The second part of Paris Fashion Week was even busier for me than the first, racing between fashion shows, and joining up with my daughters whenever possible, and visiting two of the showrooms where buyers place orders. The week seemed to gain momentum as it sped along, with hordes of editors, journalists and buyers flying in, parties every night, and some beautiful runway shows to see. I enjoyed them all. The whole event ends today as I write this, and all I heard for the past two days was how exhausted everyone was. Going to fashion shows all day, racing from one location to another, placing orders or writing articles, and partying at night until the wee hours is fun, but tiring and ‘hard-work’. I was just an observer, not working, so I can’t complain, but after more than a week of going to shows and events, I’m tired too, my ears feel like they’re about to fall off from wearing tight earrings, and my feet are aching from trotting everywhere in high heels. I was ecstatic to put on jeans and flats after the last show. » read more »
Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category
Paris Fashion Week, Part 1
Posted on March 4, 2013
Hi Everyone,
It’s that crazy time of year again, which happens twice a year (In Sept/Oct and Feb/March): Ready to Wear Fashion Week, which is a misnomer right there, since it’s really Fashion Month, not Fashion Week, and is actually one week in each of four cities: New York, London, Milan, Paris. And store buyers and fashion editors and journalists race through a week of intense fashion shows in each city, then fly onto the next one, and by the end of 4 weeks, everyone looks frazzled and is exhausted. It is an intense event in the fashion world. The clothes being shown each season are for 6 months later (so what I am seeing on the runways now will be sold in stores in September for the fall and winter. » read more »
Filed Under Family, Fashion, Paris | 7 Comments
Winter Daze
Posted on February 18, 2013
Hi Everyone,
As I’ve mentioned to you before, winter is heavy writing time for me. I work on outlines for new books, write a new book, and read research for books I’m working on for the future, and do a LOT of editing, as always. As I write this, I am waiting for a manuscript to arrive, with comments from my editor, which I was going to work on today, and it’s stuck in a blizzard somewhere in the East. (Which gives me a day off today, which is rare for me this time of year!!!) It’s a good time of year to write, it’s cold everywhere I live, the weather is usually lousy, snowy, rainy, cold, and I’m happy staying indoors to work, with the occasional break, having dinner with one of my kids, in whichever city I’m in. We celebrated my youngest son’s birthday last week, which was fun, and I’m enjoying spending time with whichever one is available and willing to share a meal with me, and the rest of the time I work. » read more »
Filed Under Fashion, Kids, Writing | 14 Comments
Winter Fashion Shows / January in Paris
Posted on January 28, 2013
Hi Everyone,
It’s that time of year again, the depths of winter in Paris, gray and snowy. And as I write this, it has snowed for the past 3 days, and although snow is a nuisance in any city, it is beautiful here, and I love it. And it has been VERY cold!!!
As I’ve written to you before in previous years, in January, there are the Haute Couture fashion shows. In years past, Haute Couture was a VERY big deal, the shows lasted for a week, there were many “Haute Couture” houses, and there were four or five shows a day to show the creations of the various houses. It was a flurry of fun activity running from one show to the next, with movie stars and presidential wives present, well known women on the best dressed list, and a glittering crowd with invitations to see the show. (Even now, you can only go by invitation). What distinguishes Haute Couture from other kinds of fashion is that every single item is handmade. EVERY stitch » read more »
Filed Under Fashion, Paris | 6 Comments
Playing Catch Up
Posted on October 8, 2012
Hi Everyone, I’ve been busy writing, and catching up on work. It’s a sharp contrast to my Paris life where I work, but I play too. When I get back to California, it’s nose to the grindstone time!! But I wanted to check in with you.
