VISUAL DIARY: J'ADORE PARIS...

J'adore Paris!!!

PFW: ATTENDING THE ELIE SAAB SPRING/SUMMER 2012 SHOW

Thanks to my amazing friend Ahmad I got an invite to the Elie Saab show at Paris Fashion Week last week. It was exciting attending my first show in Paris, being on the inside is definitely a different experience. Jardin de Tuileries is definitely the spot to take street style photos during PFW. 

Check out some of the snaps I got during the show.

One of the highlights of the show was seeing Karlie Kloss, I think she's one of the strongest models of our time and that was made certain with her beyond fierce walk down that runway...Stunner! The other highlight was going to the Elie Saab showroom on Champs to pick up my invite the day before the show and ending up talking to the man himself as he prepared the runway mood boards with his team. Such a nice guy and an absolute fashion genius.

LOOK OF THE DAY: STROLLING DOWN CHAMPS ELYSEES

Paris was incredible!!!! I'm now in super cold Germany and finally have time to sit down and blog all those photos I snapped last week. Had so many little random adventures around Paris and was lucky to have good company there, played tourist in my shorts and sneakers for a couple of days then jumped into  heels to go socialise with the fashion crowd at the Elie Saab show and enjoy dinner at  L'Avenue with Velvet Magazine's Ahmad Daabas, Savoir Flair's Haleh Nia and Masquerade Magazine's Sofia Guellaty. I even found time to sneak away to Moulin Rouge with The Fashion Network's Dora Peric. Oh Paris I do love you!

Dress: Paper Scissors, Faux fur vest: Zara, Bag: Louis Vuitton, Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Accessories: H&M and Vintage

I went out for breakfast with Dora and between then and the lunch I had with Ahmad I managed to sneak into the stores on Champs Elysees and buy a few things including these super cute Marc by Marc Jacobs mouse shoes which I'd been eyeing up in Dubai.

 These two kept me well entertained in Paris <3

PARIS FASHION WEEK: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN F/W '11

 Sarah Burton has definitely made Lee proud with her second collection since his tragic death. combining the infamous techniques and inspirations of the late McQueen with her amazing design skills.

Everything about this show was exquisite, from the armour of metal barrettes covering model's hair to the intricate detailing on the fabrics, the bondage like leather accessories, the shredded tulle on gowns and down to the stunning platform shoes. The collection was equal parts medieval romance and dark modernity, all brilliantly constructed with amazing workmanship. Opening the show with Freja Beha Erichsen wearing a white tweed coat with feather lining, lined with zippers and accessorised with insane lace-up leather boots, followed by pieces in hues of white, grey and black. Then onto a collection of gowns that were, as Hillary Alexander put it on twitter, "fit for a queen", with sexy bustiers, high collars and infinite amounts of tulle in poofy silhouettes.

Among many things, Burton enforced one message with this show.. McQueen lives on!

 

 

PARIS FASHION WEEK: DIOR DIOR DIOR...THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

*Cue loud dramatic music* Because this season's Dior show was nothing short of drama galore! The questions on everyone's mind of course being, will they acknowledge his work, will he take a bow at the end, will anyone take a bow at the end? It was almost inevitable that Sydney Tolendo, Dior's CEO, would give some sort of speech and so he did, and a long one at that, where he expressed the label's disapproval of Galliano's latest antics, while cleverly maintaining that he is "brilliant".

But what i didn't expect was to see an entire team of seamstresses and craftsmen take a bow at the end of the show.. And with that Dior proved why they've been in their position for 64 years and their PR were backstage giving themselves a pat on the back.

I've been holding back on posting anything relating to this issue, first because I thought it was stupid they suspended him without any evidence, but then the evidence surfaced and they did what they had to do. However a part of me feels obligated to write this, mostly because I can't help but wonder, did Christian Dior cut-off his niece, Francoise Dior, who was a supporter of the postwar Nazi cause and good friends with a prominent devoted neo-Nazi philosopher? I get that times have changed, but i can't help but feel some sort of pity for Galliano, after all it was HIS creations that were shown, it was his creative designs being used to pull this fashion house out of one of the decade's most talked about stories.

Allow me to stress I'm not pro-Galliano or some fanatic supporter of the "king", or in anyway pro the anti-Semitic remarks he made, but I for one am dedicating this post on Dior to him.. because as Toledano said, "What you are going to see now is the result of the extraordinary, creative, and marvelous efforts of these loyal, hardworking people" and one of them, although not on the runway, is undoubtedly Galliano.