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Bottles of limited-edition deluxe Champagne are seen in Paris, Thursday March 20, 2008.
And so it is, just weeks after the fashion parades have been put to bed for another few months, another element of French luxury was put on display in the French capital.
On Thursday, the world's super rich jostled side by side for the limited edition deluxe offering: Champagne that costs about 4000 euros a bottle. At 50,000 for a case of 12, Perrier-Jouet officially went on sale Thursday after a glitzy party at Paris' Opera Garnier.
In 1811, the Perrier-Jouet champagne producer burst onto the scene when Pierre-Nicolas-Marie Perrier, a cork manufacturer, married Ad le Jouet and set up a champagne trading house in the town of Eperney. It is said that Pierre-Nicolas instantly recognized the potential in foreign markets and quickly set to start selling abroad.
In 1815 he sent his first delivery to England, followed by the United States several years later.
And still, today, regardless of fears of a recession in the U.S. and a global credit crisis, the wealthy are still prepared to part with thousands of euros for the right to taste some of the most cherished liquids to come out of French soil.
Indeed, even the rich have to deal with rising fuel prices, steep electricity bills and riskier mortgage plans which in theory should be leaving them with less money to blow on out-and-out luxury items like Champagne. But since when did fabulous tastes have a price?
No matter how bad things get luxury items will always sell. Pierre-Jouet champagnes will be sold to approximately 100 people around the world who will have the chance to customize their own Champagne, the ultimate luxury in a era of mass production and generic labeling where plastic corks are becoming more and more common.
Thankfully true champagne seems to have avoided the plastic cork phenomenon and still unleashes that exquisite pop upon opening.
"Each buyer will come to Epernay (in eastern France) for a one-on-one meeting with our cellar master Herve Deschamps, and will personally add a 'liqueur' to personalise the bottles," said Perrier Olivier Cavil, head of communications at Perrier-Jouet.
Imagine the feeling of sheer exaltation upon purchasing a bottle of Champagne of such high caliber and global recognition. I'm sure even the most humble amongst us could not resist a narcissistic rush of blood to the head when unveiling such a bottle.
According to the Agence France Presse, Champagne producers exported 150 million bottles last year, a 7.3-percent jump from 2006, in addition to 188 million guzzled in France, according to industry figures.
So, it seems the French are sticking true to their roots and drinking through the possibility of a global recession.
The uncertainty of the number written on the bottom of a journalist's pay slip is an habitual worry in the early days of any reporter`s career. And so it is that pushing out a respectable existence in a large city requires beady eyes, complete awareness of current events and an ability to convince those stubborn editors who possess the fundamental right to choose what goes inside the paper.
March and April look to be fairly profitable months but nevertheless I have decided to put some added elbow grease into my working week. Hence I have recently joined the ranks of the French waiters in central Paris.
Efficient service, immaculate appearance and ability to master the art of carrying a tray of drinks high above your head is all part of the job. Waiters in Paris work extremely hard and are always obliged to keep an eye out for thirsty or ravenous customers, dreary old coffee drinking women hiding behind an awkwardly positioned pillar and the plentiful numbers of newcomers who sit down on the terrace as the summer months draw in.
The work is often tiresome, the service usually impeccable and the food always very tasty. But waiters and cooks in the French capital are paid comparatively mediocre amounts. The SMIC, or minimum wage in France is 8.44 euros, the amount many waiters earn in Paris.
However, unknowingly to many, French clients are actually inclined to tip rather generously even though the service charge is always included within the bill.
Even for an espresso - which is already priced at the rather extortionate amount of 2 euros - many a customer will not hesitate to leave a few extra gold coins on the bar or table where they are sat.
Treat the French with a bit of charm and finesse and a couple having a meal together could may well leave up to 4 or 5 euros. It seems that during times of apparent financial crisis, limited purchasing power and fears of a recession the French are still willing to tip their beloved waiters.
Perhaps the waiter has a folkloric aura attached to his personality: the one who allows many of the French to spend endless hours stirring their petit café with friends and partners.
In the United States, tipping is commonplace and often extremely generous but not for the same reasons. Waitering in the States is something done by students and young people. Waitering in France is simply part of the country's heritage.
