Welcome to Paris! Welcome to the biggest, craziest, most creative of all Fashion Weeks! All butcher's stores have been turned into clothing stores! Celebrities are arriving! All the pretty bloggers. The sky is not the limit !
Paris during fashion week earns 800 million euros. It is the capitol of fashion! How many Guccis, LVs , Chanels, The Kooples and Zaras are there in one city. But no worries, there is one bakery and one coffee shop somewhere here that charges you 20 euro per cup.
Tight security outside Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Elie Saab, etc. Those with invitations pass through, others fighting the cold temperatures for a chance to get in or simply spot someone famous. Invitations can be purchased by some, we prefer to earn it.
Every luxury hotel in Paris welcomes a celebrity guest during Paris fashion week and Paris fans get extremely excited when they spot one. They can knock you out, so watch out. Exhibit 1 (Chris Brown exiting hotel) .
Not afraid of traffic, street style photographers crawl the grounds, push, chase their pray to snap that one perfect photo. Bloggers, celebrities, arriving styled and ready to be profiled. The key is to stand out from the crowd. But if you don't know how to do it, do some research. Note to some folks, don't overdo it and look like a fashion victim instead, although that, too, can make your photo appear on the pages of the magazines.
Bloggers these days prefer to be called web- influencers. They assume their status is fans whereas traditional editors never. Yes, they do get free clothing for gifts, sometimes they sign contracts, like the Italian born, Chiarra Ferragni and create their own fashion line.
These new young women packed in designer clothing are the pray for street style photographers.
Founder JOLIEGAZETTE, Juliet Belkin in a dress by Anna K
The queen of it all is undoubtedly Anna Dello Russo. She is the editor-at-large and creative consultant for Vogue Japan. Dello Russo was born in Bari, and currently resides in Milan. She is self-described as a "passionate fashionista" and has been described by Helmut Newton as a "fashion maniac". Dello Russo is often featured in popular street style photographer blogs like The Sartorialist and Tommy Ton.
In case you did not know, she never wears same outfit twice. After all these years in fashion, Anna remains a favorite of all photographers. Like that Yohji Yamamoto coat Anna was photographed. She was photographed in it more than it was photographed for Yohji.
Anna's motto: "If you feel down, change outfits"
"When my ex-husband was moving in, he asked where do I put my clothes? I said, "No room at all." So he left.
So there! Wonder what she choose for her divorce outfit?
Indescribable chaos all around as we approach the entrance. Behind the stage it's dark just as the show is about to start. The bleachers are either in U, L, W, X or A shapes. Models have to watch out for collisions indeed. Cameras everywhere. At H&Mcameras were aimed at filming celebrity guests. For many other designers overhead cameras are a thing.
Collections are first and foremost the shows. Designers go out of their way to impress. There is singing at DSquared, worker's march at Anya Hindmarch, restaurant or produce store at Chanel, the funeral position at Thome Brown, library at Sonia Rykiel or this year's futuristic scene at Louis Vuitton and great hall in an unused ballroom of a home for Miu Miu. The setting is the first thing you notice as you enter the show and it creates an atmosphere. These days the top models everyone waits to see are Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. And famous "momager' Kris Jenner is always to spot on the first row of every show her daughter walks.
Some shows are a real trip, like that of Rick Owens. Remember penises on the runway? Some serious peekaboo there. What about women in gold masks as if out of space, very abstract, foggy, weird?
As for whether human accessories will become a trend according to Rick Owens we don't know, but we're staying tuned.
Rick Owens believes beauty is everywhere. Ok... for the moment your mind is suddenly bizarre. You get the urge to lick the rails, touch the doors along streets of Paris.
What is this object?? OMG! It's a cat! I love cats! Meow!
Beauty is everywhere (hmm, ok).
The new collection everyone is wearing and talking about is Vetements by Demna Gvasalia. His last show at club "The Depot" in Paris, where some go to 7th heaven, gathered a fashion crown. Oversized sleeves, re-cut dislocated clothes, overweight, sweater with a hole in the back, just wild!
Your attitude is while wearing Vetements, "What's your name again? Who cares, I'll just call you a thing".
This season noone knew what to expect from Karl Lagerfeld. His produce store, restaurant and airport themes for Chanel were quiet a hit in the past. This season Karl went back to basics. Starting from the invitations with a simple drawing of a chair and a sign, "Front Row Only". Because some folks complained that it was hard to see the look, the fabric, the details from the back, Karl made everyone happy. Grand Palais was filled with single rows of plastic gold chairs that snaked around the brightly lit room. Karl went for an atelier look.
The iconic Chanel tweed suit in its signature midi-length, paired with boater hats with chin straps and turn-under brims, and matching knee-high boots. Heels were low ladies, lot of strands of pearls and gold chains. The collection was both classy and fabulous just like the lady you must be. Surprising fact as Karl Lagerfeld announced Willow Smith as Chanel's ambassador. Your thoughts?
Text: JULIET BELKIN