DORÉ

The unceasing rain made for a Paris Fashion Week that was trying even for those with a car service – let alone the large mass that travel by foot. No, no one could escape the bulbous rain drops, so the vicious weather had to be embraced once more to continue on in our journey to support another city of designers – – and some of my personal favorites at that.

What I love about PFW is, despite the shows and appointments at opposite ends of the city that go well into the night, you always end up in a beautiful space. There is something inexplicably special about Paris for that reason, a certain brilliance that stands out no matter the weather. You could feel it in the collections too, filled with glittery footwear, flamboyant furs (both real and faux), and a surprisingly large number of collections whose main intention seemed to be wearability. Really! Even the esteemed designers of the fashion world, showed pieces that not only had you instantly falling for their sartorial desirability like the the fitted & sculpted leather jacket with crystal fourragere at Vuitton , but also because you could actually envision yourself wearing them (albeit despite the price tag, perhaps…) If there is one consistent theme in the type of clothes I love and the ones we pride ourselves on showing here on the site, it’s the characteristic of items that can be both an elegant uniform and be interesting without being too weird.

I don’t think I’m alone in saying the last day of PFW is most certainly the most fun. And not just because it FINALLY stopped raining for a few hours. I drank the Chanel space shuttle kool aid and enjoyed every ounce of it. It was THE coolest thing I saw. ICYMI – Chanel built what I imagine was a life size space shuttle that took off inside the Grand Palais with smoke and lights and dramatics et al. And no, it didn’t go through the roof – but close! But if that wasn’t enough to keep your Instastory observers happy – just hours later we entered a Miu Miu set only Jim Henson himself could have dreamed up – purple muppet fur everywhere and a De La Sol soundtrack that had even the most sophisticated persons dancing in their furry seats. This enviable parade of fashion shows didn’t stop there – I heard a rumor that Vuitton booked their space, something called The Louvre (have you heard of it? A museum I guess…) three years prior in anticipation of being able to play Frank Ocean’s “Pyramids” throughout the show and straight into the after party where smoke & champagne filled immensely fashionable Maxims.

All of that is to say – it wasn’t just the big shots who impressed at PFW. Although yes, not surprisingly Loewe was another favorite this season (see the incredible degrade – a technique of blending – in this case, multiple fabrics into one ) as was Isabel Marant who may see me shopping her collection of vaguely kinky leathers & cool suiting after a small hiatus while I opted for less ruffles & floral frocks. Designers on the rise like Masha Ma (all the way from Shanghai), Y-Projects (riding the same train as Vetements) and Jourden (straight-laced but cheeky) are among the collections I’m the most excited to share for their originality and freshness to the industry.

We started in New York and ended in Paris – and all along the way, I saw a multitude of impressive ideas brought to life – both on and off the catwalk. There is something to be said about the women (and men!) who attend shows for nearly 30 days and in equally as many ensembles – all singular in their sartorial execution, all embodying the air and the energy this time of the year brings.

Truth be told, no weather forecast could slow down the fashion elite – and if this season wasn’t a reminder of just that, I don’t know what was!