Want to play Amélie Poulain? Now you can do it with real style. This summer’s most surprising fetish object is the photo booth—but it’s undergone what Parisians like to call a “re-looking.”

There is no need to fear harsh light or dingy curtains in these photos. Photomaton, the largest supplier of booths in France, asked designer Philippe Starck to totally redesign their baby. His result offers a near perfect Paris photo—one you can now send, using a 3G connection, straight to Facebook, Flickr or email.

“These machines,” says Starck, “are witnesses to all of life. They see children, tourists, lovers, jokers, drinkers. It’s such an ordinary thing that we tend to forget about it. To re-dress it with a new, intelligent elegance will allow it to grow old with our identities.”

The new machines will be phased in come autumn, but the first is up and running in the Châtelet metro station. It features a snazzy touch screen inspired by the iPhone. There are also softer lights and a new capture system, one that calibrates exactly where you are seated. The results are surprisingly flattering—and are creating a new photo mecca in Paris.
>more