peut ĂŞtre Issue 4
peut-ĂŞtre
Iris Van Herpen
Lindsey Wixson - Backstage at Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012 show
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CONTENTS
Issue 4
Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012
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A WORD FROM THE EDITOR POLAROID PORTRAITS Trine Hyldtoft BEHIND THE SCENES Issey Miyake BEHIND THE SCENES Iris Van Herpen BACKSTAGE PASS BEHIND THE SCENES Tsumori Chisato BEHIND THE SCENES Dior BEHIND THE SCENES Dior FOCUS ON Karlie Kloss INTERVIEW Sylvain Sendra PORTFOLIO Aron Wiesenfeld HELLO DE LOU CONTRIBUTORS
peut être
On our cover : Trine Hyldtoft (Women) - No make-up No hair.
Backstage at Tsumori Chisato Spring Summer 2012 show
A WORD FROM THE EDITOR
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What would a Peut-être issue be without a ‘Behind the scenes’ of Tsumori Chisato and Iris Van Herpen ? Just like their past shows, I was mesmerized by their latest collections : Tsumori’s was so dreamy, summery and whimsical, a pure enchantment that could only put you in a good mood ! Iris brought me into a breathtaking world out of time and space, a suspended moment of grace, full of fascinating and strange creatures floating in the air, in organic dresses. And Dior… was another dream come true : visiting the Atelier avenue François 1er and embroiderer Jean-Pierre Ollier, witnessing the ‘work in progress’ of one of the most spectacular lace pleated dress of the show, which was a headache to construct, but with an amazing result ! It is at Dior’s backstage that I got to see Karlie Kloss in the flesh. Karlie… She has been on so many covers, editorials, magazines and shows… Sometimes when so many talented and famous photographers have already photographed someone I’d love to photograph, I wonder what kind of picture I could make if I had the opportunity, because I don’t feel I could bring anything different or new. But Karlie was still a dream to me. I missed the opportunity to photograph her at the Dior Haute Couture show in January 2012, as she left the make up studio before I arrived backstage ; I was very disappointed. I got my second chance in March 2012, when I got my backstage pass for Dior’s ready-to-wear show. Smiling and enthusiastic as always, Karlie was sitting and chatting while getting her makeup done. I had a few minutes to try to catch what always struck me and what I have always loved about her : her grace, her femininity, and the glowing beauty you notice in every detail of her. Her hands, her long swan-like neck, a black pocket on her chiffon shirt partially hiding her lace bra… She doesn’t know it, but my “rendez-vous” with Karlie was pure magic.
Nathalie Malric, creative director.
All images copyright © Nathalie Malric unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission from the publisher. Copyright Peut-Être magazine 2011-2012
POLAROID PORTRAITS
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Trine Hyldtoft
Women Management
BEHIND THE SCENES
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Issey Miyake
Ready - To - Wear Spring Summer 2012
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After ten years working in Issey Miyake’s design studio, Yoshiyuki Miyamae showed his debut collection as creative director for the fashion label with his Spring / Summer 2012 collection titled ‘Bloom Skin’. As inspiration, Yoshiyuki used a microscope to examine delicate flower blooms, revealing the powerful cell structure unperceived by the naked eye. With his ‘Bloom Skin’ collection, the designer detailed the flower’s life cycle by sending out models in five different groups, each representing the flower’s different phases : bud, stem, petal, blossom and bloom - a metaphor for women’s nature, the beauty, preciousness, and delicateness of the female form, which can also be extremely strong. “But it’s not all soft and romantic” said Yoshiyuki, “these are beautiful flowers, but they also hold poison”, so beneath the ethereal transparency of the collection lied a dynamic energy. Yoshiyuki’s silhouettes were delicate and light-as-air, a different approach to Issey Miyake’s heavier and bulkier shapes. These soft and feminine silhouettes were created with sheer fabrics and vibrant, playful colours. Models wore dramatic and tightly pulled back beehives with colour-diffusion hair, over which were incredible petalshaped headpieces created in collaboration with milliner Christophe Coppens. These played a vital role in presenting the graduation of flower buds opening. To complement the fresh look of the collection, lips were made to look slightly bitten with the magenta colour applied through the centre of the lip and blended outward. The show opened with three models in Christophe Coppens’ headpieces wrapped around their heads, interpreting the stages of a bud opening to blossom, with brightly coloured hair. The designs then transitioned to the stem form, where pale tones were juxtaposed with architectural silhouettes and strong fabrication, representing the fragile stem, which is also strong and structured when viewed under the microscope. To convey this contrast of strength and fragility Yoshiyuki