Sahar Nooraei here and reporting for duty. I’m in Paris to ogle and obsess over fashion’s magnum opus: Haute Couture.
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July 3rd/4th
6:05PM: Takeoff from Toronto.
I’m feeling a tad overdressed in my Courrèges and Issey Miyake, but I’m not sorry. I’m going to Paris, after all.
8:30AM: Bonjour, Paris!
10:00AM: Check-in at Hôtel Scribe Paris Opera by Sofitel.
After a casual run-in with The Kills’ Saint Laurent-clad Jamie Hince (and by casual I mean I saw the back of his head), I arrive in my suite where a stack full of invites await me. As I open the envelopes, I start to get extremely excited for the week ahead. Chanel’s invites are always so thoughtfully designed and illustrated… I might even have to frame this one!
11:00AM: Schiaparelli.
I approach the bold pink entrance (which was later echoed in the collection) to a swarm of photographers clamouring over Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer and Downton Abbey’s Laura Carmichael. While the masses swoon over the stars, I fan-girl for supermodel and Schiaparelli ambassador Farida Khelfa and as well Haute Couture staple, actress Rossy de Palma —her face and swagger are so incredibly epic, you really have to see her in person!
Once inside, I take my seat and eagerly wait to see my first ever Haute Couture show. I have major goosebumps as a sharp-shouldered model emerges from an unassuming corner to open the show, and internally shout “This is happening!”
My favourite piece from the collection was the second-to-last look: a statuesque gold number with a gorgeous back detail. I often think about how the back of a gown (or any outfit for that matter) gets less attention than the front. This one certainly caught my attention.
Also a delight were the amazing range of embellished drop-waist, a-line gowns. They were so deliciously feminine, and the way they moved and bounced brought the biggest smile to my face.
An interesting fact, this collection marks Bertrand Guyon’s one-year anniversary at the legendary French house. For this collection, he drew inspiration from Schiaparelli’s famous Circus collection that debuted in the summer of 1938.
1:00PM: Closing time.
I wander back to my hotel, absorbing as much of Paris as possible. Exhausted, I spend the rest of the day catching up on emails, munching on frites, and struggling to stay awake. By 6 o’clock I succumb to the jet lag, and just like that my first day of couture week was over.