Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Concours d'élégance

Have you ever heard about the french words CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE?
They were typical 30's to 50's events in Paris to present beautiful cars and elegant ladies wearing HAUTE COUTURE clothes.



American cars were often the most somptuous cars after war.



It was not only luxurious cars but also middle class french cars.




A dog was the must to have, poodles and greyhound were really popular!!!




Cars and Ladies, called an "équipage" in french were presented in front of a panel of judges and some prices were given at the end of the day. 


Even the kids were part of the show!!!!

You can click on this link to see a lot of beautiful black and white vintage pictures from Paris:
http://www.parisenimages.fr/fr/galerie-des-collections-selection.html?lieu=&personnalite=&oeuvre=&mots=elegance&source=&noiretblanc=&couleur=&oeuvre=&debut=&fin=&exact=&start=0&count=80
I really love all these glamourous pictures!!!

There are still some Concours d'Elegance in France and the most popular takes place in St Clou and Bagatelle near Paris once a year. I had once played a part in a Concours d'Elegance with my husband and our '59 Cadillac, it was in Sarlat (South West of France). I was so much fun, I really want to be part of another one soon!!!

Me and my car. It can be at a Concours d'élegance, isn't it?

Have you ever been part of a Concours d'Elegance? Have you ever seen one? Does that exist in your country?
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5 comments:

  1. alexAugust 31, 2011 at 1:28 AM

    Magnifiques photos Laurence, et la tienne ne fait pas exception, au contraire ! Une remarque néanmoins: peut-on imaginer plus misogyne que le fait de juger conjointement femme et auto, en les regroupant sous le même nom d'"équipage" ? C'est la limite, me semble-t-il, de cette merveilleuse époque qu'étaient les 40's et 50's. Les femmes n'y ont peut-être jamais été aussi belles, mais on les réduisait au rôle d'ornement...

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  2. LaurenceAugust 31, 2011 at 7:59 PM

    Et oui mon cher Alexis, heureusement, on peut aujourd'hui n'en prendre que les bons côtés!!!
    A l'époque, les femmes qui participaient à ces concours étaient le plus souvent les mannequins des maisons de haute couture... dans le milieu du mannequinat actuel, je ne pense pas que la position des femmes ait changé... on ne magnifie plus la femme par les vêtements, on magnifie des vêtements avec des femmes cintres, non???

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  3. Jeff StorkSeptember 1, 2011 at 10:22 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Jeff StorkSeptember 1, 2011 at 10:24 PM

    I thought you might enjoy some photos that we took with a couple of my cars and my friend Marsha who looks great in vintage attire.

    http://psautomobilist.blogspot.com/2011/09/date-with-marsha.html

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  5. LaurenceSeptember 3, 2011 at 9:51 PM

    Jeff, I really love your first picture with '60 T-bird! My husband likes your pictures of the 61 Eldorado! Nice blog.

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