Paris seems to have more uniquely specialized jobs than most cities—from the Versailles Royal Molecatcher to the auctioneer who lights a candle every time someone offers a last bid at the Chambre des Notaires.

The French have a penchant for flair and living life to the fullest, even in the most functional of jobs.

There are also the jobs of utmost rarity. Consider the urban beekeeper who tends the hives on the roof of the Paris Opera House or the 40 “immortals” of the Académie Française, whose job it is to protect the usage, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language (who wouldn’t want to be an immortal?).

In that vein of rare professions comes the job position of Feathermaster at the Lido—the celebrated cabaret on the Champs Élysées in Paris.

Eye Roll, Please

When I first learned that there was a Feathermaster at the Lido, I admit to rolling my eyes a bit. However, one of many “Oh, I See” moments came when I toured backstage and saw nearly 600 costumes for the current show, most of which had feathers. Of course, there needs to be a feathermaster. Why would there not be?

“Since the beginning, in 1946, the Lido has always had unique costumes,” says Hervé Duperret, Directeur Général of the Lido. “The sequins, rhinestones, and feathers are really a signature of the spirit of cabaret,” he adds, especially on the grand headdresses and winglike extensions of the dancers’ outfits.

The Feathers Need a Master

“Feathers are both fragile and resilient at the same time,” Duperret explains, with the pride of a parent. “They need to be maintained with care. We have more than 20 varieties of feathers on our costumes. Each has its own special treatment.” Taking care of them is the job of an expert feathermaster (plumassière in French). And the position is open.

The Lido has been without a feathermaster for several months now since the last plumassière left. While there were more than 400 plumassières in the Belle Époque between 1871–1914 (feathers were a way of life then), there are now just a handful of experts. It has been difficult to find a qualified replacement.

In stellar showbiz tradition, however, the show must go on . . . and the feathers must continue to be nothing short of splendorous. The ten Lido seamstresses (couturières) have risen to the challenge.

With passion and extensive study of what the different feathers need, the couturières dust, brush, steam, wash and dry, reattach, replace, or generally cajole the feathers back to fluffy perfection for the Lido performances each evening. The ostrich, marabou, pheasant, hen, turkey and peacock plumes strut their stuff, as beautifully as ever—the ultimate in cabaret haute couture.

You might think 30-pound headdresses of jewels and feathers on a troupe of lithe and graceful semi-clad dancers would steal the show. But there are a lot of competing elements to the Bonheur (Happiness) extravaganza.

An ice skating rink and a golden temple rise from the depths. A motorized elephant transports an Indian princess. A white horse (real) side steps across the stage in the mist. In one scene, there are so many onstage fountains that you feel the humidity change even in the back row.

Precision Onstage and Off

Imagine 23 set and costume changes during the 1.5 hour show. Backstage is organized chaos. Most transitions are completed in minutes. And all are orchestrated from a narrow area behind the stage called “the aircraft carrier”—six floors of “shelves” for props, sets, and costumes.

Precision backstage is as important as presence onstage and customer friendliness for the audience. Every one of the 350 employees is critical to the show’s success. All seem to enjoy the cabaret life.

Birds of a Feather

So, if you know a plumassière or if you are ready for a career change, keep this job opening in mind.

And keep another “Oh, I See” moment in mind whenever you are thinking about living life to the fullest:

We can’t all be one of the 40 “immortals,” but if we’re happy and needed in our work, whatever niche we may fit into, immortality is within reach.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

$\"Orange$

The Lido feathers wait for a Feathermaster.
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n