A huge monolithic sculpture of a tweed jacket at the Chanel presentation in Paris
In a splendiferous week of Haute Couture presentations in Paris, fashions greatest talents gathered together to flaunt an array of rich fabrics, cutting edge designs and illustrious themes. This years concoction of elegance went out with a bang when Valentino bid farewell to a packed house at the Rodin Museum.
Red petals fell from the sky as a long line of immaculately presented models donning his signature red gowns swayed gracefully down the runway. Meanwhile Valentino waved goodbye with a glint of nostalgia in his eye.
Valentino backstage at his last show
A day before, Chanel had put on a show whose theme seemed to stem from the Ocean bed. Gleaming dresses gracefully wafted in the air and an array of garments reminiscent of tropical shells drifted their way past a monolithic sculpture of a tweed jacket, complete with carved buttons and braiding.
But of course, all of the above happened behind closed doors amongst people who belong to privileged social circles: celebrity invites, renowned journalists and fashion boffins.
There is, however, another side to Haute Couture in Paris which is open to the wider public. A Haute Couture that journalists like Suzy Menkes rarely include in their reports.
Scattered throughout Paris are various mini-salles which expose the works of smaller designers all of whom wish to be part of this famous and splendid week. One charming little booth in Pariss Marée district displayed a range of jackets thematically drawing parallels with insect bodies and skin textures complete with vibrant photography above each garment.
Passers-by, fashion lovers, tourists and serious buyers mingled amongst the clothes savoring the atmosphere in one of Europes most prestigious fashion house locations.
Parisian fashion houses are very often no go areas for much of the population as custom requires a certain client usually laced in rich silks and cottons. Even for the modestly dressed the idea of walking through the door of Dior or Chanel round the Champs Elysees can be far-fetched and an unwelcome reminder of the type of objects they will never be able to afford.
However, bringing Haute Couture into the heart of the public domaine for the every day person to witness can be quite a surreal experience. In an era when affordable clothes from conglomerates like H&M and Zara are all the rave, Haute Couture has almost become a spectacle of the sublime and the ridiculous.
Personal style and imaginative mixing and matching is no longer socially acceptable or considered as original. Rather, those who make a stand for originality are mocked and considered as 'a little bit crazy.'
If clothes of such supposed elegance are only accessible to a minimal few, are those further down the economic ladder destined for an image of banality? The ability and desire to express oneself uniquely I feel is slowly petering away.
The Champs Elysées is a well known location to witness the erratic behavior of French drivers.
Ever since I was a boy the notion that French drivers are the Worlds most erratic has always been at the center of the odd stereotyped joke. But looking at the driving attitudes in countries like Italy where red lights are considered as street decorations, or India whose recent rise in car sales has created havoc on their city's roads, are never mentioned
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Violence breaks out in Paris during student strikes against new employment legislation in 2006
It has forever been ingrained within the French ideological approach towards society: to continuously play lip service to the grand ideals of solidarity and yet refuse to merge the political sphere with that of the social
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Smokers will now have to sit outside in the cold if they want a cigarette
New anti-smoking laws in France have prohibited smoking in all public spaces, extending the ban to bars, restaurants, nightclubs and the most cherished of all spaces: the caf
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Nicolas Sarkozy's new girl friend Carla Bruni
As we approach the time of the year when good will and consideration weigh hard on our moral conscience, it seems Nicolas Sarkozy has been granted the greatest Christmas present of them all
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The elegant department store, Le Bon Marché, in Paris's seventh arrondissement
This year the perils of Christmas shopping proved to be a real eye opener. It had been a long time since I had wondered through Pariss most prestigious neighborhoods as a keen shopper. So, instead of inhaling the stimulating odors of burnt coffee and dreamingly gazing through the windows of Pariss many bistros, this time I mingled with the citys consumers
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Johnny Halliday in his early days, the French singer has recently announced the end of his career will be in 2009
As Led Zeppelin perform a serious of two concerts at the O2 arena in London, France is mourning the news that Johnny Hallyday - one of the nation's few musicians of international standing will be ending his career with a farewell tour in 2009
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A legal artist squat in central Paris
Earlier today I conducted an interview with Christophe Girard, an elected deputy in charge of culture and arts in the Paris region. The objective was to discuss the political viewpoint on the existence of artistic hideouts which are often in poor physical condition in the heart of the French capital
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Comment by Simon Marks
on Johnny Halliday bites the dust
Froggy Views and French News
Froggy News
You got me on the photo though.