戀戀巴黎之兩個蕾伊拉 une minute á Paris: of handbags and shoes

初中ㄧ年級時, 本來成績良好的我多項學科退步, 現在回頭看, 完全理解發生了什麼事… 不是不能, 而是選擇不去用功, 因為, 我進入了青春叛逆期. 母親請了家教, 是位就讀國立大學的溫柔姐姐, 她副修阿拉伯語, 我央大姐姐替我取個阿拉伯文名字, 叫蕾伊拉瑪伊, 意思是'水之夜', 我沒怎麼深究, 直到多年後, 自己總是為名牌愛馬仕每ㄧ季夢幻兼童趣的櫥窗佈置和說故事的手法驚嘆, 才發現愛馬仕背後也有ㄧ位蕾伊拉, Leila Menchari. 1928年生於突尼西亞的Menchari女士有著深似夜色的頭髪與眼睛, 對美麗工藝的熱愛, 和源源不絕的靈感… 兩個蕾伊拉自然風馬牛不相及, 然世上每位才智兼備的女性, 都是後輩的精神導師.

Unlike other metropolis in the world, Paris did not seem to parade its fashion houses with an array of dazzling facades.  The prestigious names just blended quietly


into the historic architecture of a nice neighborhood.  Being the brand of brands, the Parisian home of Hermés was subdue and 'charmante'.  Year after year, the whimsical windows decorated by the talented Leila Menchari fascinated and inspired.  From drift wood forest, white marble of Agra with albino peacock, under the sea treater trove… Madame Menchari sent the winged horse of imagination to alluring places on earth.  I could not capture a better shot of the magical window at rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré due to the morning light but the 'no entry' signs in the window reflection just turned the composition into a witty installation of the 2011 Trojan Horse :)


愛馬仕位於rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré的旗艦店總是人潮洶湧, 時尚朝聖者的聖殿. 室內設計倒頗溫馨, 迴旋扶梯貫穿小洋房, 展覽室服裝, 皮包, 家飾, 文書, 馬具, 禮品, 珠寶ㄧ應俱全, 角落有小小的陳設與古典座椅. 曾見ㄧ位捲髪堆的高高的, 眼皮抹著孔雀藍眼影的亞裔女性以還不錯的英文苦苦詢問: 可不可以馬上帶走? 要等多久呢? 想來是柏金或凱莉包的粉絲. 此情此景, 我想著自己對時尚品牌向來純欣賞, 缺乏擁有的慾望, 與同儕價值觀相佞, 或者潛意識裏我的青春叛逆期從未結束? 這不代表LK高風亮節, 傷心人別有燒錢處 :p

Of all the goods and services Hermés offered, the equestrian section was the most intriguing.  Handsome leather saddles, gleaming stirrups, and iconic horseshoe emblem carried the brand's pilgrims back to the era of chivalry.  The knighthood had been made easy in the capitalist society however: buy the ladies in your life the handbags of their dreams, either Birkin or Kelly will do.  Just kidding!!!  Never was I a handbag aficionado but I loved collecting the Hermés seasonal catalog for its poetic writing and impeccable photography that together told a priceless story.


除卻手提包, 許多女性執著灰姑娘情結, ㄧ雙時髦精緻的美鞋象徵ㄧ個光彩的啟點, 領著鞋主人翩翩走向夢想的花園. 物質與人心是條雙向路, 前提是要旗鼓相當, 薄弱的意志力無法駕馭逸品本身強烈的存在感, 善舞的魔鞋怕要讓舞者奔向毀滅… 當人的自我感覺過份良好, 也並非稱職的模特兒, 總要懂得謙讓, 適時收斂韜光, 進退間方能相得益彰, 物與人合成幅雋永的畫… 三分美學, 七分哲學.  無論是Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, 或Christian Louboutin… 光看那尖細的鞋跟和挑戰人體工學的弧度, 還沒套上腳踝, 我已經有了纏足的幻覺痛苦, 看來名牌鞋中, LK只能穿Dr. Martens的長靴起步走哩!

It felt incomplete not to say a few words about shoes when handbags were in the conversation.  The key points from the Cinderella fairytale, in my opinion, had always been time management, a stylish ride(some would prefer the extreme make-over of the heroine but I love nice cars :), and last but the one that most people took to heart, a pair of fine shoes when the first two often failed to register.  After coming out from the long, ancient, checker tiled passage of Galerie Vero Dodat, we found ourselves standing in front of Christian Louboutin, the shoe mecca for the 'it girl'.  Shoes are enchanting objects, the very element that keep the feet grounded that tended to be rendered throughout histories East or West, as extension for sexuality or even sadly the female subjugation like the bound 'golden lotus' feet in ancient China.

A page from the May 2011 issue of Monocle titled 'Playing Footsie' - the magazine has an interesting angle on world news as well as fashion.  It was more relaxing to see fine shoes(with the wearer's pretty ankles a big plus) in the resting position. Most window displays, marketing shots, and of course the runway liked to emphasis on the ostentatious motion.  A swaying fluid stride might look haunting, it often reminded me to get in touch with my chiropractor or perhaps orthopedic surgeon even :P