Par Margaret Kemp
Designer Barbara Bui was born in Paris to a Vietnamese father and French mother, and made her debut in the fashion world in 1983 when she launched her boutique "Kabuki" on rue de Turbigo, Paris. "
Brand Barbara Bui" was created in 1987 when she showed her first runway collection of edgy rock n'roll designs, "it" bags and shoes.
With boutiques and "
corners" worldwide, the most recent addition is a steel and glass three-level flagship store on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Breezy tops and flowing dresses mix with cigarette-thin pants, figure hugging dresses, killer heels or platforms. This season zips, studs and grommets feature on the mostly dark-toned collection. The look is androgynous and feminine, perfect for fashionistas and minimalists alike. So, hardly surprising Ms Bui chose a low-slung sensual, dark square chocolate cake when asked to design a patisserie for "
Les Patisseries Fashion" at Café de la Paix, The Intercontinental Paris, Le Grand Hotel.
Ms Bui worked with Christophe Raoux, the Intercontinental's charming and talented new chef (ex- The Ritz, Groupe Alain Ducasse, Lenôtre etc.) and chef-patissier Guillaume Caron. The result is an astonishing result of sucré-acide, called "
Douce Rebelle". Chocolate, almond, lime, cômpote of mousse and pear jelly spiced with combawa. It will be available, in limited edition, from 16th January-15th May 2010 (15€). Perfect with a flute of champagne.
"
I wanted to bring to my first patisserie the same feel I bring to my collections, I'm a person of contrasts so it's both sensible and rock. The top of shiny black chocolate symbolises power; the exotic fruits mean sweetness and sensualité. You can say it's la surprise derriere l'apparence", explained Ms Bui at the cake launch. "
It's a grande première for me, made possible by the patience and talent of Christophe and Guillaume".
"
Les Patisseries Fashion" have been running since 2004, the delicious concept combines mode and gastronomy at Café de La Paix, under the umbrella of "
Paris, Capitale de la Creation". Previous mouthwatering and eagerly awaited "
patisseries" have been designed by the likes of: Chantal Thomas, Claude Montana, Jean-Claude Jitrois et son Sarah, Paco Rabanne, Olivier Lapidus and Marithé and François Girbaud and their "Sweet Love" 2009.
CAFÉ DE LA PAIX 5 Place de l'Opera, 9th
Tel : 01 40 07 36 36
www.cafedelapaix.fr
