Designers Just Say No

The Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, aka Viktor & Rolf, showed their line on Tuedsay afternoon and it was apparently a kind of catharsis for them. Frustrated by the relentless demands to create one collection after another with practically no time in between to recharge, but unwilling to run through the streets of Paris shouting "No!" at the top of their lungs, they decided to let loose a scream of protest in their show. Thus, the No! collection was born. Clothes were embroidered with the single word of rebellion and there were jackets that bore the word in giant three-dimensional blocks. Wouldn't a little kvetching over drinks with friends have done the trick?

(REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)

Wednesday evening I went to a terrific restaurant called Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo at 13 Blvd. de la Tour Maubourg. The owner is a sommelier who believes that wine is more important than food. So no food is listed on the menu. Not a crumb. Instead, there are simply lists of wines designated as appetizer wines, entree ones, cheese course wines and dessert wines. You choose a wine for each course. And then the kitchen presents you with the accompanying food. Nope, you have no idea what you're going to get. I suppose you could interrogate the waiter about which mystery entrees are on the day's menu and try to beat the system. But what's the fun in that?

(Judith White/Bloomberg News)

This could be torture for all those picky American eaters who don't eat meat or chicken or cheese or dairy or mushrooms or anything that has been cooked or anything other than raw fish. The waiter will ask if you have allergies or any particular dislikes. I owned up to despising mussels because I figured some sort of seafood was likely to turn up with the wine I'd chosen for my main course.

It was worth putting my palate in the hands of the house. The appetizer turned out to be a wonderful risotto with shrimp. The main course was dorade (also called sea bream) on a puddle of polenta and some sort of spectacular sauce. I will not discuss prices here. How unseemly. But it didn't make this modest scribe go bug-eyed. Still, I'm hoping that since I got a blog entry out of the meal that I'll get to expense it. After all, I only went out of dutiful research.

Animals, Take Cover!

(REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)

I cannot recall the last time I saw so much fur on a runway. The models in Jean Paul Gaultier's show Tuesday night were decked out in all sorts of animal pelts, faux pelts and pelts with the head and tail still attached. I couldn't decide if leaving the head on a stole is a form of brutal honesty or just plain creepy. In all truth, I generally like fur as long as it doesn't come from endangered species. But this was fur overload. Fur hats, fur coats, fur wraps, fur leggings. Are there any animals left in the forest?

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The show was so chock full of fur that security men had to crouch in the aisles to watch for protesters who might want to fling themselves onto the runway to howl in anger. I was just ready to howl over the monotony.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Animals, Take Cover!

(REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)

I cannot recall the last time I saw so much fur on a runway. The models in Jean Paul Gaultier's show Tuesday night were decked out in all sorts of animal pelts, faux pelts and pelts with the head and tail still attached. I couldn't decide if leaving the head on a stole is a form of brutal honesty or just plain creepy. In all truth, I generally like fur as long as it doesn't come from endangered species. But this was fur overload. Fur hats, fur coats, fur wraps, fur leggings. Are there any animals left in the forest?

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The show was so chock full of fur that security men had to crouch in the aisles to watch for protesters who might want to fling themselves onto the runway to howl in anger. I was just ready to howl over the monotony.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

YSL’s Opium Den

In between looking at the fishnet dresses at Maison Martin Margiela and the torn blazers at Yohji Yamamoto, I went to the cocktail party for the new Yves Saint Laurent boutique at 6 Place Saint Sulpice. The entrance was lined with a red carpet and was flanked by the usual group of YSL boys with slicked back hair who look as though they are waiting for their close-up.

Inside the new Yves Saint Laurent boutique (Robin Givhan)

The decor was inspired by the brand's Opium fragrance and so it is all thick lacquered cinnamon-colored walls with flourishes of black. But there are lots of windows. So there will be plenty of natural light during the day so everyone can get a good luck at the little black dresses with capsleeves adorned with metallic stars. Personally, I don't think the dresses look any better in the store than they did on the runway, but hey, that's just one woman's opinion.

I said my hellos to designer Stefano Pilati, who appears to be growing a faux hawk, or a faux, faux hawk. Whatever the plan for the hair, he looked dapper as always and I wished him good luck on the show, which will be on Thursday.

I wanted to capture the atmosphere at the party, which was tricky with my little camera, the crowds of people and the fact that I am not a photographer. Luckily, Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing came to the rescue and offered a bit of art direction. He didn't have much to work with, but he at least managed to prevent me from taking a photo of my own reflection in all the mirrors.

YSL’s Opium Den

In between looking at the fishnet dresses at Maison Martin Margiela and the torn blazers at Yohji Yamamoto, I went to the cocktail party for the new Yves Saint Laurent boutique at 6 Place Saint Sulpice. The entrance was lined with a red carpet and was flanked by the usual group of YSL boys with slicked back hair who look as though they are waiting for their close-up.

Inside the new Yves Saint Laurent boutique (Robin Givhan)

The decor was inspired by the brand's Opium fragrance and so it is all thick lacquered cinnamon-colored walls with flourishes of black. But there are lots of windows. So there will be plenty of natural light during the day so everyone can get a good luck at the little black dresses with capsleeves adorned with metallic stars. Personally, I don't think the dresses look any better in the store than they did on the runway, but hey, that's just one woman's opinion.

