The Louvre got the piece it wanted from the aborted auction at Christie’s New York last week of the 115-piece lot owned by jewelry and antiques collector Ralph Esmerian. The museum discovered that a brooch from the French crown jewels was to be part of the April 15 sale and was determined to bring it home. The piece in question is the François Kramer-designed diamond brooch and stomacher worn by Napoleon III’s bride, Empress Eugénie, on her wedding day in 1853. But, as reported, the auction never took place so François Curiel, president of Christie’s Europe, negotiated a private sale of the piece to the Louvre with Esmerian’s agreement. In the sale’s catalogue, Rare Jewels and Gemstones: The Eye of a Connoisseur, the piece was expected to fetch from $4 million to $6 million. The sale price to the Louvre was not disclosed. (WWD)

NEW CHOO IN PARIS -: Jimmy Choo is planting another flag in Paris. The company is set to open a 1,410-square-foot flagship at 376 Rue Saint-Honoré in the city in July. The Rue Saint-Honoré store will be in addition to the company’s existing store in Paris at 34 Avenue Montaigne, and its design will echo the brand’s signature Forties-inspired boudoir concept, with beige leather sofas, mirrored vitrines and crystal chandeliers. The opening of the Paris flagship is part of the company’s global expansion plan, which will see a total of 80 doors in key markets for the brand by the end of this year. Future openings include stores in Munich, Cannes and Barcelona, along with a shop-in-shop in Selfridges in Manchester, all slated to open this summer. The company also opened a store in Beijing earlier this month.

CARLA BRUNI SARKOZY - DISSAPPOINTING NO SHOW:-  Blame it on political engagements, but Carla Bruni-Sarkozy disappointed her French fans Monday by pulling a no-show at an auction benefit organized by Tommy Hilfiger to aid the Breast Health Institute. The event, held at the designer’s Parisian flagship on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, saw a limited edition tote signed by France’s first lady go for 10,000 euros, or around $16,000. “Her new ‘grande bourgeoise’ style suits her well,” commented lingerie designer Chantal Thomass of Bruni-Sarkozy’s new look. Thomass said she was just back from a store opening in Moscow.

You’re now something of an expert on Malawi. But when the activist Victoria Keelan first called you about getting involved, you said, “I don’t even know where that is.” And she hung up on you. Not too many people hang up on you, do they?
I thought that was rather cheeky. She found me quite impertinent in the beginning. Like, “You’re asking the stupidest questions—do you want to help or not?” And she was absolutely correct.

Madonna recently claimed that she was over New York; she still liked to stick her finger in our socket from time to time, but there were no longer so many thrilling sparks. She’s since recanted (see below), and in any event, whether in London or Africa, she still acts just like a New Yorker, control-freaking her way to world domination yet again. Which brings us to her new projects: She’s produced and narrated the documentary I Am Because We Are, about Malawi and its AIDS orphans, which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival. more

Read Madonnas interview in NY Mag

As a general rule, office clothing should be neat, clean and pressed. Clothing should not be distracting, tight or revealing, or exceptionally loose or low-cut. Torn or frayed clothes, denim, sweat suits, beachwear, beach-style shoes, slippers, shorts, halters, tank tops, crop tops and hats or caps are inappropriate for the workplace. In addition, clothing that bears profane or offensive words or logos is strictly prohibited

Plain enough, so, why the confusion?? Given the sea of pants, button-downs and sensible shoes one encounters on a typical weekday commute, the subject seems as innocuous, or perhaps mundane is the word, as a twin set from Ann Taylor Loft. But apparently work-appropriate attire is still a touchy subject among some corporate giants, as several of the firms (Merrill Lynch; Skadden, Arps; Lehman Brothers; Cravath, Swaine & Moore) queried for this story outright declined to comment on their sartorial standards, while others (Willkie Farr & Gallagher; PricewaterhouseCoopers; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; Ernst & Young; Morgan Stanley; Apple, and Charles Schwab) simply ignored formal press requests.



Erickson Beamon brooch - brightens any outfit

Why the veil of secrecy? Once safely inside her cube, does the average jacket-and-blouse-clad woman disrobe into a down-to-there-up-to-there type? Nope. For the most part, it seems, dressing for the office is still a very conservative endeavor. A quick survey of young female employees from various large banks, consulting groups and law firms revealed that they abide by a “business casual” dress code, loosely defined as, no jeans allowed but jackets aren’t necessarily required, at least not in the office; a court of law is a different matter entirely. And their work wardrobes consist largely of conservative separates. “I think a lot of people shop at J. Crew and Banana Republic,” said one attorney at a New Jersey financial house. (WWD)

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