The Paris Fashion Show
Paris Fashion News: This appears to be the new fashion trend in Paris — wearing your winter jacket off the shoulder!
I admit I am no fashion guru. I do love clothes but it has taken me all these years to figure out what looks good on me and what doesn’t. I am not sure I even have a style or what I would call it? Baby Boomer Wanna Be Chic?
Even so, I am intrigued by fashion the same way I like to watch a film or go to the theatre. I find it entertaining escapism and I don’t care if the plot is highly improbable or impractical.
Paris is (arguably if you are London, New York or Milan) the fashion capital of the world. And Paris Fashion Week (Semaine de la Mode de Paris) is mecca for the fashion elite who make a pilgrimage twice a year, spring/summer and autumn/winter, to see the top fashion houses like Dior, Chanel, Givenchy display their latest collections
While open to the public, tickets can be costly (up to $1500 USD) if you can even get them. So Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, the elegant Paris department store has stepped in to fill in the gap. The store offers a 30-minute “Ready-to-Wear” Fashion Show twice a week, on Fridays at 3 pm and Saturday at 1 pm. And it is lots of fun.
Spectators sit on benches in two long rows facing away from each other in the middle of the room, with a few folding chairs on the side, while the models strut current fashions up, back and around the room. Very informal and up close!
This is where I learned a few things. Current Parisian trends include the textured slouchy sweater, worn with fancy flowing skirts. Incongruent but striking.
Definitely not something most woman of a certain age would wear (not me anyway) and by the way, we made up most of the audience. Brightly coloured and patterned tights are also de rigueur and so are dazzling sneakers of all varieties!
But I was especially puzzled by the off-the-shoulder puffy coat which I also found displayed the same way in the store. Was this an artistic ploy to market both the jacket and the sweater underneath? Or are the Paris fashion influencers trying to induce a new trend? I could see myself doing this with my coat during a hot flash but…
so far, I have not seen anyone wearing a coat in this way on the street or elsewhere. Please let me know if you do.
Also check out my short VIDEO on my Facebook page of an outfit that I thought might be a nice for the holidays? (Not! Although I love the pink ear muffs.
Tickets: You can order tickets (approx. 14.00 USD/$18.50 CAD) for the Galeries Lafayette Fashion Show on at the Viator website:
https://ca.viator.com/tours/Paris/Fashion-Show-at-Galeries-Lafayette/d479-14906P3
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Diana Bishop the founder of The Success Story Program and A Woman of a Certain Age in Paris as well as a well-known correspondent with over 25 years working for CTV, CBC News, and NBC News. She loves travel, writing, and all things Parisienne.
Wow, I would have never have known about this fashion trend. I am very sure that it can be pulled off. Well, in Paris it looks like an adoring way to be coat friendly. In the 80s, the Toronto Suburbs, we would be adamant about wearing our winter coats, in the deep freeze of Canadian winters with an OFF THE SHOULDER Coat look. Walking around to school and back as a 7 or 8-year-old, with our zippers halfway down; off our one shoulder -sometimes two, depending on how cool we were. Two shoulders off the coat meant you would not want to mess with that person who would be then seen as the braving the cold leaders of the area. Showing us up that the cold does not bother them one little bit. I was only a fan of the one shoulder hung off the shoulder, this meant I am cool, but not one that will show up by wearing the two shoulder drape look if I did, one of the leaders would question me on this. Saying aren’t you cold??? LOLLL…I would say oh yes, just one shoulder draped ok, gotcha! haha. Though, everyone’s hands would be worn with no mitts because we were ahhh way better than cold and mittens. The hands’ would-be hidden way up in our coat sleeves, it would be so uncool to ever show your hands due to the raw frost bit we may have encountered. Our parents had no way to navigate us all away from this very 80s new wave look. It was much too cold out and we were much too young for the mesh, leather and lace, at least until the warmer weather. This was our fashion sense of rebellion from the deep freeze of Ontario, Canada. To embellish our identity in the 80s and the greyish clouds of winter up against all the neons of the world. I so loved reading this blog, it looks like a cute way to show fashionable clothing and a pretty coat at the same time. 😉 certainly loved reading about the weekly fashion shows Once again had a pause from the busy, giving me my time reading this blog. It is Parisdise. 🙂 Truly.
I am with you regarding the off shoulder parka does not work , not only in our climate as well as for my age group.
Love reading your blogs, and seeing Paris through your eyes and wo
Thanks for your comment Nair! I still think it was really serious this style. Just French fashion pulling our leg so to speak! Or arms!