used double-thick fabrics and yarn techniques merged with sheer smoothness. The petal phase comprised a sporty outlook, despite the femininity that is usually associated with flowers. Tailored separates were softened with layers of ruffles cascading on the chest and billowy slashed-open sleeves, suggesting a bud bursting. The palette consisted of soft pastel hues and beautiful yellows, which graduated to neons and vivid pinks with soft browns. Leggings and bike shorts with tribal graphic artwork inspired by Tadanori Yokoo’s work were teamed with oversized tops woven with dissolved fibres, creating a sheer, hazy, soft and effect. The translucent textures were the product of artisanship taken from a traditional dye house in Kyoto. The fabric knit, composed of two types of fibres, was involved in a special process in order to create a dual effect of translucence and graphic prints on the fabrics. For the blossom phase, softer neutral tones returned along with strong blues, muted prints and billowy silhouettes that included painted silk tunics, harem pants, and cinched waists - as the blossom opened at last. A wide, continuous panel of fabric connecting the shoulder of a jumpsuit to the ankle billowed in the air as the model walked the runway, bringing the yellow print to life, hailing that at last, the flower has bloomed. Clarice Chian
BEHIND THE SCENES
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Iris Van Herpen
Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012
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For her second couture collection, Iris Van Herpen found inspiration in the dark aquatic world from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and Scientific Photographer Steve Gschmeissner’s photos of microorganisms. The 27-year old Dutch designer doesn’t hunt for far-fetched inspirations, but is inspired by very small, daily things, from many areas outside of fashion : medicine, biology, architecture and old crafts. For her “Micro” collection, Iris drew inspiration from the strange world of bacilli, vermin, mites, lice and termites from a microscopic point of view. “I wanted to show the beauty of them, because in my eyes they are the most bizarre, unbelievable and most imaginative creatures imaginable,” said Iris. Van Herpen, known for her use of innovative, computerised design techniques alongside traditional hand-craftsmanship, first creates silhouettes directly on the mannequin, moulding paper into her envisioned form, which she then transfers into a 3D drawing that is sent off to Materialise’s Belgian headquarters, where the piece is brought to life on 3D printers using a process called synthetic laser sintering (SLS). With her latest masterpiece, she collaborated with Isaïe Bloch to create a stunning 3D printed piece with the appearance of antique bronze using a ‘copper-electroplating bath.’ “I’m curious for the future, always looking for the unknown. But at the same time I’m not a computer girl at all,” said Iris, who depends on associates for the computer modelling part of her work. Iris tries to balance futurism with a more organic inspiration, working around the human body and focusing on round, rather than symmetric shapes, saying : “(…) if you work too much with machines, it takes the life out of it.” She uses an assortment of fabrics commonly used in architecture, which for her ‘Micro’ collection included leather, synthetic boat rigging, Plexiglas, copper, and a translucent (chemical) snakeskin fabric that she created in collaboration with artist and textile designer Bart Hess. All pieces in Iris’ ‘Micro collection were distinctly architectural, often with emphasized shoulders and hips, and extraordinary sculptural effects, leather bodices, laser cuts, latex skirts and pants. These were presented in a light-catching colour palette, which included metallic shades of aubergine, ray-gray and dark metal silvers, rich coppers, pearl, white, beige, and browns. The opening thigh-length dress had iridescent tentacles meandering down it, which comprised of hundreds of rows of small half Plexiglas moons that were designed on a computer, number-coded and hand-sewn onto the garment “like a big puzzle” said the designer. These ‘tentacles’ were seen again on a white jacket, worn with a simple pair of ultra-glossy black pants. A silvery-black cape-dress resembling a stingray was given life by an intricate weaving of shimmering silk and very fine plastic filaments, which felt like pure liquid and appeared to draw light into it. Sheath mini-dresses had intricate shapes fanning out in futuristic spirals made from numerous strips of silver fabric (originally lampshade material), or three-dimensional panels made from tiny Plexiglas pins. Even though Iris’ “Cathedral Dress” appeared to be hand-carved out of wood, it was in fact a product of 3D laser printing, the most technical piece of her collection, which also included an olive-gray leather dress that was strung and corded together, and a leather bodiced stone-green dress with a bubbly textured floor-length latex skirt that suggested fine seaweed, and appeared to have been made of shagreen. Iris collaborated with Rem D. Koolhaas of United Nude Shoes to design extraordinary ‘Fang’ shoes with soles supported by an array of ten sharp claw-like teeth in place of the ordinary heel – the perfect accessories to Iris’ extraordinary collection : a product of her vivid imagination. Clarice Chian
