Prune Cirelli
Prune Cirelli © Julia Ansiau
Prune Cirelli's softly coloured drawings are full of poetry. In just a few years, the illustrator has created a world of her own, which she shares from Paris to New York or Tokyo, working for renowned French brands such as Marie-Hélène de Taillac, Fragonard or the Maison Thevenon. In the heart of Paris, from her Montorgueil district, Prune empties her bag. Meet an illustrator who has reinvented her own life around her passion.
Who are you? I am an illustrator. I worked for 16 years as a dealer, expert in 19th century paintings, and everything that revolves around the art market. In 2012, I wanted to do something that was entirely my own. Everything that I had fed on had built up an aesthetic universe for me. I was lucky enough to quickly work for houses that I particularly like.
What bag(s) do you use on a daily basis? I'm a bit of a bad customer... In fact, most of the time, I don't take a bag, I love the freedom of having my keys, my phone, my credit card and metro tickets in all my pockets. But sometimes I do need them if I'm going on a series of appointments or trips. My favourite is my Pierre Hardy tote bag, which even contains my macbook and A3 drawings. Otherwise I have a small Baggu bucket bag I found in Tokyo which is very practical.
What do you carry in your bag? When I take a bag, I'm not very good at sorting, so I take: an APC wallet that I love, my sunglasses, my glasses, a lipstick and a pouch with everything I think is useful and that I never use: hand cream, nail file, eye drops, eyeglass cloth, iphone headset, rubber band, business cards, pen, Totoro mechanical pencil, tissues, antibacterial spray, perfume spray, spasfon, doliprane... It's all nonsense! When my children were smaller, you could also find a dummy, a small car, wipes.
In Prune's bag
What items do you always carry in your bag (your must-haves)? So let's say at the very least, when I take my adorable little pink Laffargue: business cards, Hermes wallet, Delfonics card holder (it reduces the volume), a lipstick, a mini tube of Neutrogena hand creams (I rarely find them, I love them).
How do you find your keys? I don't put them in my bag! They are in my left pocket, my phone is on the right.
An anecdote (a (mis)adventure with your bag...)? Not with mine, but one day, I had a meeting with a journalist and while we were talking, my dog, still a baby (who I found surprisingly wise) had rummaged in her bag and eaten her car key and a very nice Chanel key ring.... it was very embarrassing!
What do you take with you on holiday? In my big Pierre Hardy or an old YSL bag that I love: I add my macbook if I need to work during the holidays, a few magazines that I don't have time to read at home, a book, my diary, a notebook, and a scarf too, if it's on a plane. And Buly soap sheets (upgrades hand washing at the airport!), Nautamine (motion sickness), a Luca's Papaw type all purpose cream/balm and also sweets (I'm always afraid of being hungry!)
Do you ever go out after work, how do you carry your bag? I work from home so it's pretty easy! I take a pouch from my friend Yazbukey, I slip in my iphone, lipstick, a handkerchief, Vogue cigarettes (I'm a social smoker...one or two when I go out...)
How do you reconcile your professional and personal life in your bag? For me, it's the same thing. I use a Hermès paper diary that I really like. I only take it with me if I'm going to a meeting or on holiday.
Do Parisian women have a specific relationship with their bags? Not all. No doubt there are codes that allow you to assert that you belong to such and such a tribe. I'm not sensitive to that. I hate the idea of someone identifying the origin of my things or having the same thing as others.
Your self-portrait :
"Tomorrow is another day
Prune Cirelli