TALK OF THE TOWN

Published: October 17, 2012 (Issue # 1731)

Parisian chic has arrived in St. Petersburg! The legendary French beauty salon Lucie Saint-Clair, which boasts Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Adjani, Patricia Kaas and Eva Longoria among its top-flight clientele, has opened a franchise in Russia.

Located at 2 Tverskaya Ulitsa, the local Lucie Saint-Clair has virtuoso hairdressers who are coached twice a year by Parisian stylists from the brand’s own school.

“Style is beyond fashion, and it is essential for our hairdressers to be able to listen to and understand clients, to be able to create a unique image for them,” said Bernard Sagon, president of Lucie Saint-Clair, who was in the city for the salon’s opening.

Lucie Saint-Clair founded her first salon in the early 1970s, and enjoyed immediate success, with the Rothschild family and Jacqueline Kennedy becoming her clients. She went on to win an international name and recognition for herself. In 2005 she was awarded the prestigious Legion D’Honneur award by then-French president Jacques Chirac for her contribution to the development of the beauty industry.

Another highlight for St. Petersburg’s high society last week was the opening of a Philipp Plein boutique at 153 Nevsky Prospekt, near the Alexander Nevsky monastery.

Germany-born, Switzerland-based Plein’s rock style and glam clothes have become a fashion legend. Known for his use of the skull motif, almost all his designs are made from black fabrics or leather with metallic accents or rhinestones.

“We create a fusion of dreams and reality, of Italian craftsmanship and luxurious, loud design,” Plein said of his fashion house at the opening of the local boutiqe.

“Philipp Plein stands out from the crowd,” he added.

The new boutique sells both women’s and men’s clothing, from hats, shoes and bags to modern classics and biker jackets. The store itself is simple yet sophisticated: White walls provide a plain backdrop to a Murano glass chandeliers with Plein’s trademark skulls, while one huge diamante-studded skull sculpture glitters at the center of the boutique.

For four days, and for four days only, from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20, the miX restaurant at the W Hotel on Voznesensky Prospekt is going to be treating guests to delights created by star chef Christophe Martin, who’s been flown in especially for the occasion.

Martin works at La Bastide de Moustiers, a four-star hotel and restaurant in Provence created by the legendary culinary genius behind miX itself, Alain Ducasse.

For his culinary tour of St. Petersburg, Martin has created special menus for lunch and dinner with the aim of introducing diners to the sunny cuisine of La Bastide. Both menus feature seasonal ingredients.

Martin’s visit is part of the Guest Chefs in miX founded by Ducasse in April of this year when he himself celebrated the restaurant’s first year at the W. Stay tuned: Next up, in November, will be a star chef from Las Vegas.