backstage pass
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Amaya Arzuaga
Steffie Christiaens
Anne-ValĂŠrie Hash
Lutz
Peachoo & Krejberg
Thimister
Tsumori Chisato
Issey Miyake
Manish Arora
Ji Choi
Lutz
Charlie Le Mindu
Yohji Yamamoto
Tsumori Chisato
BEHIND THE SCENES
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Tsumori Chisato
Ready - To - Wear Spring Summer 2012
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Tsumori Chisato went on a holiday to Costa Rica and returned with inspiration for her Spring / Summer 2012 collection, in which she invited us to join her on a postcard-perfect holiday to her imaginary island : Japan as an island in the South Pacific, with influences from Costa Rica, Cuba and Miami, and added nostalgia. Tsumori’s silhouettes were elegant and feminine, which included draped blouses and dresses. Loose fitting t-shirts, tailored shorts, boxy shift dresses and embellished silk knee-length pencil skirts ensured the collection remained fresh and casual. Tsumori’s whimsical signature style includes innovative and luxurious textiles, intricate beading, embroidery, appliqués and prints of her own designs. In this kitsch-filled collection, the simpler silhouettes were heavily embellished with raffia palm trees appliqués, beads, sequins (including sequinned mermaids), pompoms and tassel trimmings, cartoon-like prints such as palm trees, crocodiles and even a fire-breathing Godzilla. With a self-confessed penchant for all things French, Tsumori mixed Parisian bohemia with Riviera glamour : thick stripes, patterned dresses, oversized raffia-brimmed hats with eyelet or printed fabric crowns, and white retro-style printed cat-eye sunglasses, all lending a summertime nostalgic feel to the collection. Flouncy scalloped and brightly-printed parasols with bamboo handles, oversized belts, carved and printed cloth-covered sky scraping wedge sandals completed the look, which resonated with 1930’s and 40’s glamour, made complete with rockabilly hair, and a colorful partial lash applied on the outer corner of the eyes as a fun and flirty accent. The Asian and Japanese element ubiquitous in Tsumori’s designs was evident in the kimono-style silk wraps, the extra flare of a sleeve, the small bamboo buttons, the Chinese qipao top paired with side-split pyjama trousers, and the subtle hint of kimono fabric. Tsumori’s ability to seamlessly combine Japanese, Asian and French influences to her designs result in a look that is unmistakably ‘Tsumori’. Tsumori designs clothes that she would like to, and does, wear. She says that like women, her clothes are sometimes happy, sometimes quiet and calm, sometimes noisy, sometimes sexy, and sometimes chic. In the cute and chic end of the spectrum of this collection were a striped knit midi dress, crocheted cardigans, abstract watercolour florals, and tropical prints on floaty chiffon dresses to finish. For the playful, there were many knicker-length shorts, such as the red pair of mini bloomers worn with a blouse featuring a cartoon Carmen Miranda, or the fine knit pair that featured daring cut-outs at the front. For the ladylike, there were silk halter blouses and dresses, wrap blouses and pencil skirts, feminine shirtdresses and relaxed jackets. This being an island summer holiday, there were also fun and colourful bathing suits, jumpsuits and cover-ups for poolside or seaside glamour. There was something for every woman. Clarice Chian
BEHIND THE SCENES
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Dior
Ready - To - Wear Fall Winter 2012/2013
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For Dior’s Autumn / Winter 2012 collection, creative director Bill Gaytten drew inspiration from one of the greatest ballerinas of all time, Margot Fonteyn, and integrated ballet femininity and lightness with masculine tailoring. This resulted in ballerina-length dresses and skirts in silk cloque, gazar or leather, with full ‘New Look’ skirts, albeit considerably slimmer than those shown at Dior’s Spring 2012 Haute Couture show, with a fresher silhouette, some with wide soft pleats, while waists were nipped in with belts for most of the collection. The balletic influence was also intimated by the long thick ponytails worn by the models, their luxe cashmere-knitted caps, and the shoes that combined the block of a pointe shoe with a thick sole and heel, platform and ribbon ankle ties, topped with a little delicate bow at the toecap. Wraparound knit sweaters were worn over dresses or with floaty full skirts, resembling off-duty ballerinas in a Degas painting. Gaytten opened the show with ‘masculine tailoring’, starting with houndstooth reworked as re-embroidered leather ribbon on a belted wool coat, and paired with a full silk skirt. The juxtaposition of hard with soft followed with draped leather inserted into the backs of jackets, or leather pencil skirts paired with softer jackets, all cinched with a wide belt. Severe draped cutting took on a curved