objets Nomades collection keeps alive Louis Vuitton’s long tradition of beautifully crafted travel objects. Some of the world’s most renowned designers have since imagined stunning travel-inspired Objets, which have then been made by Louis Vuitton. This year, two new designers have joined the collection: India Mahdavi and Tokujin Yoshioka.

Design is about giving function a form.”
India Mahdavi

I always try to invent something beyond forms.”
​ Tokujin Yoshioka

Bed trunk for explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza

The limited editions and experimental prototypes that make up the Objets Nomades collection all pay homage to the House’s special orders of the past – such as the iconic Bed Trunk produced in 1874 for French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza – and add the defiantly contemporary visions of creative designers from around the world: Atelier Oï, Maarten Baas, Barber and Osgerby, the Campana Brothers, Damien Langlois-Meurinne, Nendo, Gwenaël Nicolas, Raw Edges, Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, and, most recently, India Mahdavi and Tokujin Yoshioka.

Hammock by Atelier Oï

Today, there are 25 Objets Nomades, from a hammock to a deckchair, a swing chair to a foldable stool. Each project has been an opportunity for the designers and Louis Vuitton’s creative artisans to combine their savoir-faire to interpret the idea of travel in their own imaginative ways. Each Objet embodies their shared ideals: a love of the beauty of fine materials, the possibility of forms and carefully balanced proportions, complex and meticulous craftsmanship, and close attention to detail.

These values are clearly present in the 10 Objets Nomades recently added to the collection,

such as the Campana Brothers’ playful sofa, inspired by clouds and the shell Botticelli painted for Venus;

Atelier Oï’s stunning chair, with its repurposed straps resembling leather belts;

Marcel Wanders’ modern, richly malletage-leather rocking chair;

India Mahdavi’s talisman-inspired nomade side table with its remarkable leather marquetry;

and Tokujin Yoshioka‘s blossom stool, that has been inspired by the idea from the motif of quarto foil, a stool with natural structure that symbolizes the Louis Vuitton Monograms of petals.

Some more of the 10 newly added Objets Nomades.

 ​Over 160 years after Louis Vuitton began exploring new territories and ideas of travel, the Objets Nomades collection can be seen as proof that the House has lost none of its sense of adventure.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton