Latest news with #Frenchwomen
LeMonde
28-05-2025
- Sport
- LeMonde
French Open first round illustrates France's decline in women's tennis
Gilles Moretton chose to get ahead of the situation. On Monday, May 26, the day after the 2025 edition of the French Open started, the president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) met with the press to discuss several topics, including the country's alarming results in the women's game. The 67-year-old leader was well aware that French women's tennis is going through a turbulent period – one that is dangerously stretching. It was time to think positively, highlight the good matches played by French women in qualifying, and pin hopes on future generations, the players born in "2012, 2013, 2014." On Tuesday evening, no one was looking that far ahead, after the first round of the tournament. Only three Frenchwomen made it through to the second round, just as in 1983 (the year the draw expanded to 128 players) and 2019, the worst years for French women's tennis. Of the nine players on the starting line – another record low since 1983 – only Léolia Jeanjean, Elsa Jacquemot and Loïs Boisson managed to avoid early exits. The three deserve credit for seizing their chance to qualify. But if the FFT had not had eight wild cards to distribute for the main draw, none of them would have avoided a perilous qualifying stage. With her wild card, Jeanjean was able to face and ultimately benefit from the retirement of Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu (0-6, 7-5, 3-0), who injured her knee. Jacquemot got the better of Greece's Maria Sakkari (6-3, 7-6). The day's standout achievement went to Boisson, who, late on Tuesday, knocked out the 24 th seed, Elise Mertens of Belgium (6-4, 4-6, 6-3).
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Odile de Vasselot, Teenage Aristocrat in the French Resistance, Dies at 103
Odile de Vasselot, who heard Charles de Gaulle's World War II appeal to resist the Germans on a makeshift radio at the family château in south-central France and jumped in, first delivering mail and messages to the Resistance and later helping to escort Allied airmen across the Belgian front, died on April 21 in Paris. She was 103. Her death, at a retirement home for nuns and priests, was announced by the Order of the Liberation, the organization that awarded her a medal established by General de Gaulle to honor heroes of the French Resistance. Ms. de Vasselot (pronounced de-VASS-euh-low) was one of thousands of young Frenchwomen and men who quietly went to war against the Germans invaders after the country's defeat in 1940 during the Battle of France. She began modestly, chalking the Lorraine Cross, adopted by General de Gaulle as a symbol of the Resistance, on walls and tearing down the propaganda posters of the Germans and their French Vichy-regime confederates. By the war's end, she was going on dangerous nocturnal missions. 'One had to do something,' she said in an interview many years later. 'One never has the right to just sit there and do nothing.' She recalled being incensed, as an 18-year-old, by the sight of the giant Nazi flags over the Rue de Rivoli in Paris: 'It was unthinkable, with those huge banners flying with the swastika on them.' At her death, President Emmanuel Macron of France saluted 'a great lady who honorably answered all the appeals, throughout her life, and did so with a courage that can only edify us.' Mr. Macron recalled that, after the war, Ms. de Vasselot founded the Lycée Sainte Marie d'Abidjan, a girls' school in Ivory Coast, where girls' education was woefully underserved. Ms. de Vasselot's Resistance career resembled that of many others, with one key difference: In a largely working-class movement, she was an aristocrat who had to deceive her watchful mother to go on her first missions. She came from a family of military officers, though — her father was a lieutenant colonel in the French cavalry, her grandfather was a general, and an ancestor had fought for the Americans as a naval officer during the Revolutionary War — and they had known and admired General de Gaulle, and his visionary conviction about the importance of mobilized combat, before the war. In an interview with the Charles de Gaulle Foundation on the occasion of her 100th birthday, Ms. de Vasselot recalled ascending to her bedroom on the evening of June 18, 1940, in the keep of the castle in the Poitou region that had been in her family since the 15th century. 