Louis XIV, with his golden effigy on the wrought iron balconies, and Napoleon Bonaparte, from the top of the Roman-inspired bronze column, guard Place Vendôme. The Sun King and the Emperor would be proud that this urban rectangle in perfect architectural harmony, between the Tuileries Garden and the Opéra Garnier, continues to be a unique place, the world's sanctuary for jewellery. The spring sky, with its whimsical changes, gives these days magical nuances.
In front of the Van Cleef windows
A diverse crowd crosses the Place Vendôme. The elite among the luxury pilgrims usually arrive in chauffeur-driven vehicles. Tourists browse. The ubiquitous influencers are filmed to produce content. Ritz patrons come and go. At noon the officials of the Ministry of Justice, which has its headquarters here, go to have lunch at a nearby brasserie. There they may coincide with the employees of JP Morgan. The American bank, based at number 14 in the square, has seen its workforce in France multiply by three as a result of Brexit.
Laura has lived right next to the square for seventy years and is used to the free show it offers. “I am aware of living in a more beautiful place than others, yes, but for me it is normal”, confesses this Parisian lady, while she walks her dog.
-It's a privilege?
-A little, but the atmosphere has changed. I preferred the old one.
-Because?
-It has always been a wealthy neighborhood, although when I was young it was more socially mixed. In the chambres de bonnes (tiny attics) lived the seamstresses of the workshops of the great couturiers. That is no longer the case because, with real estate prices skyrocketing, investors have bought them to pool the spaces in larger apartments.
Laura complains that, as a result of the covid and the lockdowns, people from the popular northern suburbs “have rushed into the center of Paris on weekends”. “They have other customs, different from those of the neighborhood,” she whispers.
Safety is a priority in the exclusive establishments on Place Vendôme. The security staff, stationed inside and outside the stores, scrutinize potential customers with a zeal that can sometimes be somewhat uncomfortable. There have been muggings in recent years. The guards are trained to detect suspicious behavior and take into account the different national idiosyncrasies. The hesitations, the looks, give them clues. “The agent has two seconds to look at a person from head to toe,” says a guard. An Arab prince is always very well dressed and very well perfumed. We recognize them from afar because they come with an escort”.
The great brands of high jewelery and luxury watches are present in the most elegant square in Paris, from Cartier to Bulgari, from Piaget to Chopard, from Boucheron to Rolex. You can buy a very valuable jewel in a shopping center in Las Vegas or in a department store in Tokyo, but it is not the same as doing it in the epicenter of goldsmithing, a mythical location for centuries.
In Paris, the customer is immersed in the ideal environment to live his purchase as a unique experience, and more if he is a foreign visitor. In the boutiques, with impeccable decoration and refined treatment, they strive to remind you of it from the moment you cross the threshold of the door. Each brand tries to value what distinguishes it from the competition, be it the imaginative design of its collections, authentic works of art, or the centuries-old heritage that they treasure.
There are jewelry stores that include small museums where they exhibit their heritage. Sometimes they have recovered pieces from their owners, many years after they bought them. It happens to Chaumet, a special maison. Founded in 1780, before the French Revolution, it owes its fame to diadems. His clients included Josefina Bonaparte, Empress Eugenia de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, and Queen Victoria of England, as well as other royal houses. In one of the rooms on the second floor of the building, the composer Frédéric Chopin died on October 17, 1849, at the age of 39. A plaque on the façade reminds him.
Ubiquitous on the Place Vendôme since 1898, on its west side, the Ritz hotel contributes to elevating its glamour. Lady Di and her boyfriend, Dodi Al-Fayed, son of the hotel owner, passed through its revolving door that fateful night of August 31, 1997. The couple came from the imperial suite. It was the last image of both alive. Shortly after, there was a brutal collision of the Mercedes in which they were traveling in the tunnel under the Alma bridge.
The Parisian Ritz, which underwent a comprehensive renovation a few years ago, is associated with distinguished guests such as Winston Churchill, Charles Chaplin, Maria Callas and Henry Kissinger. The splendid photos of the Vendôme bar give good faith. During the German occupation the hotel housed the headquarters of the Luftwaffe. Coco Chanel made the Ritz her permanent residence for decades, until her death in 1971.
The tiny Hemingway bar, only forty square meters and with ceiling fans, is unusual in that there is no background music. It is an emblematic corner of the Ritz and the city. For many compatriots of the American novelist passing through Paris, having a cocktail surrounded by photos of the author of Fiesta is an obligatory rite. You hear more English than French. Sometimes you have to wait an hour to get in. Part of the bartender's and waiters' job is to take photos of customers with their cell phones. A good finish to a day in Paris is without a doubt going to the Hemingway and having a Serendipity, the iconic mixture of calvados, apple juice, champagne and fresh mint. Luxury, in this case, is sipped and costs 35 euros.
