Brigitte Bardot—A Lifetime in Pictures

By Viola Bello

You could tell she was French just by looking at her.  Sultry and sophisticated, she was the cultural counter weight to the bubbly, blonde American sex symbols of the 1960s. 

There is no denying that Brigitte Bardot was an exquisite beauty in her time.  That magnificent beauty is on display through 30 photographs taken by Henry-Jean Servat, currently exhibiting at the Sofitel Luxury Hotels in Lafayette Square.  This traveling photo exhibit, “BB Forever. Brigitte Bardot, la légende” is an exclusive photo collection depicting the magnificent french icon through the years.  This is only one of many events celebrating French heritage taking place at the Sofitel as an effort to represent French culture across the world.

The exhibit opened on a hot Thursday evening, June 21st.  The lobby of the hotel was transformed into a place lost in time with pictures of the star adorning the walls, while French music played in the background.  The bar in the middle of the room featured specialty drinks like Bardot Pout, Honey Ginger Bardot and BB forever, in addition to champagne, wine and beer.  I tried the Honey Ginger Bardot.  The concoction was made of Belvedere Lemon tea, Domaine de Canton, honey water, lemon juice and club soda.  Not too sweet, not too tart, lemon and honey together, a perfect combination.

Waiters in white appeared out of no where offering guests mouth-watering and what I like to refer to as lipstick hors d’oeuvres.  As the name implies, they are small enough to have in one bite, thus not ruining a meticulous applied lipstick (ladies will understand).  They were amazing zucchini soup in shooters, seductive ratatouille, salty quail eggs with anchovies and sublime grilled feta cheese.  

The exhibit will be on display until September 13, 2012 at the Sofitel.  Don’t miss it, while you enjoy some amazing martinis at Le Bar!

Bon appétit!

VB