PFW Day 3 - Valentino couture show

Day 3

Weather: Cold, windy with a slight drizzle
Mood: Initially apprehensive

Day 3 of Paris haute couture week and I arrived at Valentino cold as hell having been whipped in the wind and rain. Thank god Paris' rains only lasts for less than 30 minutes! When I got there, there were already a huge crowd of people standing outside the show area and thankfully it has stopped raining.

First person I shot - Hanneli!

I saw this skirt on Shini Park of Park&Cube before, still loving it here

The beautiful Olivia Palermo

My other fav editor next to ADR. I have to find out where she works.

Putting this up only bcos of Tommy Ton's expression in the background!

Lovely Anna

Giovanna Battaglia & her friend

I need her to teach me how she does her hair like that

Freja Beha Ecrissen

And that concludes my Paris haute couture street looks coverage.

They always say you have to experience it to know it and oh boy,what a ride it was. It was really adrenaline pumping when I see all those venerated famous fashion editors and icons that I read about and see so much on the internet. And then there was all those models post-show, the crazy photographers grappling and fighting for photos, the yells and shouts of "Mademoiselle s'il vous plait!"...it all adds together in the experience.

Yes, fashion is usually made exclusive and especially for haute couture shows, but then outside on the sidewalk, everyone can be photographed irregardless of whether you're famous or not. For day 2, I was wearing my winning leopard dress/leather skirt and black chiffon cape ensemble and I got photographed by around 5 people, one of which was Glamour online and the other was a French streetstyle site. For day 3, I got photographed twice, once by a Korean journalist and her photographer.

I feel that in fashion, people appreciate someone with good style and good taste. They would not discriminate as long as you have it. Even with all the big names looming such as Valentino, Chanel and Armani, Paris fashion shows outside (and I bet the other big 3 as well) is just as exciting. I've been told by my new friends living in Paris that sometimes they were allowed a standing space inside the show venue even when the space is packed, unlike Singapore's Audi Fashion Festival that only allows those in the guestlist to get in, despite sometimes half of the guests are just people of status and not even in the slightest stylish.

I can't promise that I'll be back soon again next year, but this was certainly an eye-opening experience and I'm sure I'll experience it again. (Shoutout to my girl Sofia from Morroco - thanks for making fashion week more fun! And you're so lucky Paris is only a few hours away by flight and to be able to come to fashion week so often!!)

Guess who?

PFW Day 2 - Givenchy haute couture

Me and Sofia

The people I've met and the friends I made during fashion week have all been pretty amazing thus far. I've met Giorgio from Athens, Greece, who studied fine art photography and photographs internationally for VIP parties and fashion weeks. His photos are all beautiful and romantic as he only shoots in black and white because "I see better in black and white, the details are all more visible." Sofia is from Morrocco and she is the sweetest girl ever to hang out with. The above photo is shot by pretty boy Giorgio using my camera when me and Sofia just sat down on the concrete next to the Ritz. Not a very glamorous thing to do, but we were so tired after shooting 1 day in the hot sun and walking all over Paris.

The beautiful Place Vendome

Just a asymmetric tank top & denim shorts - so chic

Hanneli & her Prada sandals - she carries off the midi skirt so well

Hanneli in action! She gives directions very well just to get that one good photo

Joan Smalls

I almost died seeing Daphne Guinness in real life.
And in those heelless shoes!

Franca Sozzani smiling for me and Sofia (:

I can't resist snapping Anna Dello Russo again that day when I saw her - that woman is just so irrestible. It's not just whatever she puts on, it's the way she carries herself when she's in front of people. She is just so full of life and vitality and you get the feeling that she dresses up genuinely instead of for the sake of being photographed, unlike some of the socialites and rich heiresses that I've seen for some of the other couture shows. And seeing Anna together with Tommy Ton is just so cute; there's really a bond between them and Tommy always captures Anna at her best.

