The
BCBC (Bon Chic Bon Genre), the French equivalent of the British Sloane Ranger or
the American preppie, can easily be spotted in their remain stamping grounds of
Neuilly, Auteuil and Passy, the rich suburbs of the 16th and 17th
arrondissements. They are easy to recognise sporting the Hermes scarves
decorated with dead grouse, the velvet hairbands and the Chanel, Prada, Gucci,
Hermes and lately Burberry quilted handbags—real, not imitation. For men, Lobb
or Hogan shoes, Dunhill pipes and even cravats are still in vogue.
Like their British and American counterparts, a profound conservatism, adherence
to classicism and traditional values and a marked dislike of anything new or
trendy are the dominant traits of this species of Parisian. You want to see them
in their natural habitat? Try the VIP enclosure at Chantilly race course or spy
at them sipping “chocolat africain” with pet poodle in tow at ANGELINA salon
de the on rue de Rivoli, well known by a lot of tourists, or tearoom-chocolatier
“LADUREE” on the Champs Elysees. For the “more branché”, (literally
“plugged in”), of the species, dancing the night away at LES BAINS DOUCHES,
Paris’s perpetually “in” nightclub located in old swimming baths.
Next, a few words of the second world that is as removed from the BCBG as it is
possible to get: les “rappeurs”, the second or third generation descendants
of African and Caribbean immigrants.
The
BCBC (Bon Chic Bon Genre), the French equivalent of the British Sloane Ranger or
the American preppie, can easily be spotted in their remain stamping grounds of
Neuilly, Auteuil and Passy, the rich suburbs of the 16th and 17th
arrondissements. They are easy to recognise sporting the Hermes scarves
decorated with dead grouse, the velvet hairbands and the Chanel, Prada, Gucci,
Hermes and lately Burberry quilted handbags—real, not imitation. For men, Lobb
or Hogan shoes, Dunhill pipes and even cravats are still in vogue.