Designer Hotel Hopping: A Tour Through Philippe Starck's Wacky and Cool Design For Mama Shelter Marseilles


Updated 05/10/12 1:15 PM · Posted by · 0 comments

Mama Shelter Marseilles Philippe Starck Hotel

Mama Shelter Marseilles follows Mama Shelter Paris as the second hotel in the Mama Shelter brand designed by Philippe Starck. Starck, the Trigano family (who were cofounders of Club Med), and French philosopher Cyril Aouizerate worked together to launch the Mama Shelter brand, and the hotel's decor reflects the diversity of this collaboration. This is not a hotel for minimalists or the morose. Read more

How Will France's New First Lady Valérie Trierweiler Compare to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy?


Updated 05/09/12 10:55 AM · Posted by · 4 comments

France's New First Lady Valerie Trierweiler

Outgoing French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, 44, is a singer/songwriter, actress, former international supermodel, and mother of two. But we already know about Carla, who even made a cameo in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. France's new "unofficial" first lady, Valérie Trierweiler, will bring a different flavor to the Elysée Palace. She's 47, a working journalist, a graduate of the Read more

It's Complicated: The Relationship Statuses of France's Presidential Candidates


Updated 05/04/12 8:39 AM · Posted by · 1 comment

France Presidential Election

This weekend, France will vote for its next president. After a first round, it's down to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and his socialist challenger Francois Hollande. Since Sarkozy was elected in 2007, a lot has changed. One of the most intriguing evolutions has been the love connections among the politicians. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is technically the second first lady France has known under Sarkozy. Read more

Every Woman Is Now a Madame in France


Updated 02/22/12 9:19 PM · Posted by · 0 comments

Mademoiselle No Longer Used in France

How do you say Ms. in French? You can't. There's no French equivalent to the neutral title. Depending on her marital status, a woman is either Mademoiselle, "my young lady," or Madame, which means simply "my lady." This means women are compelled to disclose their marital status with their name, and it gives a not-so-young unmarried lady a title that lacks appropriate gravitas. Today, France's Read more

Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy Welcome a Daughter! See Their Très Chic Couple Moments


Updated 10/19/11 3:50 PM · Posted by · 0 comments

Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni Have a Baby

Carla Bruni gave birth to a baby girl in Paris today. It's the first child the first couple of France has had together, although they both have children from previous relationships and Nicolas Sarkozy is also a grandfather. Nicolas married Carla, a singer and former Italian top model, in 2008 at the Élysée Palace. He was already president, and recently divorced, when they began dating, and Read more

DSK Admits Hotel Incident Was a Mistake, Calls Maid a Liar


Updated 09/19/11 1:05 PM · Posted by · 0 comments

DSK First TV Interview in France

In Dominique Strauss-Kahn's first interview on French TV since escaping sexual assault charges in New York City, the French politician accused hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo of lying repeatedly. As the news report above explains, DSK conceded that his behavior was inappropriate, but he then attacked the maid's credibility, maintaining that he did not use force. The former IMF chief went on TV to Read more

France Shows Its True Colors on Bastille Day


Updated 07/14/11 4:52 PM · Posted by · 1 comment

Bastille Day 2011 Pictures

With blue, white, and red filling the skies and the streets of France, the country celebrates its revolution on Bastille Day or La Fête Nationale today. On the July 14 holiday, Frenchmen and Frenchwomen attend parades, watch fireworks, and enjoy air shows to remember the storming of the Bastille in 1789. See more pictures from the festivities, including gorgeous fireworks over the Eiffel Tower, Read more

The Origin of the French Kiss


Updated 07/14/11 2:02 PM · Posted by TresSugar · 10 comments

Origin of French Kiss

Happy Bastille Day! We have lots of things to thank France for — crepes, lingerie, our inferiority complex — but the French kiss is not one of them. What we call French kissing, the French call baiser avec la langue (kiss with tongue) or for slang patin (ice-skating shoe). Like a figure eight, I guess? It's unclear who coined the phrase, but France has been the unofficial romance capital of Read more

Picture It: Nothing to Hide


Updated 05/14/11 1:48 PM · Posted by · 2 comments

Pictures of Carla Bruni Baby Bump?

France's first couple, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni, smile as they welcome South Korea's president and first lady to Paris today. Carla made her big-screen debut Wednesday at the Cannes premiere of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. But she decided not to make the trip down south for the festival, citing "personal and professional reasons" and fueling rumors that she's expecting. See Read more