A TOAST, AND TOASTED BREAD: If you fancy an aperitivo in France, you’ll be lucky to get a finger bowl of peanuts, pretzels or popcorn.
However, on Wednesday night, Parisian waiters — their cheeks adorned with sparkling temporary tattoos — ferried fishbowl-sized spritzes and generous plates of tartines (open-face sandwiches) carved into thin slices.
Lo and behold, Pucci and its creative director Camille Miceli brought la dolce vita to Paris, dressing the Bar de la Croix Rouge in its swirling, marble-like prints and inviting fashion folks to rediscover the iconic Left Bank eatery, a cherry tomato’s throw from Le Bon Marché. (The Florentine brand has been carried at the Left Bank department store since January 2024.)
LVMH executive Sidney Toledano, too busy to have lunch that day, was grateful for the platter of roast beef on toasted Poilane bread — and greetings from the likes of jewelry designer Elie Top, gallerist Didier Krzentowski and fashion show producer Benedicte Fournier.
Actress Clotilde Courau, Lanvin designer Peter Copping and Inès de La Fressange also stopped by, cramming into the tiny eatery or milling about on its bigger, leafy terrace.
Inès de La Fressange
Stéphane Feugere/Courtesy of Pucci
The takeover, with the bar’s flower boxes dressed in Pucci’s iconic Marmo print, runs until July 30.
Miceli has made destination events a cornerstone of her tenure at Pucci, organizing multiday lifestyle “experiences” in such jet-set destinations as Capri and Saint Moritz, in addition to runway shows in places like Portofino, Florence and Rome.
She spent most of her fashion career at Paris houses, including Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chanel.
Pucci’s takeover of Bar de la Croix Rouge in Paris.
Stéphane Feugere/Courtesy of Pucci