silhouette or ‘rounded femininity’, with many peplumed pieces, such as the tailored blazers, mostly with cropped sleeves, and tops with rich stone embroideries at the neckline. Collarless coats were presented in various fabrics, such as alpaca and jacquard, cinched at the waist or unbelted and worn open. Overall the silhouette was slim, sophisticated and flowing, with relaxed pencil skirts below the knee, or even mid-calf in length, whilst trousers were sharp, slim and ankle length. Silky dresses sported knots at the nape, imparting a very feminine and elegant look, complemented with leather opera-length gloves and portfolio clutches. Dior’s iconic bags were offered in luxurious materials such as fur and crocodile leather. Gaytten played with textures and tones, such as smudged Rothko colours in brushed mohairs and tweeds, whilst leather, satin-cuir, alpaca and cashmere added a chic edge. The colour palette ranged from muted mauves, rose and dusky pinks, blush, and nude to deeper inky jewel tones, midnight blue, burgundy, aubergine, grey and black. The closing sequence of evening gowns featured various silhouettes that focused on the waist and feminine shape, from reworked structured gowns with sheer floaty skirts - some recut with sheer panelling displaying a subtle sexy tone - to balletstyle frocks with maxi-pleated diaphanous light-as-air chiffon full skirts in aubergines, dusky pinks, greys and petrol blues. Oversized bows made their appearance once again, as did bold embellishments in the form of oversized crystal motifs and molten sequin textures. For the finale, Karlie Kloss, who is classically trained in ballet, swanned down the runway in a floorlength aubergine dress with sheer panels; it was the perfect closing number for Gaytten’s last collection for Dior. Clarice Chian
BEHIND THE SCENES
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Dior
Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012
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“L’élégance doit être un équilibre de simplicité, d’attention, de naturel et de distinction” Christian Dior With this quote by Dior hand-embroidered onto the silk organdy of multilayered skirts and dresses, Bill Gaytten conveyed explicitly what he aimed to express within his Couture Spring/Summer 2012 collection for the House of Dior, namely that “Elegance must be the right combination of distinction, naturalness, care and simplicity (…)”. The collection was an ‘x-ray of Dior’, where Gaytten sought to expose the incredible and precise construction of the clothes by using sheer fabrics, displaying the layers and underpinnings that formed the base of the shapes with a superb degree of lightness. The x-ray effect was further reinforced by the photographic opposites which created a luminous work in progress, using black embroidery on sheer white, and vice versa, such as the negative tracing of roses and embroidered scripts of Christian Dior’s quote. The highlighted construction of garments was not limited to sheer pieces, as stricter, controlled silhouettes were emphasized through the use of contrasting faux-tailoring basting stitches, such as the black Dior’s classic ‘Bar jacket’ with white stitching that highlighted the tailoring of the couturiers. As the models floated down the stairs of the intimate salon setting at Avenue Montaigne in full-skirted dresses and coats in transparent silks, it was evident Gaytten clearly referenced Dior’s iconic ‘New Look’, reinterpreting it by using sheer fabricssuch as organdy, silk gazar and chiffon – in addition to crocodile leather in both black and beige. The muted colour palette of black, white and Dior grey, was accented with red, deep aubergine, nude and lavender, complementing the restrained designs, whereas accessories in the form of elbow-length leather gloves and patent or tulle court shoes with Lucite, added a tough edge to the collection. The cutting technique was evident through translucent layers of organza, plissé and jacquard; and the flawless craftsmanship appeared effortless, despite the incredible labour involved, such as the pintucking on a single skirt that took three days to complete. Embroidered beading was kept to an elegant minimum and there was a plethora of draping, pleating, gathering and one-shoulder knotting, whilst bows were oversized and made for statement accents. The collection closed with a series of grand ball gowns, including a one-shouldered black gown that featured tone-on-tone embroidery and a random sprinkle of sequins, while others featured concertina pleats, tiered skirts, or fluttering weightless feathers; frothy and billowing tulle was emphasized with panniers – making for a breathtaking finale. Dior’s quote, embroidered onto the billowy skirts not only in its original French, but also in English, stated : “I will only say now that elegance must be the right combination of distinction, naturalness, care and simplicity. Outside this, believe me, there is no elegance. Only pretension. Elegance is not dependent on money. Of the four things I have mentioned above, the most important of all is care. Care in choosing your clothes. Care in wearing them. Care in keeping them. But it is possible for a woman to be elegant without spending very much money on her clothes, if she follows the basic rules of Fashion and is careful to choose the clothes that suit her personality. Simplicity, good taste and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing and these do not cost money. Grooming is the secret of real elegance. The best clothes, the most wonderful jewels, the most glamorous beauty don’t count without good grooming” . Christian Dior certainly knew about elegance, and as Gaytten set out to prove, it was unmistakably present in this collection, from the models’ immaculate grooming – side parted bobs and soft makeup - to the impeccable construction of the clothes, down to the simple and stylish accessories : elegance was aplenty. Clarice Chian
