The colourful entrance of Prêt-à-Porter, Paris

This must be one of the most colourful "welcomes" the Porte de Versailles has ever prepared for us...

Next fashion show... in court

The above advert caught up with me at Charles de Gaules airport in Paris. It is cheekily titled "next fashion show... in court" but right below, it features the anything but cheeky message: buy and carry counterfreit and you could end up in prison, paying a fat 300,000.00 euros fine.

That's France for you, sport a "Chanelle" or "Cucci" bag and they'll defend the original brand's trademark in the most memorable way. The fact that France is taking loud action is great news for designers who are concerned with such issues and well, not so great news for... "Cucci" lovers around the globe!

*Speaking of ethics and rights, I am currently cooking a delicious post on online writing.

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-Another post on why counterfeit products are not on.

H&M party for Sonia Rykiel, the people

A show is all about the clothes & styling. However we all like checking out the hosts & guests, especially when talking about this lot:

Nathalie & Sonia Rykiel
Eva Herzigova
Micky Green
Elodie Bouchez
Sonia Rykiel & Jean Paul Gaultier
Kate Bosworth
Nadia Auermanm
Bai Ling
Emmanuelle Béart & Sonia Rykiel

H&M party for Sonia Rykiel, Grand Palais

The highly anticipated show presenting the fruits of the collaboration between Sonia Rykiel and H&M, took place last night at the Grand Palais, in Paris. A few words borrowed from the official release will put you in the picture and then... some pictures you'd really wish you were in;)

Held on the first night of December, the H&M party for Sonia Rykiel truly marked the start of the festive season. Embodying the essence of Paris as much as Sonia Rykiel herself, the glittering city inside the Grand Palais was like a sparkling and surreal theme park for adults. The collections were displayed on floats which emerged from a recreation of the Arc de Triomphe, with a Parisian funfair as backdrop.

Seated under a specially made Eiffel Tower, guests were given a preview of the Sonia Rykiel pour H&M lingerie collection, which debuts in around 1,500 H&M stores worldwide from December 5, as well as the knitwear collection for women and girls, which arrives in around 200 stores on February 20, 2010.

Looking good

Spotted in Paris.
They look like they've just walked out of the pages of a magazine. I find myself saying this way to often in that city...

Stylish at le metro

Some of the most stylish people on earth are waiting for "le metro" in Paris right now, drop-dead gorgeous or simply cool, holding a designer bag or the next addition to their green balcony.

Killing time

Flight was scheduled to leave from Orly Airport. However, Orly airport staff decided to go on strike so now I am told I'm flying from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Then flight is delayed, new time unknown. So there's time to kill. With a small shop, a cafe and an oldschool arcade area, Terminal 3 is not exactly entertaining.

*I spend Easyjet's 4.50 euros coupon on juice and water...
*Ah, good chance to write those postcards...
*I eat the Dalloyau macarons I was meant to be having for breakfast tomorrow (Hari, Chloe, I was thinking of you)...
*I read the airport mag - Karl in all his glory on the cover...
*I check out the arcade (I used to be so good at tetris)...
*I jump around and take pictures (impossible attempts to fly)...

tic...toc...tic...toc...

Four hours later we are finally boarding. My noon flight is now a night flight. Pictures from the plane leave the impression I'm flying over stardust. I'm almost home.

There is nothing like visiting the Louvre

All these centuries of civilization in one space. Breathtaking... As well as exhausting. Stairs up, stairs down and there I was, standing in front of Aphrodite of Milos, this Greek statue-eternal symbol of beauty with her perfect analogies, the detail of the slipping drapery and the sensual twist of the body, simply made the clock stop ticking for me. It comes naturally to apologise for my presence in the picture, standing there tired and looking sloppy. It was the only way to show this image to you. Same goes for the picture of me in front of the Veronese masterpiece and that of the larger than life Assyrian statues... If in Paris, don't miss the chance to visit the Louvre Museum.

Too much thinking or not enough

This is my new favourite knit. Sonia Rykiel, usual make-my-day colours and a 3D bow trapped inside the purls. 195 euros at Printemps, Paris. Am I being silly buying this now, at that price with "Sonia Rykiel for H&M" coming in stores in just a few weeks? Am I silly for buying this French brand, at that price when the tag reads "made in China"?

Spray your message here

Paris street art, stensils and guerilla advertising is all over the place, sometimes literally at your feet. Below, the photobooth outside Point Ephemere (think Bios by the river). Posters around it, figures guarding it on the wall and pictures of happy-drunk people as examples of what it's there for. Then, the new idea of a flyer sprayed on some Parisian pavement and a cheeky message right in the middle of a street in Montmartre.

Colette, where the wild things are

213 RUE SAINT-HONORÉ 75001 PARIS
That's always a top of the list address when visiting Paris. Colette, the notorious multi-concept boutique with the coolest selection of fashion & design objects and... the least photogenic windows in town (street reflections any way you see it). Right now: "Where the Wild Things Are" or "Maxi et les Maximonstres" are taking over the main window.

*inside, Rodarte girls are curating the gallery area with "findings from artists inspired by nostalgia".