YSL Spruces Up for Spring

So often while walking along the sidewalk in Paris, I see the gardiennes of apartment buildings polishing the brass door handles and kick plates of the entries, to keep the exterior shiny.

The Yves St. Laurent boutique on avenue George V is sprucing up its doorway, too, and I stopped to talk with the workers to find out exactly what they were crafting.

I was surprised at first to find out that the lettering for the signage was plastic. It looks so solid and sculptured.

On reflection, I figured that plastic is a smart, practical choice. No one would want a customer entering the store to get beamed inadvertantly by a falling brass letter, should one ever become loose. Better to use lightweight faux brass.

And it's fascinating how they do it. Basically shiny gold-tone contact paper is carefully applied on the front of the letters, and the sides of the letters are covered in strips of the same color paper. See how it has thousands of tiny holes?

That's for the lights that shine from behind the sign at night, for an aura of sophistication and elegance. If I have time I'll go back some evening and take a shot of the final result.