FOCUS ON
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Karlie Kloss Next Models
INTERVIEW
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Sylvain Sendra
ItinĂŠraires restaurant
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Ten years ago, French chef Sylvain Sendra, started his Paris-based restaurant ‘Le temps au temps’ with his wife Sarah, at the age of 24. A small place with merely 20 seats, in its first week the restaurant started with 4 or 6 people, but with word of mouth, and no press, bookings were soon required to get into the restaurant two months in advance. In 2008, Sylvain decided to expand and open his restaurant ‘Itinéraires’. The name ‘Itinéraires’ was chosen due to his family’s different origins (a Burmese great grandmother, and parents and grandparents who lived in Algeria), as well as his culinary trips to Japan and Peru. Through his dishes, Sylvain expresses his passion, love and pleasure in cooking, through striking combinations that surprise and delight the diner, and beautiful colours on each plate. Interview Nathalie Malric - Intro & Translation Clarice Chian
Peut-Être : Hello Sylvain, when did you start cooking ? Twelve years ago I studied for a “BTS gestion hôtelière”, which involved training to become a director or manager of a hotel, or create and manage restaurants. I am not good at managing, I have plenty of ideas at the same time, passion is more important to me than figures, which to me are meaningless. I gave up my course as I was bored. I couldn’t imagine myself being director of an Accor hotel. It would have been the same if I had been a banker. I didn’t identify myself with hotel business in this manner.
change the menu frequently, because our customers come to our restaurant very often, some of them come everyday.
So how did you get about changing your way ? I had undergone cooking training in chefs’ restaurants as part of my management studies. Each training experience lasted three, four or six months, which worked very well. My wife Sarah was working at St Tropez with someone who had been the second in command (assistant) of Roellinger, who had also worked with me. He told her he thought I was very gifted in cooking, and that it was a shame that I was taking the wrong path. So I listened to him and followed him. It was kind of a regression because it’s a lower level than hotel management, but I now congratulate myself for having made that choice.
According to you, the research is more interesting than reaching the perfect meal itself ? When you have achieved your goal it just becomes pure technical execution, and it’s not interesting to repeat exactly the same recipe ? Yes. I think that a restaurant like “Itineraires” is about searching. My job is to search; our customers come here because they like that. People don’t come here to eat traditional meals, even though I also offer some, like our “lievre a la royale”. But what I find interesting in it is the technical challenge and the fact it’s a traditional French meal, it’s a historical meal of French heritage.
When did you decide you would have your own restaurant ? Very early on, as soon as I integrated my cooking studies.
Your cooking is a lot about seasonal products. My recipes depend on the products I have a crush on. For example, one week there are great carrots at Rungis (the giant market for cooking professionals in the suburbs of Paris), the next week I receive a phone call from a farmer who tells he has amazing cauliflower, I then start to imagine a recipe with it.
You never thought you would work for someone ? You already had a vision of your own cooking ? Yes, I always thought I would open my own restaurant, I couldn’t imagine working for someone. I am a hard worker ; I knew it would be worthwhile. Also, my parents had a bakery, a patisserie and chocolate shop ; so I grew up in that environment. What is your vision of your cuisine ? I change the menu very often, and am always searching. Every time I think the next meal will be better than the previous one. We try new things, always trying to do a better meal. We also
When you create a recipe, do you always think you can improve it ? Definitely, it’s never perfect. When it becomes perfect, we’ll stop doing it. Except onion pie and puree, because there’s nothing to change anymore, and people always request them. We are here to please people. The other recipes evolve permanently because I think we can always do better.