'There was a little radio built by my brother,' she said. 'And all of a sudden I heard, 'Me, General de Gaulle, I'm calling on officers, junior officers, combatants.'' She continued: 'I was astonished to hear someone I actually knew speaking on the radio. I came down to the living room, and I said, 'You know what I just heard — de Gaulle is in London. He's calling people to come to him, quickly.'' Her grandfather, the elderly Gen. Jean Gaspard Marie René de Cugnac, exclaimed, ''You hear that! The war isn't over!'' Ms. de Vasselot recalled. 'Right away, we were all with General de Gaulle.' She took part in the famous student demonstration of Nov. 11, 1940, the first public act of resistance against the Germans in Paris, but chafed at how powerless she felt. 'The Resistance was a fortress for me, and I couldn't find the door,' she said in an interview in 2021. Her chance came, she said, when a friend put her in touch with a member of a Resistance group known as the Zero network, in June 1943. (Other accounts offer a different chronology.) She was asked to deliver Resistance mail and newspapers to network members in Toulouse, taking the night train on Friday and returning the next day. 'I could have been struck by lightening, and I wouldn't have been more shocked,' she said in a video interview with Agence France-Presse. 'Because, at that time, young women were kept under close watch. Everything I did, I had to tell my mother about it.' But she accepted the mission, lying to her mother about her weekly absences. 'Women had a lot of advantages,' she recalled. 'They didn't arouse suspicion.' 'The Germans didn't think women could be underground.' By the end of the year, arrests had made it dangerous to work with the Zero network. Ms. de Vasselot joined another group, known as the Comet network, and for two months, until early 1944, walked through mud and swamps at the Belgian front, meeting up with Allied airmen and parachutists, giving them money and forged papers, and accompanying them to France, where they could make their way to neutral Spain. One morning in January, on the Lille-Paris train with two of her 'boys,' she said, her blood ran cold when she heard a German voice demanding, 'Identity papers!' The young men didn't understand, and they were immediately arrested. 'What still astonishes me is that the Germans didn't realize the escort was a young woman,' she later recalled. 'But since I was exactly to their taste — blonde, blue-eyed, young — they didn't ask me any questions.' She rejoined the Zero network that summer, as the allies were creeping their way toward Paris, and was sent on new missions throughout France. With the end of the war came numerous medals and recognition, and the renewed pursuit of studies that would lead to a career in education. Odile de Vasselot de Régné was born on Jan. 6, 1922, in Saumur, the seat of the French cavalry school, in the Loire Valley, to Gaston de Vasselot de Régné and Chantal de Cugnac. She grew up largely in Metz, studying with the nuns of the Sacred Heart. Her father was stationed there before the war, as was Colonel de Gaulle, who headed the 507th Régiment de Chars, or Mobilized Unit. She recalled playing with de Gaulle's son, Philippe, as a child. She received her baccalaureate degree in 1939 and, after the war, a degree in history from the Sorbonne. In 1947, she joined the religious congregation of the Sisters of Saint Francis Xavier. In 1959, the congregation sent her to Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, to start a girls' school in cooperation with the progressive government of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the country's first president. The school opened in 1962, and Ms. de Vasselot remained its director until 1988, when she returned to France. The Ivorian newspaper Fraternité Matin wrote recently that 'under the enlightened direction of Mme. de Vasselot, this establishment, far more than a school, became the key institution that forged the female elite of this country.' No immediate family survives Ms. de Vasselot. Her funeral mass was held on Tuesday at the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides in Paris, an honor reserved for France's war heroes. In November, as Mr. Macron was decorating her with the National Order of Merit at the Élysée Palace, she responded with bracing words: 'What I want to say to young people is, 'Never give up, never give up, whatever difficulties you face.''
