Fashion Buzz in the Fashion Capital of the World💃

Salut !

Guess what? It's Paris Fashion Week again! Even though I'm obviously not invited to any of the shows, it's still just fun to think that I breathe the same Parisian air as all of the guests, models and crew that participate in the most important fashion event of the year. The brands are currently showing their ideas for next spring's and summer's trends, and I have to admit it's kind of strange to be starting to think already about warmer weather, as fall is only starting here – but that's the logic of the fashion business for you.😀

I'm so glad that I work in the 8th ’arrondissement’ in an area that's called "le Triangle d'or", so the "Triangle of Gold", where most of the major luxury fashion houses' headquarters and flagship stores are situated. In the hopes of catching a glimpse of the fashion week buzz, I walk the Avenue Montaigne on my commutes to and from work, and I try to look for some famous faces especially around the hotel Plaza Athénée where many of the stars are staying. So far I haven't seen anyone recognizable, but that's maybe also because I'm so uninformed about trendy people.😆 Most of all I'd like to see Nina Garcia again, even from afar like I did after the Chanel show in last January. And of course it would be fun to see Anna Wintour's perfectly cut bob again as well.

On Monday I went to see what was happening around Christian Dior's show that was organized in the beautiful Musée Rodin, so in the grounds of the palace called Hôtel de Biron. I saw basically only crowds of fashion victims there that were invading the whole street as the taxis and Parisians tried to go trough them. I wasn’t very impressed with Dior’s show when I watched the livestream afterwards, but then again I was impressed with the Saint Laurent show that I watched yesterday. The oversized suits were compelling and most of all very reminiscent of the designs of the good old days of Yves Saint Laurent himself.

I have to confess, though, that I often have a problem with watching fashion shows…I find them a bit boring sometimes. In the end, we are just watching people walk for 20-30 minutes. But of course if the show is well-executed and if the concepts of the outfits are strong and show-stopping (pun intended), it doesn’t feel as long. But of course it must be so different to be physically there in the show than to watch the livestream; you don’t get to feel the chemistry and the excitement that’s in the air before, during and after the shows.

But here’s a trick if you find fashion shows a bit boring too sometimes: don’t watch them live and put the video on 2x speed on Youtube, and you’ll see how fun it is to watch the models walk in double speed.🤪 They look like wobbling sticks! I say this as a joke, but it actually works and saves some time…🥸

On a final note, Balmain had quite interesting optical illusions in their looks, and today the Spanish brand Loewe had a similar idea of putting photograph-like elements in the garments, only with a more light-hearted vibe than in the Balmain outfits. I liked the classical music theme of Loewe’s show and especially their Mozart and Bach sweaters. Let’s not forget the cool aviator sunglasses some of the models wore and that Nina Garcia sat there in the front row, as well as Anna Wintour with Jeff Goldblum next to her. If you want to see some of the atmosphere before the Loewe show, it was nice that the livestream showed some of the guests arriving to the Vincennes Palace where the show took place. 

Have a fashionable week!

Bisous,

Elle

❣️Recent delights

• I’ve been following for a few months what the British ZOE Health Studies company is doing in the field of nutritional science. It’s quite an interesting field of research as we are getting more and more insights about how different foods affect us on a population level as well as on an individual level. This week they released an interesting interview on their podcast about chocolate. I just love chocolate, so if you do too, I suggest you check it out.😏 They interviewed Spencer Hyman from the company Cocoa runners, and I must say that their craft chocolate delivery service sounds very appealing. Let’s see if I’ll try it one day!🍫 Now I finally understand in what way manufacturing chocolate can be such a fine art similar to for example winemaking.
• Today I stumbled upon a good summary video of what is UPF, that is ultra-processed food. It’s now been a few months that I’ve known what it means and how harmful ultra-processed food is to our health, but hearing Tim Spector, the leading scientist at ZOE Health Studies, explain it once again, reminded me of the gravity of the matter.🍬
• I ordered a beautiful pair of cognac Chelsea boots with some brogue details in the toe and the heel, and I couldn't be happier to walk in them on the humid streets of Paris! They're from a Spanish brand called Pertini, and I got them at a fraction of their real price from Vinted, and in very good condition. All hail the second hand market!😁