How did you get into that farmers and ‘see food’ network ? I went to Rungis market. In the beginning the farmers don’t know you, so they charge extra-high prices, you don’t have the choice. The first year I paid amazingly high prices. Then the farmers get to know you if you come back often and they lower their prices. Some of them call you from all over the country because they see articles about you in the press. I also have chef friends who give me some tips and good
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Fish quenelle with black squid ink and asparagus
contacts, and work with Yamashita (a Japanese farmer three Michelin-star restaurants want to work with, there is a waiting list, and Yamashita only works with very few people of his choice, including Sylvain). Yamashita delivers to me twice a week. It’s always a surprise because he decides what he’s going to bring me. So not just any chef can work with him, because you have to accept certain conditions, you don’t get to choose what you get. But the products are so tasty they find you inspiration. From a delivery to the next one the products are different, I have to think of the best way to cook them for my customers, I wonder, “What is the best match?” Sometimes I search and I have the feeling I didn’t reach the perfect match, for example, with Yamashita’s eggplants. I have to search again and again. How do you define which way to take to find the perfect recipe ? Do you start with traditional recipes and think of how to make them innovative ? No, I think of the product itself. How to enhance it ? I don’t try to be innovative, I just want to make something good, and something I feel like eating. I also want to work in a French way. I don’t try to make Japanese or Danish food, which are currently very trendy. Would you like to be a chef in a palace ? I wouldn’t be asked, because I’m not a very famous chef and because I already have my own restaurant. But yes, for the almost unlimited budget you have, it may be nice to experiment. I have to be very careful with my business because I’m my own boss and I have to make sure I have enough to pay taxes, my employees, myself, how to deal with product loss, profit margins and such. But working in a palace compels you
to have a more marketed cart. At Itinéraires I feel freer, and my restaurant is open to everyone, even if people are not wealthy, I try to keep prices affordable. Having my own business is more risky, more tiring, but also more fun. I take risks, and I think you can feel it in my cooking, and that’s what people look for when they come here. It’s more like a family restaurant, as if they were home. Also, in a palace what doesn’t look good goes in the garbage. They can put in the garbage ten baskets of tomatoes and keep only three because they keep the most beautiful. I think that to do the best, you don’t need to work with the most aesthetic products. You need the best in a gustative or taste point of view. But you can make very beautiful meals with products that are not considered as noble, which are very interesting. For example, I’ve created a recipe with turnip “skin” and the green part of the leeks, they usually go in the garbage, but we managed to do something good with it. I hate wasting food ; I think we can cook in a more ecological way. Does the idea of getting Michelin stars influence your work ? Of course I think about it, but it’s not a goal. It would be wonderful to have stars, and it would be so rewarding for our staff, it’s a kind of recognition from our peers, more people would book, I could increase my prices, and get business opportunities. But when you get a star you have so much pressure to keep it, and you can lose it so easily without knowing why, without a valuable reason. What bothers me is that when you have Michelin stars, you have an amazing pressure to keep them, and that has an influence on your cuisine, you can’t avoid it. Moreover I’m a competitor, I know that if I get one star, I’ll
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want two, and if I get two, I’ll want three. It’s not my aim right now. I just want to have fun, create good meals, and make my customers happy. What do you think of chefs who have several restaurants ? I think it works if you have the talent to delegate, transmit knowledge, and make sure you collaborate with the right people you can trust. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Robuchon is able to have ten restaurants in the world and have three stars in all of them. It couldn’t work with my restaurant because my cooking is changing all the time. To have several restaurants, you need to have recipes you can technically reproduce with perfect precision. You have to make technical files with the recipes, the quantities are very precisely calculated. I’m constantly searching and experimenting, this evening the menu will be different from our lunch menu. If I had several restaurants I’d need to have several “signature”meals that could be reproduced anywhere in the world. It’s not currently what I’m looking for. I’m working in a kind of emergency, and perpetual change. I’m trying things. Are there meals you are more gifted at ? I’m better at desserts. But I’m currently working to improve them, because I’m not 100% satisfied with them. You have to find harmony, the red thread to have a perfect menu, make people travel with your meals, find the best transition from the entree, to the main course, then dessert. You have six or seven courses in our evening menu before you get to the dessert. People have extremely high expectations in desserts, they want the dessert to be a firework that closes the menu, and expect very technical ones.
What is you favourite dessert ? Baba rum, crême brulée, riz au lait (rice pudding), ile flottante (floating island) ; very simple ones. My parents had a boulangerie patisserie, I love these kind of desserts that remind me of my childhood, very simple and comforting. But I can’t offer them to my customers, they expect something more refined, more sophisticated. I have to find a balance between what I really love to eat and the customers’ expectations. Do you have a favourite ingredient ? Potatoes ; you can work on several textures, like our puree, which I worked as a very creamy mousse, like a cappuccino upon the lower layer that is worked with butter, much thicker. I also love Jerusalem artichokes, but it’s a very seasonal product. And I love truffle. Are there ingredients you don’t like to work with at all ? No, all ingredients inspire me, but there are some I love less, like foie gras. But it’s kind of weird, because I may love an ingredient and not find the perfect recipe. And I always quickly find good recipes for foie gras, even if it’s not my favourite product. Do you often go to restaurants ? No, my favourite restaurants in Paris are often overbooked, and we have the same working hours. Moreover, I don’t want to be too influenced, but I love going to restaurants when I’m abroad. I love Japanese food. You can’t lie when you make Japanese food. The ingredients have to be good. Staying away from other restaurants allows me to keep my cooking personal, concentrating on my identity. When I have found my way, I’ll go more often to other restaurants.