CNA
25-04-2025
- Business
- CNA
In Paris, 5 stores to find luxury items for a lot less
When shopping in Paris, you could follow the tourists to Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, where off-the-catwalk designs are displayed like venerated artwork. Or, have an adventure and save euros hunting down 'gently used' designer clothing at the city's neighbourhood depot-ventes, where Frenchwomen of exacting taste consign their castoffs. Unlike your average thrift store (those are called friperies), the depot-vente, which translates to 'deposit and sale' is an upscale version where high-end clothing sells at a fraction of retail prices. In the past few years, these boutiques have gained a new audience: Travellers, especially an international cadre of Gen Z-ers and millennials on the prowl for 'pre-loved' Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermes, Louis Vuitton and lesser-known labels. The attraction, of course, lies in the enduring allure and high quality of French brands — and the deeply discounted prices. It is also tethered to the role sustainability now plays in the shopping habits of younger people. Second-hand clothing is a green alternative to buying new, particularly with fast fashion's reputation for meh quality and poor working conditions. A report released by the online second-hand platform ThredUp this year predicts the resale market will be worth US$367 billion (S$482.14 billon) by 2029, increasing at three times the rate of the overall global apparel market. 'The second-hand market is driven by Gen Z and millennials who weigh the social and environmental costs of a product before buying it,' said Matteo Capellini, a sustainability expert at the consulting firm Bain & Company. And the intense interest in high-end fashion? Thank you, TikTok. Influencers' unrelenting content plus social media marketing campaigns by Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Gucci and YSL (all routinely employ internet-famous creators) have affected younger shoppers. Parisian depot-ventes offer more affordable versions of the labels they see hyped online. Here is a road map to the second-hand luxury scene in Paris. TROC EN STOCK In south Pigalle, off bustling Rue des Martyrs, Troc en Stock is a jumble of heaving racks, shoe-lined shelves and accessory-stuffed vitrines. The owner, Sophie Meyer, who has been in business for 28 years, sources merchandise (she generally sticks to clothing no more than four years old) primarily from women in the neighbourhood but also from actresses and members of the fashion media who are her clients. She favours a mix of mid-tier designers (Sandro, IRO, Isabel Marant and Vanessa Bruno, with prices from 36 euros, or about US$39), luxury (Prada, YSL, Gucci, Balmain, a jacket costs 400 euros), and lesser-known (to Americans) French brands like Claris Virot (a bag is about 350 euros, or half of the retail price), La Prestic Ouiston and Petite Mendigote. 'Young people have lost interest in fast fashion. High-quality second hand is much more interesting to them,' said Ms. Meyer. Troc en Stock, 6 Rue Clauzel LORETTE & JASMIN The elegant women populating the 16th arrondissement fuel the offerings at Lorette & Jasmin, a blink-and-you-miss-it shop on a leafy, residential street abutting Jardin de la Fondation d'Auteuil. The owner, Laurence Predo, focuses on 'the Parisian elegance of yesteryear,' as she wrote in an email, stocking Hermes (a scarf costs 130 euros), jackets from YSL, Mugler (240 euros), Dior (300 euros) and Chanel, along with pieces from now-defunct houses like Chantal Thomass (150 euros), Capucine Puerari and Lolita Lempicka. LA BOUTIQUE DE CARA A hallmark of les depot-ventes is their easy-going feel, contrasting with the oft-snooty vibe of luxury boutiques. This is especially true in the Marais at La Boutique de Cara, where the owner, Sarah Pinto, presides over colour-coordinated clothing racks and a piled-high accessory table with her grandmother Guila Benhamou, who has worked with her since the shop's opening 12 years ago. The offerings feature high-end luxury with more accessible clothing, think YSL blazers (190 euros), Leonard scarves and Hermes skirts (150 euros), Dior denim (220 euros), Chloe silk tops (140 euros), items by Marni, Tara Jarmon, and Maje (50 euros), and wowza pieces like a made-to-measure tulle and pearl Chanel gown from 2018 (1,200 euros). Beyond fashion deals, the shop's charm is the cross-generational style advice dispensed by both women. THE PARISIAN