Stars lead cool boules revival

WHEN Vanessa Paradis is seen playing pétanque, you feel you may be seeing a new cultural phenomenon, especially when the match was organised by Karl Lagerfeld in Saint-Tropez.

A game associated with retired Frenchmen is being taken up by celebs and their fashionista followers. Quickly on the scene, Louis Vuitton and Chanel have designer boules sets from €1,300, while boule maker Obut has capitalised on the trend with modern designs.

The president of the Ile-de-France pétanque league says that, while fewer people are joining clubs, la pratique sauvage (people playing casually wherever they can find some suitable ground) is more and more popular.

Meanwhile, the Cercle des Amis du Haut de Cagnes recently held the 31st “Boules carrées” World Championships. The square boules game is ideal for the steep hills of Haut de Cagnes, they say.