Our fourth day in Paris was spent interviewing designers and shooting a runway show for Planet Fashion TV, the fashion content distribution company we’ve supplied content to for several New York Fashion Weeks, and now, our first Paris Fashion Week. The access they have given us has truly been amazing!

Melissa had a morning interview with Gustavo Lins, a Brazilian born, Paris-based designer who started out as an architect but ended up working for some of the top design houses in the world. Gustavo Lins was a pattern-maker for labels such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Galliano.

The interview was held in the showroom and was casual and low-key, a nice way to start the week of creating our fashion week content. Few Americans have probably heard of this designer, as his designs are more commonly found throughout Europe and Japan. His strong masculine aesthetic draws from his first creative path as an architect and is clearly seen in his structured designs. His attention to detail was evident in the use of fur accents, leather trim, and stitching.

My assignment for the day was to cover the Guy Laroche collection. This show was in a tent not far from our apartment so off I went on foot to the venue. The backstage atmosphere was very calm. This was a very well-run and nicely produced production. The photographer’s area at the end of the runway was comfortable and a welcome change to the pushing a shoving that I am typically used to at fashion week in New York.

The designer for the collection, Marcel Marongiu took over as Artistic Director of the line in 2007. To give you a little history about this very well-known french designer. Marongiu has been designing the collection for four years and told me that it is important to keep the intregrity of the line in tact, however he does like to put a twist of his own personality on the pieces.

For the fall collection he chose a classic combination of gray, black and accents of red. Bold geometric patterened knits graced the runway. The styling was amazing…simple make up with very little, if any application…just a focus on the beautiful red lip. The hair look was simple and elegant and just flowed beautifully down the runway. I loved the pacing of the show with models coming out much closer together than in New York and the runway was the longest runways I have ever experienced.

Another great day in Paris and successful shoots for the team.

Day three began in Paris with preparations for covering our first fashion show and securing our invitations from designer Philippe Ferrandis for  the Paris Fashion Week Accessory show in the Tents.  Robin and I set out to pick up the tickets and schedule an interview with the jewelry designer for later in the week. Melissa had her turn at sleeping in and enjoyed a relaxing Parisian morning sitting by the lovely open window editing video and photos. I hope she enjoyed it because it probably won’t happen again the rest of the week!

Today we were scheduled to shoot our first real Paris Fashion Week fashion show and honestly, my nerves were getting the best of me so I didn’t eat much for breakfast (big mistake) and  I was pretty much running on fumes by the time I made it to the fashion show venue in the afternoon.  But, since a boulangerie is located on practically every corner in Paris, I easily found a chocolate croissant and a bit of coffee and then started feeling like me again!

I was on the streets of Paris, on my own, to attend the Aganovich fashion show. The location was Palais de Tokyo which was next to the Museum of Modern Art. The space for the fashion show was like walking into a construction zone and was expecting to be handed a hard hat any minute. Video presentations were displayed on various walls with avante garde music setting the mood. It was much more calm than the backstage chaos that is the norm at a New York Fashion Week runway show. Although that was my experience with the first runway show, it may not be so calm later in the week when we shoot YSL and Chanel.

The Aganovich collection was created by  design duo Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor and I got the perfect spot at the end of the runway in an international exchange with a nice Englishman. His spot for my chair. He thought I was sooo nice, but honestly I didn’t want his big head in my shot. Whatever works.

Aganovich Fall 2011 Collection

Melissa and Robin spent the afternoon exploring some of Robin’s favorite places. They walked to the Louvre and took pictures of the pyramind and Arc de Triomphe du Carroussel built by Napoleon and then explored the shops in the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall beneath the 14th century palace and museum. The highlight was getting free wifi in the Apple Store to check their email since we all opted out of the international data plans!

Next stop on Robin’s Tour de Paris was hot cocoa in the Hotel Du Louvre, which had the most beautiful and cozy bar – and free wifi by the way. The girls sipped their chocolat and whiled away the time watching wealthy Parisians enjoying their stay at the exclusive hotel.

Once they were back on the streets of Paris they found several lovely boutiques to explore on the way back to the apartment. One in particular caught their imagination and they asked permission to take photos. They were first denied – as all Parisian stores do not like you to take photographs – but Melissa whipped out the Fashionably Connected business card and dropped the “we’re filming Paris Fashion Week…” and the doors magically opened.