VINTAGE Jules Jensen and Alex Sabatakakis began selling their grandmothers' caches of classic Jean-Louis Scherrer, Louis Feraud, Guy Laroche and Courreges at pop-ups. In 2021, they opened the Parisian Vintage in the Marais, inspired by the classic depot-vente but enhancing their appeal to a younger audience with an au courant website and constantly refreshed Instagram and TikTok accounts. Their vision? Showcasing pristine (often vintage), less predictable pieces (lots of leather, suede and statement blazers) from designers like Kenzo (a bag from the '90s, 300 euros), Celine, Moschino, John Galliano for Dior (blazer, 650 euros) and YSL (a jacket from the '80s, 550 euros) with more niche Parisian labels such as Sylvie Schimmel (from 110 euros), Angelo Tarlazzi and Jean Claude Jitrois, many with original price tags. Recently, the couple added men's wear and a floor for bags and shoes. The Parisian Vintage, 20 Rue Saint-Claude OPEN DRESSING Also in the Marais is Open Dressing, where, since 2020, the owner Alexia Marchand's philosophy of mixing and matching decades and styles is on display with racks of contemporary designers (Coperni, Khaite and Jacquemus from 300 euros) alongside hard-to-source high fashion (a Tom Ford-era Gucci leather jacket, 1,200 euros); vintage Hermes; YSL embroidered bolero and smoking jackets from the '70s, and '80s lingerie (Oscar de la Renta and Nina Ricci dressing gowns, pyjamas, and velvet quilted robe by YSL) which double as ready-to-wear (300 to 500 euros). 'Why wouldn't people want to discover a unique piece from an iconic designer at a lower cost?' said Marchand. Open Dressing, 63 Rue de Turenne Amy Tara Koch © The New York Times.
New York Times
08-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
In Paris, 5 Stores to Find Chanel, Dior and More at a Markdown
When shopping in Paris, you could follow the tourists to Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where off-the-catwalk designs are displayed like venerated artwork. Or, have an adventure and save euros hunting down 'gently used' designer clothing at the city's neighborhood dépôt-ventes, where Frenchwomen of exacting taste consign their castoffs. Unlike your average thrift store (those are called friperies), the dépôt-vente, which translates to 'deposit and sale' is an upscale version where high-end clothing sells at a fraction of retail prices. In the past few years, these boutiques have gained a new audience: travelers, especially an international cadre of Gen Z-ers and millennials on the prowl for 'pre-loved' Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and lesser-known labels. The attraction, of course, lies in the enduring allure and high quality of French brands — and the deeply discounted prices, especially for Americans since the dollar and the euro are close to par. It is also tethered to the role sustainability now plays in the shopping habits of younger people. Secondhand clothing is a green alternative to buying new, particularly with fast fashion's reputation for meh quality and poor working conditions. A report released by the online secondhand platform ThredUp this year predicts the resale market will be worth $367 billion by 2029, increasing at three times the rate of the overall global apparel market. 'The secondhand market is driven by Gen Z and millennials who weigh the social and environmental costs of a product before buying it,' said Matteo Capellini, a sustainability expert at the consulting firm Bain & Company. And the intense interest in high-end fashion? Thank you, TikTok. Influencers' unrelenting content plus social media marketing campaigns by Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Gucci and YSL (all routinely employ internet-famous creators) have affected younger shoppers. Parisian dépôt-ventes offer more affordable versions of the labels they see hyped online. Here is a road map to the secondhand luxury scene in Paris. In south Pigalle, off bustling Rue des Martyrs, Troc en Stock is a jumble of heaving racks, shoe-lined shelves and accessory-stuffed vitrines. The owner, Sophie Meyer, who has been in business for 28 years, sources merchandise (she generally sticks to clothing no more than four years old) primarily from women in the neighborhood but also from actresses and members of the fashion media who are her clients. She favors a mix of mid-tier designers (Sandro, IRO, Isabel Marant and Vanessa Bruno, with prices from 36 euros, or about $39), luxury (Prada, YSL, Gucci, Balmain, a jacket costs 400 euros), and lesser-known (to Americans) French brands like Claris Virot (a bag is about 350 euros, or half of the retail price), La Prestic Ouiston and Petite Mendigote. 