I K O N 02 _
Sonia Rykiel is in France considered a living fashion legend, a title that seems only fair when you consider she has been one of the country's foremost fashion designers for 38 years. This would be enough for most people but "fashion designer" is just one of Madame Rykiel's many hats. This woman, who sold 360,000 jumpers last year alone, is also an acclaimed author of books like Les Levres Rouges (The Red Lips) and Je La Voudrais Nus ( I Would Like Her To Be Naked). She has also illustrated children's fairytale books, moonlighted as an interior designer (reworking the decor of two Paris hotels), inspired Robert Altman's film Pret-a-Porter (her friend Anouk Aimee played her) and, three years ago, she herself played a character role in an arty French film called Riches, Belles et Jolies. Rykiel was also persuaded to turn her talents to music when Malcolm McClaren asked her to record a duet with him for his album Paris.

IS: Sonia? If I was to come to Paris tomorrow, and said I'd like you to take me to places so I could understand the essence of Paris over different decades, where would you take me? Let's start with the '60s. SR: Well...Crazy Horse Saloon, for the '60s. You will see that and die, because it's fantastic.

IS: I'm sure. And the '70s; would that also be the Crazy Horse Saloon? SR: Why not? Yes.

IS: For the '80s, where would we go? SR: A cemetery. Le Cimetiere Montparnasse or Le Pere Lachaise. You can see all the young people going around the tombs of Baudelaire, Maupassant, Man Ray, De Musset. It is absolutely fantastic.

IS: How about the '90s? SR: I don't know if you like Proust...You know, the more grown-up you are, the more you like Proust. And there is a place in Paris. It's on Boulevard Haussmann. It's open only on Thursdays. It's in the middle of a bank, on the second floor. In this bank, there is the bedroom of Marcel Proust, where he wrote most of A la Recherche du Temps Perdu.

Taken from Ingrid Sischys interview; Inside Paris Fashion. For full version clik here.