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How would you define your style ? I’m not obsessed by a technically perfect cuisine, in the cooking, in the presentation. I’m more focused on the intention of giving something good to the customer, I don’t mind taking risks. When your mother or a friend cooks something for you and wants to please you, even if it’s not perfect, you can sense the intention, and that’s what makes it so good. To me it’s more interesting and moving than a technically perfect menu, which sometimes leaves you with a cold feeling.
What are your upcoming plans ? I just want my customers to be happy and say, “wow we really had a good time, from the beginning until the end, we have to come back”.
What do you think of molecular cuisine ? It’s interesting, because it allows chefs to improve ourselves, to be more precise in the cooking. But it’s not my thing. I prefer the ‘sous vide’ technique, which allows you to cook at low temperatures for a long time and preserve the taste, vitamins of the vegetables, or make very tender, melting texture fish.
Restaurant Itinéraires 5 rue de Pontoise 75005 Paris http://restaurant-itineraires.com
What is your favourite savoury meal ? Tête de veau (calf ’s head) !
How often do you eat everyday ? Four times a day. And of course I put on weight ! It’s the chefs’ disease. There’s another one: we drink a lot. How important is wine in your cooking ? I can’t imagine a meal without wine and bread. I could drive 30 kilometers to find good bread. Some people drink water ; I could only do that if were sick and didn’t have the choice. Can you imagine having a restaurant that is not in Paris ? Of course, I dream to have one next to the sea and a garden. I could order extremely fresh fish, grow and pick herbs and vegetables ten minutes before cooking them and serving them to the customers. When you pick them just before, the flavors explode in your mouth, and are much tastier than if you had picked them a few hours before. Are you very careful with what your two children eat ? Sometimes I really don’t mind buying a pizza at the supermarket and making popcorn. My wife Sarah is more demanding, but we are generally very careful with what our children eat.
“When your mother or a friend cooks something for you and wants to please you, even if it’s not perfect, you can feel the intention, and that’s what makes it so good”
Mint bio goat raviol, with vegetables and sage soup
Jerusalem artichoke and apple
Lamb shoulder and cauliflower “couscous”
Deer carpaccio with nutmeg and seaweed
Grilled squid
Crab ravioli in a shell emulsion
Lemon pie and meringue
Macaron flavored with Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur
Chocolat ganache with peppermint marshmallow
Scallop ceviche with leeks soup
PORTFOLIO
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Self-portrait by Aron Wiesenfeld
Aron Wiesenfeld
www.aronwiesenfeld.com
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Aron Wiesenfeld began his career as a comic book illustrator, and after a few years drawing superheroes, decided to study at art school. What was the comic world’s loss is the art world’s gain, as he is emerging as a highly talented and well-known allegorical figurative painter. His works are arresting and asks the observer to imagine the history that lies behind these characters. Often depicting figures apparently caught or lost in some kind of overwhelming backdrop, he is drawn to empty spaces that may appear lonely, but it is that back story he is interested in. Aron says about his work “If something is going on behind the surface, people are drawn to it but don’t know why. They’ve connected to something in it. And that is a constant theme through my work, the ability to paint something to suggest something that isn’t shown.”(…) “I think it is necessary to leave unanswered questions in a painting... if it is not fully knowable, the truth it holds changes over time and the painting becomes like a living thing”. Interview Nathalie Malric - Intro & Translation Clarice Chian
Peut-Être : Hello Aron, everyone draws as a child. Did you always draw or did you come back to it later as a teenager or adult ? Aron : I just kept drawing, with a lot of support at home (from my mom) and being very inspired by comic books. I loved comics like Daredevil and The X-Men, and I would spend hours meticulously copying them. Being “the guy who could draw” was a big part of my identity in school. PE : I read that when you were younger, you got a job as a comic book illustrator, which was your dream, and that it was a very disappointing and frustrating experience. Can you tell me more about that ? I apologise for making you repeat something you already talked about, but I found it very interesting. AW : I started in the comic book business in the mid 90’s, when American comics went through a financial bubble ; speculators bought up millions of copies of everything that came out. The response from the comic companies was to hire anyone who could use a computer, and pump out as many comics, as fast as they could, so the quality went down to an all-time low. That made it very difficult to make a good final product, which was frustrating, though I didn’t know why at the time. I also think I just lost interest in the subject matter. There seemed to be a limit to what you could do with it. The thought of being 50 years old and still drawing “Wolverine” was incredibly depressing ! I don’t mean any disrespect to comic book artists, but that was what I felt. PE : How did you feel ? Did you feel your dream was over and you had no more dreams at all ? How confusing was it and how did you get through this ? AW : I guess it was confusing, in the sense that the magic of comic books was gone. I had peaked behind the curtain, and found it to be very lacking. But it was also an invigorating
