PFW

So  Paris Fashion Week 2013 has just been and gone. Normally this kind of event would completely pass me by in a flurry of glamour and untouchable fabulousness, however I was lucky enough to be included in this spangly series of events. RJ is the man in the know and I can't thank him enough for being so generous with his invites, as they might say on the FROW, what a dahhhling.

First up was The Berlin Showroom in the 3rd arrondissement last Thursday evening. It was quite an intimate exhibition of up and coming designers from Germany and the collections on display all showed a real variety and different set of skills. designers included, Michael Sontag, Esther Perbandt and Agro Polis. The evening itself was utterly delightful, with guests sipping on wine out of miniature bottles whilst wafting through the rails of carefully put together garments.

Amongst the plethora of trendy people was a woman with green dip dye. she rocked it. 

Next up on the PFW agenda was the Nino Bollag show at Le Royal Monceau. the show itself was a pre-recorded catwalk set in a very grngy landscape with just two models strutting through the gravel in Nino's Autumn/Winter 2013/2014 collection. this video enabled photographers to get the best possible photos as well as providing close ups of the clothes themselves All in ll a very effective presentation in my view and something a bit different. always goes down nicely. 

Apologies for the mediocre photo quality. IPhones sometimes just don't cut the mustard. 

 The collection in the flesh. 

 Love a good glitzy chandelier especially when accompanied by a complimentary glass of Moet. 

Finally on Tuesday to round up the whirlwind of fantastic events I went along to Fatmia Lopes' show on Rue. St Dominique, handily situated just around the corner from uni! BT, RJ and FU all prioritised this show before work/lectures and it was well worth it. The difference between a live show and a pre-recorded show is staggering. There was a real feeling of adrenaline just before the lights came up and the catwalk was revealed. This show was definitely the highlight of my PFW experience and a highlight of my time in Paris. Thank you again to the wonderful RJ. 

 The brutal 'Pit' of photographers. 

 Again, apologies for the lack of high definition photography. I tried my best but there was just no stopping the models. 

 There was definitely a blue theme throughout this collection as well as hints of a cubism inspired pattern and clever tailoring.

Sunday Funday.

Yesterday was such a gloriously sumptuous day of sunshine. I don't want to speak to soon but I do believe that this could be the beginning of Spring and word on the street is that Paris looks pretty sweet this time of year.

After searching for some inspiration of what to do, not including the Paris half marathon that was also taking place yesterday, I stumbled across a street art tour around the Oberkampf, Parmentier area. Unfortunately the tour doesn't function on a Sunday, such is the case with most things in Paris, nonetheless we happily got lost through the back streets and meandered along the pavement in search of graffiti laden walls.

We also came across this gem of a vintage shop. Not too big or too small and it had such a great selection of denim jackets, coloured, fur lined, patch-worked, almost too many to chose from! BT brought a scarf for a mere  euros (see below).

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BT being the best hipster kid she knows how to be. Word. 

A day well spent was the general consensus. The combination of an almost-Spring day along with sightings of some zany wall murals seriously raised my mood to a whole new level

Killing Time.

As a not so studious student in Paris, I feel one has to master the technique of killing time. It's a required art form known only to those who have time to kill. At times it can be a very problematic issue however rest assured, like with most problems there is usually a solution and Paris is a city which caters very well for those with too much time on their hands.

For starters, I have a mere seven hours of lectures a week. A WEEK?! These structured hours are somewhat precious to me as they give me a small piece of regulated routine. The rest of the allotted hours in my week are completely at my disposal. Although this might seem like a wonderful prospect with uncountable lie ins, late nights, mindless wanderings, to me it poses rather a more daunting prospect. How to make my time worthwhile.

With this in mind, I decided to go shopping. In my imaginary world where I have ten grand to spend without keeling over and having an immaculate looking shop assistant put a hair out of place in order to help me to my feet again. I started by heading to Rue Etienne Marcel  in search of renowned hipster hangout Kiliwatch. There's a huge variety of clothing, accessories, shoes both men's and women's and the best feature of this store was the size. The place just seemed to go on and on and ON.

Although the prices weren't extortionate they were at the higher end of my spending bracket, however I would always recommend investing in vintage as it's one of a kind and you just can't beat that attic smell as if it's been in a loft for decades.

As I was out and about, killing time or k-ing t as I've come to call it. I walked to Opéra to get completely distracted in Galeries La Fayette. Oh what a marvellous place. The smell of expensive leather and sickly perfume that hits you as you heave open the heavy glass doors is pretty hedonistic to say the least. As with any of these department stores it all seems a bit of a stage show, however this does make them ideal places for a spot of k-ing t. I'd heard through the grape vine that

Topshop had come to Paris and the news excited me no end. However I was disappointed when I came across the pop-up store on the second floor at Galeries La Fayette. There was only a sample of clothes neatly placed on rails and a very un-intersted shop assistant gazing into space. All the same it was nice to be connected to the mother land for a brief moment.

Weekend Happenings.

Last weekend was a relatively quiet one, however it did include a triumphant victory against the Blues, a trip to Breakfast in America, an lazy Sunday afternoon on Rue de Cler and absolute bliss watching The Parent Trap with BT, 

Burgers and slaw> 

Un expresso et un chocolat chaud with Miss. Thomas 

Keeping In the loop.

Firstly I'm sorry for being off the blogging radar for a while. It's shameful really, I feel neglectful and I can only apologise. 

Secondly I'm back in Paris and have been for just under a week now. Despite the weather teasing everyone in the city with glimpses of glorious sunshine, we have sadly gone back to moody grey days with arctic climates. WHEN WILL THIS WINTER END?!?!

So on Thursday I went to a fashion event that blogger Frassy organised for Karen Millen. It was such a great evening with gorgeous clothes on the rails, a bottle throwing cocktail concocter and utterly lovely company. 

In other exciting news, I got post the other day from the goddess that is my mother, She even included some sweet treats to keep me sane during these freezing conditions. 

I promise to keep you more in the loop as of now. 

The sweet life.

Ok so I wouldn't call myself an expert in any way shape or form, however I am rather an avid fan of a pick and mix. Now I'm not one to be fussy but when it comes down to a rock solid milk bottle or a slightly stale tasting foamy shrimp, I have to draw the line.

For an ideal pick and mix you want just the right texture of sweet as well as a burst of flavour to satisfy those taste buds. Another element key to the pick and mix procedure is the right equipment, by this I mean your scooping instrument as well as the container that the sweets are kept. As a personal preference I'd choose a scoop every time rather than the tongs as they can sometimes puncture and damage your desired confectionary leaving them in a state of distress. This problem should be avoided especially when dealing with jelly babies or anything else with a face, it could be seen as cruel otherwise. As far as the container is concerned, you want something that's manageable to open with one hand, as the other will be indeed balancing a bag of already chosen sweets as well as the desired scooping equipment. The last thing you want is to be trying to flip a lid, ready to delve into a ball pit of strawberry bonbons only to have the issue of clumsily juggling between scoop, lid and bag. Not a pretty sight and believe me I've been there.

And finally, when you come to pay for your pastel coloured bag of sweetness, don't be too shocked, horrified, questioning about the price, I'm afraid it's a sacrifice pick and mix supporters have to pay, literally. We pay for the privildge to choose our own wonderful combinations of candy delights and personally it's totally worth it.

P.s. Remember it's always important to brush one's teeth after consuming the entirety of your pick and mix. Cavities aren't cool. Oh and don't forget to floss as apparently life expectancy can be improved by flossing. Who knew?!