Pretty in pink
After a somewhat dull year, let's have some colour ! A bit of joy and fun, bunches of flowers... We want some pink ! This is a colour we know well in Lyon. With its Tuscan-style facades, pralines, the tour rose and its famous rose growers, our city has pink in its soul. Read on to find out more.
Set to be the colour of the summer, pink is making a major comeback in fashion and our daily lives. It is a call to joy and positivity. Jacquemus, the new darling of Parisian fashion, even created a “Christmas Capsule” collection named Pink at the end of 2020, including a series of basics all in pink. Interior decoration, fashion, beauty, sport… pink is everywhere!
For Johanna Benedetti, creator of the ready-to-wear brand Les Poupées, it is an essential: “In my home, culturally speaking, there was no pink. I was dressed in marine blue and white. When I became an adult and could choose my own clothes, I regretted all those wasted years not being able to wear such a magnificent colour. In our collections, pink returns every season!”
It is also one of the favourite colours of David Bolito, who runs the concept store Blitz: “I felt frustrated when I was a kid because pink was reserved for girls.” The unfairness of it is all the more absurd given that the gender distinction “pink for girls; blue for boys” was a marketing ploy of the 1930s and 40s created to encourage consumption of children’s clothes. Before then, pink was actually more of a masculine colour, worn by kings and powerful figures, as illustrated by a famous oil painting by Jacob Bunel depicting Henry IV in armour.
Happily, over the centuries and in recent years, pink has continually reinvented itself, becoming the colour of campaigners (such as the “pussyhats” created for the anti-Trump Women’s March in Washington, in 2017) and punk (see the Clash and the Sex Pistols’ album covers), for example. In its pale dogwood version, it has even managed to unite generations and genders under the name “millennial pink”. A happy pink to fight off the blues.
A history of pink
In his book Le petit livre des couleurs (published by Seuil), French historian Michel Pastoureau explains that pink made a late appearance: “Riding on the tide of Romanticism, pink acquired its symbolism in the eighteenth century: that of tenderness, femininity (it is a softened red, stripped of its warlike character), softness (…).” On the other hand, it also has negative connotations: “Soppiness, reflected by the nineteenth-century French expression ‘à l’eau de rose’”
Address Book
Baby Doll
Les Poupées
10 rue Romarin, Lyon 1er.
This beautiful pink cotton jacket is sure to bring a smile to your face… Firstly, because you’ll also find a pair of matching trousers. Secondly, because it’s as durable as it is stylish, made entirely in the workshop of the Lyon-based creator, Johanna Benedetti. €150
Cocktail, please !
Cockorico
Want some pink in your drink? Long live the Cosmopolitan, the iconic 90s cocktail and the favourite tipple of the characters in Sex and the City. Whether you’re partying or binge-watching, you can enjoy this cocktail at home with Cockorico, the new cocktail delivery concept dreamt up by Lyon-based mixologist Marc Bonneton.
€29,90 for 70 cl
Stitch by stitch
Atelier-boutique Dimanche
23 rue Burdeau, Lyon 1er.
A powder pink and mimosa yellow purse hand-made by Marie Bodilis, qualified graphic designer and colourist turned fine leather craftsman. We love Dimanche!
€32
Pale pink
Blitz
4 rue Louis-Vitet, Lyon 1er.
Past meets present with the Sicilia basket, by Barcelona-based brand Octaevo, which revisits Mediterranean traditions with a hand-weaved basket made of glossy pink ceramic.
€52,50
Pink foam
Le Dadashop
13 rue du Griffon, Lyon 1er.
The little brand Mirlo, located in Lyon and the Drôme, comes up with soaps that are as beautiful as they are gentle for your skin. How did they create the beautiful coral-pink shade of their soap named ‘Cérès’? It is the result of a long soak in paprika…
€11
Pretty petals
Silly & Billy
55 rue Tête d’Or, Lyon 6e.
Bring some pink to your interior lighting with this flower pendant by Silly & Billy. Inspired by a 1970s model, each lamp is made by hand and to order in Lyon.
€189
Like the wind
Distance
13 rue Cavenne, Lyon 7e.
Want to improve your running speed? Get in a positive frame of mind with the bright pink Ciele baseball cap!
€40
Wild fuchsia
Bonny
19 rue Auguste-Comte, Lyon 2e.
At Bonny, we only have eyes for this long dress named “Frnch”, with its intense fuchsia pink shade. With an open back and light fabric, it’s the perfect dress to wear to the market or dance under the stars.
€109
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