V. The Hills where Elise and Will live
Monday 16th June 2025,
As you’ve probably understood by now, I love nature, silence, and the sea. I cherish being sheltered from worldly concerns and living immersed in vast secrecy, as often as possible away from cities yet always close to my friends.
Every human being carries contradictions within, the opposite of oneself: their duality.
It’s true that I passionately love Los Angeles precisely because it embodies its own contradictions, or rather it contains everything within itself, all opposites exist in Her. (L.A. Elle Est.)
In June, keeping pace with the rhythm of collections, I traveled to Los Angeles to present the first part of Nature is Art: “The Botanists,” to my American agents, Dierdre and Tony, brilliant agents who’ve accompanied me for years and have beautifully guided the success of La Prestic on American soil.
My friends Élise and Will welcomed me into their lovely home in the Hills, once again fully immersed in nature at its wildest. Animals cried out in the night; the jungle was here, with palm trees entwined in exuberant bushes of wild climbing flowers, dancing with their partners, trees of all kinds under the profound blue of an exemplary sky.
Upon my arrival, Will left for Europe, France; our destinations crossing paths.
Élise was all mine. She left for work in the mornings, while I stayed behind with Mojo, an enormous yet gentle dog who watched me gesticulate among my fabric swatches for Nature is Art, part two, the fruits of my writings that you may now be reading. Thus, I moved between the big table covered with print samples and the Hollywood-style pool, retro to perfection, perfectly suited to my taste, like the entire house.
Bikini, palm trees, and zenithal inspiration provided precisely the right theme.
A new design by Laurence Kiberlain: giant palms and stripes reminiscent of an American flagship, a modern polo shirt snapping in the wind
energetic, lively, and American.
Indeed, Élise’s home could be mine; her way of mixing colors feels familiar. At her place, at their place, I can tell everything, imagine anything. That’s how the inspiration for my next collection, Winter ’25, came to me.
But let’s leave work aside, for the week quickly slipped by with professional appointments downtown, in the fashion district, at Findings showroom, the best ever!!!
Saturday arrived quickly, and I had to return, heart tight at leaving Élise and California.
On this final Saturday, Élise decided to take me for lunch in Malibu, halfway between the Hills and Wardley Cooper Airport (commonly abbreviated as LAX). My flight was at 9 p.m., so we left at 9 a.m.
We left in the morning.
We set out in the morning. Countless cinematic curves stretched ahead, where Los Angeles sprawled breathtakingly over twenty kilometers beneath a silvery sun.
Fifteen minutes later, Élise and I descended from the Hills onto Hollywood Boulevard in her self-driving car. Élise laughed, hands off the wheel in her Tesla, as we sped off toward Malibu for a last-day swim in the Pacific, concluding this business trip, because yes, fashion is serious business, but lunching and swimming in the Pacific are quite another matter altogether.
I include with this text some personal photos, pictures full of happiness and joy,
because yes, I love California, the Pacific, and Élise, whom I affectionately call my Elichou.
SEE OUR PIECES
THE HILLS WHERE ELISE AND WILL LIVE
See VI. La Méditerranée →