'Young people have lost interest in fast fashion. High-quality secondhand is much more interesting to them,' said Ms. Meyer. Troc en Stock, 6 Rue Clauzel The elegant women populating the 16th arrondissement fuel the offerings at Lorette & Jasmin, a blink-and-you-miss-it shop on a leafy, residential street abutting Jardin de la Fondation d'Auteuil. The owner, Laurence Prédo, focuses on 'the Parisian elegance of yesteryear,' as she wrote in an email, stocking Hermès (a scarf costs 130 euros), jackets from YSL, Mugler (240 euros), Dior (300 euros) and Chanel, along with pieces from now-defunct houses like Chantal Thomass (150 euros), Capucine Puerari and Lolita Lempicka. Lorette & Jasmin, 6 Rue François Millet A hallmark of les dépôt-ventes is their easygoing feel, contrasting with the oft-snooty vibe of luxury boutiques. This is especially true in the Marais at La Boutique de Cara, where the owner, Sarah Pinto, presides over color-coordinated clothing racks and a piled-high accessory table with her grandmother Guila Benhamou, who has worked with her since the shop's opening 12 years ago. The offerings feature high-end luxury with more accessible clothing, think YSL blazers (190 euros), Leonard scarves and Hermès skirts (150 euros), Dior denim (220 euros), Chloe silk tops (140 euros), items by Marni, Tara Jarmon, and Maje (50 euros), and wowza pieces like a made-to-measure tulle and pearl Chanel gown from 2018 (1,200 euros). Beyond fashion deals, the shop's charm is the cross-generational style advice dispensed by both women. La Boutique de Cara, 80 Rue de Turenne Jules Jensen and Alex Sabatakakis began selling their grandmothers' caches of classic Jean-Louis Scherrer, Louis Féraud, Guy Laroche and Courrèges at pop-ups. In 2021, they opened the Parisian Vintage in the Marais, inspired by the classic dépôt-vente but enhancing their appeal to a younger audience with an au courant website and constantly refreshed Instagram and TikTok accounts. Their vision? Showcasing pristine (often vintage), less predictable pieces (lots of leather, suede and statement blazers) from designers like Kenzo (a bag from the '90s, 300 euros), Celine, Moschino, John Galliano for Dior (blazer, 650 euros) and YSL (a jacket from the '80s, 550 euros) with more niche Parisian labels such as Sylvie Schimmel (from 110 euros), Angelo Tarlazzi and Jean Claude Jitrois, many with original price tags. Recently, the couple added men's wear and a floor for bags and shoes. The Parisian Vintage, 20 Rue Saint-Claude Also in the Marais is Open Dressing, where, since 2020, the owner Alexia Marchand's philosophy of mixing and matching decades and styles is on display with racks of contemporary designers (Coperni, Khaite and Jacquemus from 300 euros) alongside hard-to-source high fashion (a Tom Ford-era Gucci leather jacket, 1,200 euros); vintage Hermès; YSL embroidered bolero and smoking jackets from the '70s, and '80s lingerie (Oscar de la Renta and Nina Ricci dressing gowns, pajamas, and velvet quilted robe by YSL) which double as ready-to-wear (300 to 500 euros). 'Why wouldn't people want to discover a unique piece from an iconic designer at a lower cost?' said Marchand. Open Dressing, 63 Rue de Turenne
Local France
28-03-2025
- Health
- Local France
9 surprising things about French pharmacies
Pharmacies in France do all the things that you would expect, such as dealing with prescriptions and dispensing medicines. They also, as in many other countries, sell make-up, skincare products, sunscreen and baby items. But there are some extra items and services in French pharmacies that often come as a surprise to foreigners. Over the counter medicines In France, only pharmacies are allowed to sell common over-the-counter remedies such as paracetamol, aspirin and cold and flu remedies. You cannot get these in supermarkets, petrol stations or grocery stores. These medications often appear under different brand names in France - if you want a basic over-the-counter painkiller, ask for it by the brand name of Doliprane (which is paracetamol). Consultations Although over-the-counter remedies can be obtained without a prescription in France, they're stocked behind the counter so you will need to ask the pharmacist for what you want. Depending on the medication it's common for them to ask you a few questions to make sure you're