Live Life to the Fullest with the Right Job<\/h2>\n
Paris seems to have more uniquely specialized jobs than most cities\u2014from the Versailles Royal Molecatcher <\/a>to the auctioneer who lights a candle every time someone offers a last bid at the Chambre des Notaires<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The French have a penchant for flair and living life to the fullest, even in the most functional of jobs.<\/p>\n
There are also the jobs of utmost rarity. Consider the urban beekeeper who tends the hives on the roof of the Paris Opera House or the 40 “immortals” of the Acad\u00e9mie Fran\u00e7aise, whose job it is to protect the usage, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language (who wouldn’t want to be an immortal?).<\/p>\n
In that vein of rare professions comes the job position of Feathermaster at the\u00a0 Lido<\/a>\u2014the celebrated cabaret on the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es in Paris.<\/p>\n
$\"Two$
The Lido Revue: the best feathers in Paris
(Photo Courtesy of The Lido \u00a9 PICS)<\/p><\/div>\n
Eye Roll, Please<\/h4>\n
When I first learned that there was a Feathermaster at the Lido, I admit to rolling my eyes a bit. However, one of many “<\/strong>Oh, I See” moments<\/b> came when I toured backstage and saw nearly 600 costumes for the current show, most of which had feathers. Of course, there needs to be a feathermaster. Why would there not be?<\/p>\n
$\"Blue$
One of the costume areas backstage at the Lido
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
“Since the beginning, in 1946, the Lido has always had unique costumes,” says Herv\u00e9 Duperret, Directeur G\u00e9n\u00e9ral<\/i> of the Lido. “The sequins, rhinestones, and feathers are really a signature of the spirit of cabaret,” he adds, especially on the grand headdresses and winglike extensions of the dancers’ outfits.<\/p>\n
$\"Pink$
Fluffiness at its height
(Photo courtesy of the Lido \u00a9 PICS)<\/p><\/div>\n
The Feathers Need a Master<\/h4>\n
“Feathers are both fragile and resilient at the same time,” Duperret explains, with the pride of a parent. “They need to be maintained with care. We have more than 20 varieties of feathers on our costumes. Each has its own special treatment.” Taking care of them is the job of an expert feathermaster (plumassi\u00e8re <\/i>in French). <\/i>And the position is open.<\/p>\n
The Lido has been without a feathermaster for several months now since the last plumassi\u00e8re<\/i> left. While there were more than 400 plumassi\u00e8res<\/i> in the Belle \u00c9poque<\/i>\u00a0between 1871–1914 (feathers were a way of life then), there are now just a handful of experts. It has been difficult to find a qualified replacement.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Splendor in white
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
In stellar showbiz tradition, however, the show must go on . . . and the feathers must continue to be nothing short of splendorous. The ten Lido seamstresses (couturi\u00e8res)<\/i> have risen to the challenge.<\/p>\n
With passion and extensive study of what the different feathers need, the couturi\u00e8res<\/i> dust, brush, steam, wash and dry, reattach, replace, or generally cajole the feathers back to fluffy perfection for the Lido performances each evening. The ostrich, marabou, pheasant, hen, turkey and peacock plumes strut their stuff, as beautifully as ever\u2014the ultimate in cabaret haute couture.<\/p>\n
$\"Brown$
The art of feather haute couture
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
You might think 30-pound headdresses of jewels and feathers on a troupe of lithe and graceful semi-clad dancers would steal the show. But there are a lot of competing elements to the Bonheur<\/i> (Happiness) extravaganza.<\/p>\n
An ice skating rink and a golden temple rise from the depths. A motorized elephant transports an Indian princess. A white horse (real) side steps across the stage in the mist. In one scene, there are so many onstage fountains that you feel the humidity change even in the back row.<\/p>\n
$\"Fountains$
A practice simulation of the extraordinary fountain scene
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
Precision Onstage and Off<\/h4>\n
Imagine 23 set and costume changes during the 1.5 hour show. Backstage is organized chaos. Most transitions are completed in minutes. And all are orchestrated from a narrow area behind the stage called “the aircraft carrier”\u2014six floors of “shelves” for props, sets, and costumes.<\/p>\n
$\"Backstage$
Dressing room ready for the one-minute costume changes
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
Precision backstage is as important as presence onstage and customer friendliness for the audience. Every one of the 350 employees is critical to the show’s success. All seem to enjoy the cabaret life.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
Help Wanted: Feathermaster
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
Birds of a Feather<\/h4>\n
So, if you know a plumassi\u00e8re<\/em> or if you are ready for a career change, keep this job opening in mind.<\/p>\n
And keep another “<\/strong>Oh, I See”<\/b> moment<\/strong> in mind whenever you are thinking about living life to the fullest:<\/p>\n
We can’t all be one of the 40 “immortals,” but if we’re happy and needed in our work, whatever niche we may fit into, immortality is within reach.<\/p>\n
Comment<\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>on this post below, or inspire insight with your own\u00a0OIC Moment\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":17512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[211,130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-paris-mappoints","category-performing-creative"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40683,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17502\/revisions\/40683"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}