You could say that twice a year (that is during the first week of October and the first of March) the city of Paris turns up-side down!
The French just say "Uh, c'est la semaine de la mode...," as if that would justify the mess. It's true. Very famous designers, and others that are expecting to be, reveal their collection along 8 days full of runway shows. All the specialized press come here, with its Editors-in-Chief, their assistants, Photographers and staff. You have to add the models and their managers, make-up artists and coiffeurs, special guests such as singers and actresses and, last but not at all least, the BUYERS: those who chose among the collections what they'll take for the big department stores, boutiques and shops around the world, from Tokyo to Sidney, from East to West!
So this is why traffic becomes chaotic, there are parties and cocktails everywhere and everyone that has something to do with fashion comes to Paris.
And the place to be is the mythical Hotel Ritz.
The lucky ones get a room, others just come and go. The place to see and be seen is the Bar at the Ritz, where you get to have a table only if you know the right people!
As a fashionist and blogger, I lunched there everyday: it's much more fun that the runway shows themselves!
I had a table next to Yoko Ono and her son Julian Lennon (with a really pretty girlfriend) and also near Peter Dundas (Pucci's new designer) who was with Daphne Guinness (my serious fashionista-opponent... she was wearing Nina Ricci's heel-less shoes that look as if hanging in mid-air...!!). I also saw Lindsay Lohan, who's now some kind of style advisor to Ungaro. The Maison is trying to bring fresh air to a brand that's been decaying over the years... Mmm... I dont't think they'll get it if they keep showing models almost naked on the runway... Ungaro's new designer is an unknown Estrella Arch from Spain, but I'll be commenting more on the collections on another post.
Back to the Ritz.
Janet Jackson was also there and so were Grace Coddington and Anna Wintour. I couldn't actually tell if they were really there or if I was dreaming them after falling asleep over my issue of Vogue!
To get back to Planet Earth, I went to 17, Rue Scribe, near L‘Opera, to the opening of UNIQLO, a gigantic low-cost Japanese retail store, with other branches in cities such as London and NY.
In Paris, they got a 2100-mts-space and, much to my surprise, there was a three-block line to get inside!!
As I am a deeply curious person, I stood behind a group of Japanese and waited patiently for my turn. I didn't care much that my totally-Ritz-outfit (Prada Spring-Summer 2005 suit with Louboutin heels of painful 14 cm!) was caughting the attention of passers-by that kept laughing at us (some even took pictures!).
After a half-and-hour wait, I got inside the Uniqlo Temple, a three-floor-high space packed with clothes of the happiest colours, very very Gap.
At Uniqlo you can get cashmere sweaters for 49,90 euros, jeans for 9,90 euros and Jill Sander-specially-designed-coats for 120 euros... Tempting!
But the waiting lines at the cashier diminished my patience completely.
I went outside empty-handed.
A girl at the exit gave 100%-organic-cotton bags to all buyers (those carrying Uniqlo bags) and, of course, she totally ignored me.
I guess I better head back to the Ritz for tea...
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