Our very favorite customer (well, this month!)
Sure the food is delicious. The room is gorgeous, the waitstaff attractive and attentive. But it's our customers that really make the Paris Commune experience something special -- and something you won't find at any other restaurant in New York, maybe even in the world. They're smarter, funnier, warmer, more gregarious than your average restaurant patrons. They're just who you'd want to share a table with -- or eavesdrop on if you're lucky enough to be seated next to them.
Candace Bushnell -
As the muse behind our Jungle Red cocktail and the mind behind four international bestsellers, Candace Bushnell epitomizes sexiness in New York. With Lipstick Jungle on NBC, Sex and the City in theaters this Summer, and Sex Success and Sensibility broadcast weekly on Sirius Radio, Candace is everywhere – but we do love spoiling her and her friends when she stops by Paris Commune and lights up our bar.
In 1996, the publication of Sex and the City created a post-feminist pop-culture juggernaut, an immensely popular HBO series, and gave women all over the world a new way to define their lives. In a world where Carry Bradshaw is a household name, Candace Bushnell has pinpointed countless truths about the relations of the sexes and re-defined what many women consider modern femininity.
Author of 4 Blondes, Trading Up, and Lipstick Jungle and winner of the 2006 Matrix Award for Books and the Spirit of Achievement Award from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Candace is indeed our favorite customer of the month!
So next time you find yourself in Paris Commune, be sure to order a Jungle Red, the scarlet mix of vodka, pomegranate and rose petals created in Candace Bushnell's honor – who knows, perhaps your own Mr. Big is just a table away…
Louis Viél - If Paris Commune regular Louis Viél seems to be paying particular attention to the golden swirls of brown sugar and cinnamon on his Bananas Flambe, he may just be finding inspiration for a dazzling rich shade of brunette haircolor.
Like Paris Commune chef Michael Cron, Viel prefers to work with a recipe, instinctively knowing the right proportions and combinations for the most outstanding results.
This Master Colorist is co-owner of the prestigious Miano Viél Salon & Spa on East 52nd Street where tends to the glorious tresses of Heidi Klum, Melina Kanakaredes, Melanie Griffith, George Stephanopoulos, Tipper Gore, Karenna Gore Schiff, Kathy Najimy and Bon Jovi’s David Bryan among other New York notables.
Viél’s goal is to make every client “look beautiful and feel comfortable.” (We hope our good friend feels the same way when he dines with us at Paris Commune.) So if you see a handsome man at the next table, staring intensely at the caramel sauce on your cheesecake, don’t think twice. He’s just conjuring up a perfect highlight color for his next appointment!
Robert Duffy - In 1984, Robert Duffy went to a student fashion show that changed his life. Then an executive with Ruben Thomas, Inc, Duffy was blown away by the senior collection of Parsons graduate Marc Jacobs. The next day, Duffy called to have Jacobs develop a ready-to-wear collection for Ruben Thomas, Inc. under the Sketchbook label. And the rest is fashion history. This conversation marked the beginning of what became a partnership called Jacobs Duffy Designs, Inc. based on two very simple concepts — a love for fashion and a commitment to quantity. The partnership and the concepts it was based on remain the cornerstones of the company today.
January 1997 proved to be a big year for the company when Jacobs and Duffy joined Louis Vuitton as Artistic Director and Studio Director respectively. Since then, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton have expanded to touch virtually every aspect of fashionable living.
Movie star handsome, the silver-haried Duffy personifies the mogul next-door. Low-key and charming, he’s been a long-time supporter and good friend to Paris Commune. We raise our glasses to the over 30 charities that are supported by Jacobs Duffy, all of which mirror the concept of human dignity and freedom of expression. Robert Duffy is a good neighbor indeed!
Bill Rancitelli - The next time you're in Paris Commune, look up from our mouth-watering menu and take a good long look at the exquisite original paintings on the walls. These gorgeous fashion illustrations are the work of none other than the renowned Bill Rancitelli - design consultant, illustrator, and Paris Commune loyalist. He has created fashion art for both Donald Brooks and Claire McCardell - pioneers of the "American Look."
A stroll down Fifth Avenue may reveal Bill's golden touch in displays for Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, and Saks Fifth Avenue. He has been a long-time contributor to Ralph Lauren and to the Color Box, a color forecasting firm. Strike up a conversation with Bill and you'll be astounded by his depth of knowledge on costume design and design theory - he has worked on four continents and delivered countless seminars worldwide. Bill taught at Parsons School of Design for over 22 years, honing the talents of such fashion luminaries as Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, and Narciso Rodriguez among countless others.
This autumn, Bill's latest project will be revealed as he creates a jaw-dropping fresco in our sensuous new Rouge Wine Bar, downstairs at Paris Commune.