I had some legal things to take care of when I got home, which is never fun. I went to the dentist, not highly amusing, but only a cleaning. I go to the dentist, (with terror), always prepared to hear that my head is falling off—-you mean you didn’t know? It’s silly of me, because I have an incredibly nice/good dentist, who has a wonderful hygienist, but I get nervous anyway. I guess most people do. (My late husband John was one of those people who made 5 hour dentist appointments, just to get it all out of the way at once (I would rather go 10 times for half an hour!!). I went to pick him up once after some rugged dental surgery, he was fine, and I passed out cold in the elevator just thinking about what they’d done to him. But anyway, I got my teeth cleaning out of the way when I got back. » read more »
Filed Under Family, Fashion, Paris, Writing | 4 Comments
Chanel Haute Couture
Posted on July 23, 2012
Hi Everyone,
To keep you abreast of Haute Couture fashion events in Paris, no report on the subject would be complete without telling you about Chanel, which is the leader of the pack in fashion. Designed by the remarkable and legendary Karl Lagerfeld, he is tireless in his energy, innovations, and extraordinary designing skill. (He designs at least four or five ready to wear collections a year for Chanel, two Haute Couture collections, and also designs for Fendi, and his own label, and a sideline and huge talent in photography too.) It makes the head spin to think of all he does, and to see him in all his strength and glory at 80. He is TRULY an icon, and deservedly so. » read more »
Filed Under Current Events, Fashion, Paris | 3 Comments
Christian Dior Haute Couture Fashion Show: Report from Paris
Posted on July 16, 2012
Hi everyone,
For a number of years now I only go to one Haute Couture show per season (they show the Haute Couture clothes twice a year, in January for the following summer, and in July for the following winter). After years and years of going to many shows, now that most of the big couture houses have closed, I only go to Chanel. Dior used to be one of my favorites, but although I immensely admire John Galliano’s talent, I’ve never been a big fan of his clothes, and as he’s been the designer for Dior for many years, I stopped going to their shows. Due to a series of unfortunate events, a year or two ago, Mr. Galliano » read more »
Filed Under Current Events, Fashion, Paris | 4 Comments
Shoes!!!
Posted on March 26, 2012
With apologies to my male readers, this is admittedly a girly subject. Although some men like shoes too.
A few years ago, a disgruntled shoe designer (whose shoes my daughters and I don’t often buy any more, new designers emerge, and fashion moves on), anyway he announced in an interview, in a fit of pique, I assume—that I have 6,000 pairs of his shoes. His comment hit the internet, and I haven’t heard the end of it since. I wish people talked as much about my books, as about the story of those 6,000 pairs of shoes. It continues to surface, and at every dinner party I go to, someone leans over and says in hushed tones “Do you really have 6,000 pairs of shoes?”. No, I don’t, of his shoes, nor any other designer’s. And the originator of that comment wrote me a very nice apology many months later, but the deed was done. So now I will be talked about forever as the woman with 6,000 pairs of shoes. But having said that, yes, I do love shoes!!! (Not 6,000 pairs of them, but a lot). » read more »
Filed Under Fashion | 5 Comments
Paris Fashion Week…..More
Posted on March 12, 2012
As I write this, Paris fashion week is just winding to a close, after a frenzied week of fashion shows all day long, and people in fashion from all over the world in Paris to see the shows. I have to admit, I picked the cream of the crop, and peeked at the other shows online. There were some beautiful clothes shown in Paris in the last week. One of my favorites, Celine, didn’t have a show, just a presentation, so I looked at that one online. » read more »
Filed Under Fashion, Paris | 7 Comments
Paris Fashion Week…Again
Posted on March 5, 2012
Hi, Everyone!!
It’s that time of year again!!! (Ready to Wear) Fashion Week in Paris. As I’ve told you before, the Haute Couture shows used to be the Big Event in French fashion, with presidents’ wives, major movie stars, and famous socialites at every show, making it a really big deal. Now with most of the big Couture designers gone, the only two big Haute Couture shows left are Dior and Chanel. Givenchy does Haute Couture and no longer does a fashion show, although they make beautiful clothes. But nowadays, there are few familiar faces at those shows although I saw Cameron Diaz at the recent Chanel Haute Couture show, and she looked absolutely gorgeous, just as pretty as in the movies!! » read more »
Filed Under Fashion, Paris | 3 Comments