moment because it opened the opportunity to reinvent myself, and seek inspiration elsewhere. PE : Which artists do you find inspiring ? And what do you like about each one of them ? AW : I go through phases of loving certain artists. Right now I’m really excited about these small paintings that Goya did of bandits in caves. There is a lot of suggestion of violence, but the details are obscured by the darkness, leaving the worst of it up to the viewer’s imagination. I find it absolutely intoxicating when an artist leaves that opening for the viewer to participate in the telling of the story. Goya did that so well in his later, more personal work. Generally, right now I find I’m very drawn to scenes of twilight and the mystery of near nighttime, by artists like Whistler, Millet and many others. PE : Are you inspired by literature ? AW : Yes, I take single images that jump out at me from books, and those are often the starting points for paintings. As an example, there is a dilapidated, overgrown house described in Murakami’s “Wind Up Bird Chronicle”, the image triggered the thought - what if there was a woman lying on the porch ? I was interested in the possible explanations of that scenario, and I’m working on a painting like that now. I like open-ended images that can be interpreted in many ways. PE : Your characters are very mysterious ; seem very lonely, sometimes in danger, both strong and vulnerable. When I look at them, I feel like I’m in “the twilight zone”, in a more feminine and teenage way. Do you imagine a story / background for each one of them before you start a painting / drawing ? AW : Not before I start. My inspiration is usually emotional, not based on a story that I want to tell. The initial idea isn’t even
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an “idea”, more like an instantaneous flash from something I saw, or read. I usually don’t know the reason why it struck me; only that it hit something down deep. Then I sketch the idea, and mess around with it to try to distil that strong feeling that I had. The subsequent decisions are likewise trying to get closer to that feeling, and to express it. Understanding the feeling, in my experience, is not particularly useful for the creation of an interesting painting. When the painting is finished, I like to think about the stories that could be behind it, but at that point I’m a viewer, just like anyone else looking at it. PE : How important is painting and drawing in your life ? AW : Probably too important. I sometimes feel that my own sense of self worth is only as good as the last painting I made. If I tell you any more about that, I will have to be lying on a couch ! Flood
PE : Can you tell me more about your dreams, upcoming projects ? AW : I’m very excited about making a book of my work so far, and I’ve been to talking to a couple of publishers about that. I have a few gallery shows scheduled in the coming year. It’s very difficult to predict the future of the work itself because most of the decisions I make are intuitive, based on what I’m feeling at that moment.
The gathering
“How important is painting and drawing in your life ? Probably too important. I sometimes feel that my own sense of self worth is only as good as the last painting I made�
The delegates daughter
Immigrant
Clear lake
William
Birthday
A perfect day
Leigh
When our eyes met at the supermarket three years ago, I was overwhelmed by Lou’s beauty. She was carrying food in her crossed arms and looked straight into my eyes. Her face was so sweet and pure that I asked her father if I could take pictures of her. Her parents trusted me, and now we are friends. I am so happy to witness her grow up beautifully. In every issue she will comment on some pictures I have taken of her.
MENTIONS LÉGALES Peut-Être Magazine Nathalie Malric 181-183 boulevard Voltaire 75011 Paris IMPRESSION Studio Pixart Srl Unipersonale Via Aquilonia, 4 interno 7 00177 ROMA RM ITALIA Paru juin 2012 Dépôt légal juin 2012 28,00 euros France Métropolitaine ISSN 2259-1427
Backstage at Dior Haute Couture Spring Summer 2012 show
CONTRIBUTORS
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CREATIVE DIRECTOR PHOTOGRAPHER Nathalie Malric FASHION AND LIFESTYLE WRITER EDITOR Clarice Chian GRAPHIC DESIGNER Olivier Bousquet COMMUNICATION & DEVELOPMENT Caroline Dubois-Ladurelli SPECIAL THANKS TO John Nollet & Laurent Bernillon www.peutetremagazine.com contact@peutetremagazine.com WISH LIST Dior : www.dior.com Iris Van Herpen : www.irisvanherpen.com Issey Miyake : www.isseymiyake.com Tsumori Chisato : www.tsumorichisato.com
First edition
/300
Tsumori Chisato
ISSN : 2259-1427 - N°4 - F : 28€ - juin 2012