Seeing Daphne Guinness and Grace Coddington were also the highlights of the day. I now understand what Daphne means when she said in the Nowness video [Daphne's Window] that she dresses to express a certain emotion or to protect herself against the evils in life, because I really do feel that her clothes and her frequent use of headdresses gives her more authority and presence that she would admit she has. On twitter she appears to be a very contemplative and fragile person, but in person, she gives off an untouchable air. Almost like the exact opposite of ADR.

I may never get to know these fashion icons and heavyweights personally in my lifetime, but seeing them in person is just enlightening because what the internet perceives them to be is usually only a part of them that you see only in front of the lenses. You don't see the way they carry themselves or the way they talk to other people. But in person, you get a better perspective and sometimes it tells you why they are so involved in fashion.

PFW Day 2 - Armani & Stephane Rolland couture

Day 2

Weather: Hot and sunny
Mood: Very excited

It's Day 2 of Paris haute couture week and I was really looking forward to the big ticket shows today. And I wasn't disappointed - I saw the venerable Anna Wintour, fashionably chic Olivia Palermo (dressed in Zara and still looking so expensive), my favourite model Liu Wen and the most friendly fashion editor, Anna Dello Russo. She is really very fun to photograph, and really nice to everyone.

After being in less than 2m away from Anna Wintour, I now understand why people say she's scary. She just exudes a sense of "I'm better than you, don't mess with me" air. It's the air of powerful women that are guarded and knows how to use their power. And now I also know why Anna Wintour keeps her severe bob cut after all these years --- her hair covers her entire profile so it's impossible to get a photo of her face at the side. This woman is incredible.

Also overheard post-Armani couture show from Mr Colin McDowell on Dior couture show the day before: "It's as if they're trying to erase our memory of John Galliano". Looks like Dior's first couture show without Galliano after 16 years was met with lots of rotten tomatoes and I understand why. From its geometric prints to its clashing colours and overall messy aesthetic, the show didn't show a collected cohesiveness or vision for Dior for its next 16 years. It didn't look elegant, and it most certainly didn't look like couture that women would want to wear for social parties. Couture should be understated in the sense that depends solely on dramatic traditional luxurious fabrics such as fur, feathers and leather; nor should it be cliche (eg long silk trains and swarths of chiffon and lace embriodery). I feel that couture should warrant a sense of desire in women, created to make them feel beautiful and otherworldly.

The Armani show had obvious Japanese influences from its wide obi belt to the sakura flower motifs on the dresses and accessories. Most of the dresses also maintained a pencil silhouette with strong peaked shoulders, which I must say looked interesting coming from Armani.

Swarm of photographers surrounding a celebrity post Armani

Anna Wintour & her bodyguards

The fabulous Anna Dello Russo in YSL



Colin McDowell on right

 

Fashion journalist from Austria living in Paris. Love her look!

Rei in her huge tulle skirt which she bought in Tokyo



Beautiful Anna Selenza



Bags of Armani Prive couture gowns brought outside. Very tempting to steal.

Stephane Rolland

Heyyy Mr Frank! :D

Olivia Palermo. Can you believe she's wearing Zara?

Love her bag and shoes that she designed herself.
Talked to her briefly - she's really nice.

Liu Wen, my darling <3

Model post show

My second day as a novice streetstyle photographer proved to be an eye-opening experience, and not in a good sense. I was roughly shoved aside by one guy when I tried to take photos of a model post-show. And then I was almost squashed by this swarm of photographers that were crowding around a celebrity who was trying to exit the Armani show. As the celebrity moved to her car, the swarm of photographers just surrounded her. It was like a swarm of ants surrounding a sugar cookie. Thank god for tall, handsome bodyguards outside Armani.

Mr Giorgio Armani was gracious enough to exit through the main door after his show and waved briefly to the crowd and stopped to pose for photos, but unfortunately he was chased after by photographers long after he descended the steps of Challiot Theatre where he staged his couture show.

I also made lots of new friends, many of which were photographers and fashion bloggers from all over the world as well who came to Paris simply for haute couture. Fashion unites people.