As Audrey Hepburn once said, “Paris is always a good idea” – and indeed, the French capital is so well visited that one might wonder why it should be mentioned at all. Yet as it prepares to host the 2024 Olympic Games, the City of Lights shines brighter than ever. On the program: swimming in the Seine, beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and the start of a marathon on the large historic square of the Hôtel de Ville. (“Because Paris is not a city like any other, it deserves all the honors,” we can read on the official Paris Olympique website. “The Games in the capital promise a complete spectacle, designed for the athletes, spectators and viewers.”)
And since it's Paris, even athletics are practiced in fashion. The games as a whole are sponsored by luxury conglomerate LVMH, which will draw on its many fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands to support the international event. (Chaumet will, for example, design the Olympic and Paralympic medals, while the Moët Hennessy wine and spirits houses will provide the alcohol for official receptions. And we can only wonder about the official uniform…) Meanwhile, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is organizing the exhibition “Fashion and Sport, from one podium to another” which runs until April 2024.
Need another reason? Over the past few months, Paris has welcomed a number of notable new boutique hotels, from the famous Martin Brudnizki-designed hotel to the The Grand Mazarin in the Marais at the Belle-Époque-inspired Château des Fleurs. -AND