alsace

Korravai, Thank you so much for these beau-tiful pics! I'd never seen them before. You are such enterprising researchers here! These seem to be from later in her career, as her face and figure seem more "filled out." In the bride image, she almost looks pregnant, which would have been a funny bit of tongue-in-cheek on the part of the designer! I too have often wondered why she just "melted away" as you put it. It wasn't until I read a comment on the Fashion Spot thread that something clicked for me. Crow Watcher wrote: "Chrystelle's image reminds me of the golden age of Hollywood. So pure..." That struck a chord. Yes, Chrystelle's looks have the quality of Hedy Lamarr or Vivian Leigh at softer moments, or Joan Fontaine, and when more hard-edged, they can be like Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, or the great Maria Felix of Mexico. Something beyond glamor. An aristocratic look, intelligent, and with a will of steel. And leagues away from the "street smart" look that's so prized today. She was obviously prized by the best designers, especially the haute couturiers in Paris. She was so beautiful, and they must have liked that her approach to fashion was as intellectual and daring as their own. But Chrystele seems not to have cultivated celebrity. It's as if she just walked away and returned to the world from which she'd come. I can imagine her fulfilling a request from a friend, but I can't imagine her carrying her book around. I am curious about her life now. Is she the sort of haute bourgeoise housewife you see in French art movies? Is she secretly writing a book? I doubt that she became a journalist, or we would have seen her byline by now. I suspect she comes from an elite, well educated family. Her father is from Martinique, and Saint Louis Augustin is not such a common last name. It's crazy I know, but I searched on the internet and found a Raymond Saint Louis Augustin, an educational psychologist who serves as the Vice Mayor of Martinique's capital, Fort-de-France. He looks like he could be Chrystele's uncle. And I found Pierre Saint Louis Augustin, an English professor in France, who looks like Raymond's brother and as though he could be Chrystele's father. All to say, I wouldn't be surprised if Chrystele were slaving away on a Ph.D. somewhere! But it's a mystery.

Hello, I've been reading this wonderful thread anonymously for a while, but I don't have any pics to contribute. . . just wanted to thank all of you for posting! I found the thread by googling Chrystèle. I've been a fan of hers since 2000, when I discovered images of her on a Tripod website that's now defunct. To be honest, I only read fashion mags when I'm at the beauty salon, so I hadn't noticed her before then. But she was so gorgeous, and talented, and important that I was immediately hooked. However, my timing was bad. About 2000 was when she began to seriously disappear. So, I can't thank you enough for reviving her! xoxo Alsace