getting the best product - so if you have a cough and want a cough syrup, expect to be answering questions on the type of cough you have, how long you have had it and any other symptoms. All pharmacies are required by law to have at least one fully qualified pharmacist on the premises at all times, and you can request to speak to them if you have a medical question. Pharmacists are highly qualified so you can go to the pharmacy for a consultation on any aspect of your health - if the pharmacist thinks that it is beyond their area of expertise they will advise you to visit a doctor and can usually also point you in the right direction to find the best local health services. Advertisement READ ALSO 11 things you can do at a French pharmacy First aid and medical services The other thing that pharmacies offer is first aid services or treatment for injuries that aren't bad enough to need hospital treatment. Likewise if you have visited a hospital and end up with a dressing that needs changing regularly or a similar ongoing need, you might be advised to go to a pharmacy and get it seen to. The great advantage to using a pharmacy for this sort of service is that there is one on nearly every street in France (well not quite every, but there are a lot ) and you don't need an appointment. You can, however, make appointments for some of the other things that pharmacies offer - including giving vaccines for Covid or flu, testing for tonsillitis/strep throat or urinary tract infections. Since 2023, pharmacists have been able to dispense antibiotics without a prescription following a positive tonsillitis or urinary tract infection test. Heavy legs products If you're in a pharmacy in the summer you're also likely to see a shelf of products for les jambes lourds (heavy legs). This appears to be an ailment suffered only by Frenchwomen and pharmacies are very keen on providing - and advertising - products to deal with it. These are mostly heavy-duty stockings to improve the blood flow in the legs, but there are also numerous herbal remedies that make slightly dubious claims about heavy legs. Teas Which brings us to tea - you can buy a lot of different types of tea in a French pharmacy, mostly herbal teas or tisanes . Some of these make vaguely health-related claims promising to aid digestion, sleep or circulation, others just have nice flavours. In fact, you'll find a huge variety of herbal remedies, vitamins and food supplements available in most French pharmacies. The French are also devotees of homeopathy, which until recently was reimbursed by the health system. That's no longer the case, but homeopathic remedies abound in pharmacies. Advertisement They'll check your mushrooms No, this isn't a medical procedure, but if you have been foraging for mushrooms, French pharmacies will check your haul to ensure that you haven't accidentally picked any dangerous ones. Skincare might be surprisingly cheap Like most countries, French pharmacies often have a big range of make-up, skincare and beauty products, including the big French brand names. If you're coming from the US, you're likely to find these considerably cheaper - this isn't really a surprise if it's a French brand but the price difference is enough to make French pharmacies something of a TikTok trend . Crowds Perhaps for all the reasons outlined above, French pharmacies tend to be busy places, and you'll likely have to wait if you want a consultation. The people in front of you in the queue probably won't be in too much of a hurry and if you eavesdrop on their conversation (which you're doing purely to improve your colloquial French, by the way) you might notice that there doesn't seem to be that much wrong with them. It's almost as if they're just there for a day out. After a few years in France you'll stop finding this weird and start to wonder whether Saturday would be a good day for a nice trip to the pharmacy to stock up some tea and heavy legs stockings. Advertisement Useful vocab La pharmacie - the pharmacy Le pharmacien - the pharmacist La parapharmacie - the 'para' pharmacy is one that cannot dispense medicines, and only sells health and wellbeing products. They also do not offer consultations or medical services La pharmacie de garde - the on-duty pharmacy. Most pharmacies close on Sundays and public holidays, but there is a rota to ensure that one stays open in each area. You can google pharmacie de garde + the name of your commune to find the nearest open pharmacy on a Sunday or holiday.