I said my hellos to designer Stefano Pilati, who appears to be growing a faux hawk, or a faux, faux hawk. Whatever the plan for the hair, he looked dapper as always and I wished him good luck on the show, which will be on Thursday.

I wanted to capture the atmosphere at the party, which was tricky with my little camera, the crowds of people and the fact that I am not a photographer. Luckily, Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing came to the rescue and offered a bit of art direction. He didn't have much to work with, but he at least managed to prevent me from taking a photo of my own reflection in all the mirrors.

Rose Petals and Baggage

I arrived in Paris on Saturday afternoon from Milan. I was in an ever so slightly grumpy mood because I had flown Air France. This meant that I had been forced to pay an inordinate penalty for overweight baggage because Air France believes it's reasonable to expect people sitting in coach to travel with a suitcase the size and weight of a breadbox. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could have bought my bag its own economy seat for what I had to pay. Maybe it would be more prudent to for the Post to let me fly business class. I'm just sayin'.

A floral print frock from Dries Van Noten

But thankfully,when I arrived the sun started shining and the Dries Van Noten store was open. I'd been hoarding my demoralized dollars so I could buy one of the floral print dresses from the designer's breathtaking spring collection. And yes, indeed, I walked out with a splendid little frock - as well as one of the zip-on cuff bracelets, which turned out not to cost the fortune I had expected. The floral print, fabric-covered shoes are gorgeous, but one false move on the street and those things are snagged and destroyed. I had to leave them in the store.

On Sunday, the weather was still glorious so I went for a run outside along Rue de l'Universite, crossed the river down by the Grand Palais and circled back to the left bank over by Notre Dame. The streets were fairly empty except for other runners and some bicyclists. It was a lovely way to tour a smidge of this gorgeous city.

An embossed leather coat by Rajesh Pratap Singh (Reuters)

My first show was by designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, who I had never heard of, but I am told is quite the big deal in India. His show space was the typical white box but the floor was covered in a thick layer of fuchsia rose petals and so the room smelled delicious. Because my wee little brain was thinking in a terribly cliched way, I was expecting the collection to be filled with color. In fact, it was a mostly black collection with floral embossed leather coats. I wasn't blown away, but it was interesting and it's always great to see something unexpected.

Later in the day, I went to the Peachoo & Krejberg show, where we all stood around in a courtyard on a weirdly balmy February evening and sipped champagne. I'm not sure exactly what the designers were waiting for. Maybe they were just waiting for the audience to get nicely liquored up. Anyway, we finally were summoned to sit and the collection, which I'd never seen before, was an eclectic mix of layers in black and gray, chiffon tunics decorated with yarn embroidery and coats with full, gathered hemlines.

On Monday, all the familiar names start showing...

Rose Petals and Baggage

I arrived in Paris on Saturday afternoon from Milan. I was in an ever so slightly grumpy mood because I had flown Air France. This meant that I had been forced to pay an inordinate penalty for overweight baggage because Air France believes it's reasonable to expect people sitting in coach to travel with a suitcase the size and weight of a breadbox. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could have bought my bag its own economy seat for what I had to pay. Maybe it would be more prudent to for the Post to let me fly business class. I'm just sayin'.

A floral print frock from Dries Van Noten

But thankfully,when I arrived the sun started shining and the Dries Van Noten store was open. I'd been hoarding my demoralized dollars so I could buy one of the floral print dresses from the designer's breathtaking spring collection. And yes, indeed, I walked out with a splendid little frock - as well as one of the zip-on cuff bracelets, which turned out not to cost the fortune I had expected. The floral print, fabric-covered shoes are gorgeous, but one false move on the street and those things are snagged and destroyed. I had to leave them in the store.

On Sunday, the weather was still glorious so I went for a run outside along Rue de l'Universite, crossed the river down by the Grand Palais and circled back to the left bank over by Notre Dame. The streets were fairly empty except for other runners and some bicyclists. It was a lovely way to tour a smidge of this gorgeous city.

An embossed leather coat by Rajesh Pratap Singh (Reuters)

My first show was by designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, who I had never heard of, but I am told is quite the big deal in India. His show space was the typical white box but the floor was covered in a thick layer of fuchsia rose petals and so the room smelled delicious. Because my wee little brain was thinking in a terribly cliched way, I was expecting the collection to be filled with color. In fact, it was a mostly black collection with floral embossed leather coats. I wasn't blown away, but it was interesting and it's always great to see something unexpected.

Later in the day, I went to the Peachoo & Krejberg show, where we all stood around in a courtyard on a weirdly balmy February evening and sipped champagne. I'm not sure exactly what the designers were waiting for. Maybe they were just waiting for the audience to get nicely liquored up. Anyway, we finally were summoned to sit and the collection, which I'd never seen before, was an eclectic mix of layers in black and gray, chiffon tunics decorated with yarn embroidery and coats with full, gathered hemlines.

On Monday, all the familiar names start showing...