Who else could have closed the Vogue World: Paris event, dedicated to fashion and sport, than Marie-José Pérec, a living icon of France? “We wanted a French woman, an athlete, to embody this Vogue World: Paris linked to sport, and Marie-José Pérec was the perfect choice. It was a dream to have her in the finale, in this dress made in the colors of France,” confides Alexandre Samson, curator of the Palais Galliera museum.
Pérec’s big appearance took place on Sunday, June 23, when the French capital was abuzz with excitement at this coming together of fashion houses, athletes, models, and designers. To close this historic fashion show—historic both for Vogue and for fashion broadly—Pérec appeared in a custom-made dress by Alice Chastel Mazin in the colors of the French flag that was nearly 15 feet long, worn with Chaumet earrings.
“We all have this image of her, victorious after the race and wrapping herself in the French flag,” recalls Carine Roitfeld, who co-styled the Vogue World: Paris event with Ib Kamara. It’s a moment that remains a vivid memory for many French people, even decades later.
The first French athlete, male or female, to win European, World, and Olympic medals in an individual sport, Pérec was first seduced by fashion in 1992, when she appeared in a Paco Rabanne show. “After the 1992 Olympic Games, I walked for Paco Rabanne,” she says. “It was a magical moment, I wore a very sexy sports outfit, which was wonderful and a great gift, because when I was a kid, that s all I dreamed about... clothes and fashion shows.” Her dream came true again this Sunday during Vogue World: Paris.
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