The Astier de Villatte ceramics are entirely handmade in Paris, France and is housed in this tiny shop that looks straight out of the 18th century. Made of black terracotta clay, the pieces are extremely durable yet surprisingly light to the touch. The tableware collection is inspired by 18th and 19th century designs and is glazed to create a milky white finish. Extremely beautiful and extremely pricey. They left without purchasing but do have the web address for online orders if they find they cannot live without these classic French designs after leaving Paris.

The day ended as it began… with a stop at the corner boulangerie for more yummy Parisian goodies.

Scenes from Melissa & Robin’s Day in Paris

Astier de Villatte Handmade Ceramics

Day two in Paris began in a rather relaxing way with Robin and I sipping our coffee and listening to music. It was so nice to wake up with the chiming of church bells ringing and hearing the french language spoken from Parisians on the sidewalk below our apartment. The windows were slightly open and the sheer drapes fluttered gently in the breeze and I had to remember this wasn’t a dream. What a delight!

Melissa arrived around noon and then I knew the fun would really begin! What a trooper she is…she was in Austin to visit her daughter and granddaughter then off to Colorado to visit her mother, then back to Austin, then back to Germany for two days and then to Paris for nine days with me and Robin. In six weeks she’s been on two continents, three countries, four U.S. states, and six cities but surprisingly still full of energy and excitement for our adventure in Paris.

Since we were starving it was off to our neighborhood bistro Le Castiglione to enjoy cappuccino and sandwiches. Robin and I enjoyed a lovely stacked club sandwich and Melissa’s salad was yummy!! Everything was presented so beautifully and my question is why does it taste better in Paris? …. answer…because you’re in Paris, silly!!

We set off to shoot our first video on the streets of Paris and who knew where our journey would take us. I know that when we’re with Robin Campbell the fashion gods are watching over us and will always lead us to just the right place at the right time. Our neighborhood, is in the 1st Androssiment, just two blocks from the Louvre, and in the center of most of the Paris Fashion Week venues. So it’s filled with high-end boutiques and international brands such as Chanel and Hermes. Robin took us to the jewelry store of Philippe Ferrandis, a designer she carried in her former retail store, Cupidz Clozet, whose bold, vintage inspired designs are worn by celebrities and fashion icons. While I was just filming the window displays, Robin and Melissa made their way into the store and chatted up the manager which lead to filming inside the boutique and voila! The manager worked his magic and arranged for us to get tickets to the HUGE Paris Fashion Week Accessory Show in the tents! And… we also have an interview WITH the designer at his NEW Paris showroom on Friday. Yep, thanks fashion gods – we knew you wouldn’t let us down!

Philippe Ferrandis – Paris Jewelry Designer

Next on the agenda was a visit to show Melissa the windows at Chanel. Her camera was clicking away at nearly every boutique window along the way and then when she saw the iconic Chanel logo on the sign outside the store, she excitedly began clicking away! Then Robin said we have to go in…why of course!!! Since the Chanel trip was something to remember, you will have to check our Chanel post coming up tomorrow – we have photos, video and surprises for you!

More window shopping ensued, with a trip to Hermès to try on the most beautiful, one-of-a-kind scarves. Robin inquired about a very hard-to-find handbag called the Birkin. Aside from the “Kelly” it is one of the most popular bags that Hermes makes. And don’t think you just pick up one and walk out of the store. Since these bags are entirely made by one person from start to finish, they are very coveted and hard to acquire. There were none in stock of course, but we were able to view a sample. In order to buy one you must come into the Hermes store and order one in person – no orders over the phone. Then you will get one in about a year. If you order from the U.S., the waiting time is closer to two years. These bags are a little hard to come by. Oh, and they cost about $5,000. On Ebay, they can run $7,000 – $12,000 for resale!

A famished fashionable trio needed a break so it was back to the Hotel du Crillion for drinks and where we were met by our favorite waiter Kevin. After some lovely conversation and drinks we headed back to the apartment. We enjoyed an eventful evening dealing with some technical difficulties with the internet, but with three smart girls in the room, we managed to find some creative solutions to keep Paris Fashion Week content rolling out to you. We have an exciting first day of coverage at Paris Fashion Week planned for today, we’ll be shooting the Abanovich show and attending the accessory show. Should be fun and we will keep you updated on our fashion journey each day!