Pierre

This is Pierre Paillot, a sommelier and restaurant director. He lives in a medieval village called Noyers-sur-Serein in the Burgundy region of France. He was raised here and left in his early twenties to work with restaurants abroad, including Mint in Dublin and Gordon Ramsay's Royal Hospital Road. After expanding his winery address book, he took off, bought a van, and visited every wine producer that interested him around Europe for a year and half.

He just bought the house behind him here which is an enchanted building made up of four houses that have all been connected over the years. Walls have been knocked down and rooms joined, and now it's a labyrinth of a house where you can disappear. He is a dreamer who will transform this into a Gite (french B&B), grow his own grapes on land purchased nearby, and will hopefully host many meals in the years to come. An accomplished young man who knows how to pour a perfect glass.

Jerome C. Rousseau

A few years ago Jerome was living in my hometown (Santa Barbara, California) for a while, working for a large footwear design firm. It was during this chapter that I met Jerome, and he was definitely not the tan surfer bro that I was used to seeing around this part of California. He was an instant 'it' boy in town and everyone wanted to know who he was. He was the big city boy exuding international charisma and I was instantly sure that he would be an inspiring friend for years to come.

Jerome grew up in the french speaking region of Canada, lived in London for many years during and after his student life at Cordwainers College (while bouncing around with London's music scene), and then eventually moved to California. After tons and tons of hard work, working with a variety of footwear designers, his time had finally come and he launched his own collection in 2008.

He has a keen sense of how to design shoes that look incredible on a woman's foot, and possesses a sky's worth of natural talent. He get's it. We are so lucky. Jerome is an artist with a unique vision. Between his elegant choice of materials and colors and his eye for modern shapes, his work is powerful yet sensitive - similar to a lot of women I know who care about art and music and wear his shoes.

Jerome C. Rousseau online

During Paris's recent fashion week I spanned time with JCR at his showroom. Here's a peek at his Spring 2011 collection:

This is Nathalie. She is from Lyon and is a performance artist. I met her at the rue Martel apartment in passing and knew I would see more of her. Soon after our quick meeting, we cooked dinner with one of my favorite people, Jerome C. Rousseau , and all had a magical evening among new and old friends.

She has an incredible story to tell. I'm hoping she will design a performance soon and share it with the people of Paris. You will find out more about her here.