Chanel

This morning my siblings and I got all dressed up and went over to the Grand Palais for the Chanel show.  We didn't get to go in, but even outside, it's quite a scene!  People (yes, we were doing this too) just stand around and wait to be photographed.  It works surprisingly well.....
Caleb got a picture of Grace Coddington and Ursula and I had our pictures taken.
Have you ever been to a fashion show?  Have you ever stood outside one?  What was it like?

Oh, Monday...

It's been kind of a slow day today (my brother made us an incredible meal last night, and I'm still recovering), but here is my exciting news.
You guys know the website The Sartorialist, right?  Well, my father is on it!  In the background, but still...

He's the chap in jeans with lots of hair (I get the hair thing from him) to the right.  Cool, yes?  Or am I overreacting?

(Photo from the sartorialist.  That's kind of obvious)

Soooo

Today is the start of Fashion Week Fashion Nine Days in Paris!  I'm really excited - I've never really been in a city that has a fashion week/nine days before!  And yes, I know I can't get into anywhere or anything, but I think my darling brother and I might just show up outside the Chanel show.... you know, on the off chance that they have two extra seats or something, or just to see all the beautiful people doing their thing.
Yesterday Alexandra was here and we had an absolutely incredible time!  Thank you, Alex!!  See you in Budapest...
I also wanted to gauge interest in a new project I'm thinking of doing on the blog.  Would you guys be interested in reading about the different arrondissements of Paris?  Perhaps not absolute arrondissements, but little bits of neighbourhoods once a week?  I would maybe start next Tuesday, if you wanted to hear about it... what do you think?
Happy Tuesday!

The Golden Globes and other things

So, I didn't see the Golden Globes (I was watching Reilly, Ace of Spies with my family - more on that later) but I did see the dresses online, which is really what's important, right?  Also Ricky Gervais making a fool out of himself and everyone around him... anyways, here are my two favourite dresses:

Photo from here

The site I looked at described this as the "best reinforcement in the quality in our nation's youth, with the reminder of "Taylor Momsen, look at what you could have been."  I don't really know about that, but it makes me want to slick my hair back and smile all the time.  She looks lovely, no?

photo from here

And here is the ever-lovely Olivia Wilde in a dress that looks like the night sky.  As far as I can tell, no one liked in enough for her to be best-dressed or anything, but I think she looks lovely.  Do you know that fairytale about the girl who wants a dress that looks like the moon and a dress that looks like the sun?  This could be one of those dresses.... the dress that looks like the stars, perhaps.

Anyways, we didn't watch the ceremony.  We watched Reilly, Ace of Spies, the series that James Bond was based on.  My mother remembered it as dashing and exciting, but this time around Reilly didn't actually seem like that nice of a guy.  Kind of awful, actually.  Has anyone seen Reilly, Ace of Spies?  Did you do anything exciting over your long weekend?  Let me know!

When does something become art?

This may be frivolous and a little silly and also a way of procrastinating, but I've been wondering about something.  When does fashion stop being about frivolous pursuits in the way of clothing and become about art?  Is the fashion industry really a machine of capitalism or is it a machine that shows us new works of art from various artists?
My parents and I talk about this every so often.  I maintain that some collections (like Rodarte's Spring 2010 collection, the one that looked like the post-apocalyptic highlands meets Maori warriors) are art, but that the way that the fashion industry presents these works of art - you know, two weeks a year in far-off but beautiful and expensive places - is less than ideal.  Because then they're making art into a capitalist venture, somehow.
Maybe what I'm trying to say is that if your inspiration comes from some unknown place - let's go back to Rodarte's collection and say the Scottish highlands and the haka - and the way that you express that inspiration is through making garments, that's a good thing.  But art shouldn't really be an industry, I think. Maybe it makes it impersonal that way, or maybe I've just grown up in a culture where industry means dehumanization, but if fashion is art rather than a necessity or a way to make money, why are there fashion weeks and magazine advertisements?
Everything about the fashion industry confuses me.  Everything.  Except the Rodarte Spring 2010 collection, which was the first collection that I really fell in love with...
Have a picture:

Image from Rodarte's Spring 2010 Collection via projectrungay.blogspot.com