Roopal’s Paris Journal – Day 2
Roopal Patel in a Tuleh dress, with a Celine bag...
6:00 am: Early wake-up call today. We have our seasonal Vogue breakfast at the Ritz with Anna Wintour and her talented team. First I edit the Givenchy and Celine shows. The new envelope shapes at Celine are a must.
...and Givenchy pumps.
7:55 am: Meet in the lobby to depart for the Vogue breakfast at The Ritz.
Vogue's invitation
8:15 am: Vogue breakfast at the Ritz with Anna Wintour, Virginia Smith, Hamish Bowles, Mark Holgate and Rickie De Sole and the entire Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman teams. We look forward to this every season. It has become a tradtion between Vogue and Neiman Marcus. It is always interesting for us to hear what the editors think of the season, which shows they loved, which designers they are supporting, and what new talent they have discovered. Anna Wintour and her team are also interested to hear about the customer and what she is reacting to in stores. So many exciting topics were discussed this morning! The conversation stays behind closed doors…
NM's Gabrielle de Papp, Ken Downing and Jonathan Joselove outside the Ritz
9:45 am: We head to Stella McCartney‘s show at the Paris Opera House. Salma Hayek arrives and creates a commotion. She looks stunning in red! I catch up with BG’s GMM Aja Passero and VP of Handbags Deborah Soss. The interiors of the opera house are opulent and grand with gilded and painted frescoes.
Inside the opera house for the Stella McCartney show
10:24 am: Stella McCartney. White tailored jackets with white perforated T-shirts layered underneath… one-shoulder black and white dress with white mesh insets.. sport and athletica continue here, which is no coincidence as Stella will be designing uniforms for the upcoming Olympic games. Lingerie inspirations are seen in an electric blue dress with lace insets and printed pajamas. The models wear oversized lunettes (sunglasses).
Stella McCartney, S/S 2012
10:49 pm: Heading to our Lanvin appointmen, we face too much traffic and too many stops to make in a short time, so we hop onto the Metro to Gare d’Austerlitz.
11:49 am: We finally arrive at Lanvin. The showroom is packed and the space is buzzing with activity.
Lanvin showroom
The clothing, shoes, and handbags are even more gorgeous in person! Snake motifs run through the clothes.
Lanvin, S/S 2012
We are crazy about the turqouise and orange exotic shoulder bags.The two-tone metallic minaudieres are like little gems.
Lanvin, S/S 2012
Over-the-top crystal eagle and cross necklaces inspired by Hell’s Angels are very glam… I am crazy about the crystal heel on Alber’s runway shoe! It’s just cool.
Lanvin, S/S 2012 Photo: Dan Lecca
NM's Ken Downing and Lanvin's Alber Elbaz
1:27 pm: Taxi back to the center of Paris.
2:05 pm: Meet Julee and Tom at Zoraide. We love the super sexy “Disco Diva” vibe of the collection.
Zoraide, S/S 2012
My hem comes undone on my dress. Leave it Julee Butler to fix it on the spot. Thank you Julee!
2:33 pm: Grab a quick salad in the hotel lobby.
3:35 pm: Aperlai at the Park Hyatt. Super cool shoes. Architectural and graphic. I love the use of color here.
Tom Lindsay, our talented shoe buyer, checking out the Aperlai shoes
4:00 pm: Walk to the Chloe show in the Tuileries. Run into the super fab Cushnie et Ochs girls who are showing their collection in Paris – they are such glamazons! Chloe shows colorblock chiffon leather pleated skirts. Plisse detail. Handheld mini bags, wide belts, envelope clutches with wide band handles, and color block slings in white, green, terra cotta, pinks, tans. Layers of color. Drop waist geranium chiffon dress over a blush T-shirt. A very happy and upbeat collection.
Chloe, S/S 2012
Chloe, S/S 2012
5:00 pm: Go to meet Lucy McCabe at Aurelie Bidermann. We are so excited to have this collection at Neiman Marcus, NM online and Bergdorf Goodman. Aurelie is one of the chicest and coolest girls in Paris. I have been a fan of her work for six years and now the collection is available stateside. Aurelie was inspired by Sante Fe to create turquoise and gold combinations in bold cuffs and necklaces. Her collection just arrived in Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills.
Aurelie Bidermann, S/S 2012
5:41 pm: Colette… A must-see in Paris for me always. It is one of my favorite stores.
5:49 pm: Taxi back to my hotel.
6 to 8:30 pm: Work on my trend report and return emails….do a quick change. It has been a long day and there is still one more show…YSL.
9:00 pm: The show is running late. Originally scheduled for 8:30….A demain!
