Fashion's Night Out...

Eiffel Tower and the Seine from Avenue Montaigne.

Dolce & Gabbana's private bar, and special "Dolce" drink in the gold bottles. 

A jazz band serenades the shoppers at Ralph Lauren.

View through the 3D glasses at Dior.

Massive crowds outside Louis Vuitton.

Eiffel Tower at 5 in the morning... It was that long of a night. 

Well, my first Fashion's Night Out will sure be in my mind for a long time. There is no better way to "shop" all the luxury boutiques on Avenue Montaigne than with some friends, and a constant flow of champagne and cocktails. Of course, every night has its highs and lows, and this one had plenty of each...

1) Dior: Massive speakers blasting an eclectic mix of house and rock music, turning the amazing store into a nightclub. All around waiters hand you glasses of champagne, and a plethora of delicious hors d'oeuvres. There was 3D screenings of the last Haute Couture show, and of course the clothes, oh the clothes (of the Dior and Dior Homme variety). Oh, and I spotted a guy in the Nina Ricci sickle heels. You know the ones...

2) Louis Vuitton: So, maybe you have to wait 30 minutes just to get in the door, but guess who was there to greet you inside... LEIGH LEZARK. I had to take a mental snapshot since Vuitton has a strict no camera policy, even though no other boutique cared last night. She was a lot more skinny in person than I ever imagined. 

3) Celine: Apparently Phoebe Philo (Creative Director) and Carine Roitfeld (Editor in Chief of Paris Vogue) were at the boutique styling looks, but I guess they were not there very long. Oh well, the clothes, shoes and bags more than made up for it. 6 inch boots covered inside and out with rabbit fur? Yes. Tote bag oozing in sheepskin? They had that too. 

4) Givenchy: Biggest let down of the night. I knew Riccardo Tisci has a devoted following, but his store was filled with them, and only them. Everyone was head to toe Givenchy F/W 2010, and by everyone I mean the 14 year old boys, and the 70 year old women. Getting to peek at the Haute Couture collection in person didn't make up for the depression of knowing I could never be in that crowed any time soon... unless I find myself a sugar mama, cuz I know my parents wont be supporting a Givenchy addiction any time soon. 

5) Chanel: Two simple words describe this event... Invitation Only. Only problem was it was not the same invitation that gets you into all the other events, it was a private invitation from Chanel. 

Tonight...

Vogue's Fashion's Night Out is tonight, so get out your fancy clothes and  get ready to party and shop (in my case, the window variety). 

Pictures and stories to come tomorrow. 

Apartment...

So the place is on the 5th floor with no elevator, small, and lacking a decent wall color, but it has some things going for it; good location in the 1st right by the Marais, and a great view (you can see le Centre Pompidou if you sick your head out the window, it is just down the street). Plus It is a few blocks from the river and the Louvre. 

I'm Back!

Well, I'm back to blogging, and back to Paris!

Currently, it is not all that glamourous in the city of lights though. As you can see my hotel room is very very very small and my luggage takes up almost all the space. Oh well, only two more days until I can move into my apartment and finally unpack all my stuff.

While the room may be small, the view (and the weather) are very nice. Ok, maybe the weather isn't so nice, it is only in the mid 60's. Cold compared to Minnesota, but warm according to my roommate from Sweden. Everyone is wearing their jackets, but I just have to face the cold since my jackets are all packed away still.

We also have a nice "balcony" if you can call it that. Basically just a big window that opens up to a railing. Very French. What must also be very French is the hotel cleaner who just walked into the room... and didn't leave. He tried talking to me,  "mais je ne comprends pas le français". Only saying that didn't matter to him. So he continued talking in French, confused by all my luggage. I said "Je suis américain, mais je suis un étudiant à Parsons". This was followed by lots of oui's, non's, and confused faces at each other. He finished cleaning, then left with a au revoir! Oh, the language barrier. 

Celebrity Perfume...

So, Jennifer Aniston just launched her new perfume at Harrods this week, and now WWD is reporting Katy Perry has her own scent in the making. The only thing I can think of is WHY?! Do we really want to smell like our favorite celebrities? What makes them qualified to do such a thing either? I mean seriously, at the most you are an actor or musician... or in Paris Hiltons case, just a socialite. Rumors were abound last week of Lady Gaga wanting to launch her own perfume as well. Luckily, they were not true. As much as I love Lady Gaga, we don't need another celebrity scent flooding the market. I'm sure if she did make one though it would certainly be unique and interesting, something that can't be said for a lot of other scents out there. 

Boring and unoriginal packaging, no? 

On a happy note, I finally got Wode Paint by Boudicca!

It comes in spray paint can and comes out bright blue! After a few minutes of questioning if it will come out of your fancy Helmut Lang poplin dress shirt, it disappears, slowly unveiling its mysterious layers. It is so rich and earthy, filled with notes of raw opium, tuberose, and juniper berry. It really is a gem in the fragrance world; one that is filling up quickly with cheap celebrity perfumes. 

Storms and Sunsets...

One of the things I love about living in the midwest is the amazing summer storms, and the sunsets that they leave. My back deck acts as an amazing vantage point for all that mother nature has to offer, and I know it will be missed when I move to Paris. As far as I know, tornados are not to common there, and the view from my apartment would not make for good viewing. 

Lan-fierce...

My favorite punk princess and fashion editor extraordinaire of Elle Magazine, Kate Lanphear, kills it in Eddie Borgo's F/W 2010 advertising campaign. Her signature platinum hair helps make her a stunning blank canvas to showcase Eddie's amazing jewelry. I have to say this is one of my favorite ads to see in quite some time. 

Images from Fashionologie