Last week, the witty, straight-forward expert on expat living and creator of Paris blog, Finding Noon, invited me and Mary Kay (of Out and About in Paris) to join her for Fashion's Night Out Paris. I nearly squealed with excitement after reading her email. Having gone several times in New York where it can get pretty chaotic, I had to see how the French celebrated this global party hosted by Vogue. As expected, it was more refined, the participating boutiques less crowded (read: immediate access to champagne), and the fashion choices by the guests more daring.
Since I've just been re-booked to work the showrooms for the upcoming Paris Fashion Week, this evening was the perfect warm-up for what's in store for me for the next few weeks; pure fashion pandemonium.
Now that I'm just a part-time fashion participator, I really savor each moment and absorb all the glitz and glamour that comes with these fashion events. Highlights of my Fashion's Night Out Paris edition included stalking the server passing hors d'oeuvres at Missoni, and patting him on the shoulder to thank him for once again making his rounds closer to me lead him to accuse me of wiping my greasy hands on him. Score. Or when I wanted to smuggle into the tightly red-roped Givenchy party, saw someone I had worked with in New York in the hopes he knew someone who could get us in and getting the eye roll. Rad. And my favorite, being face-to-face with the most perfect ass in French lingerie at La Perla reminding me to renew my expired gym membership because I could barely snap my skirt closed that evening. Trop cool!
All that good stuff aside, for me, the event that made the night truly special, la crème de la crème of FNO was the swinging fête hosted at Roger Vivier's boutique where it was if we had time-warped back to Paris, 1965.
If I had to choose one decade to revisit where fashion and music was fresh and fun, it would be the 60s. The evolution from the 50s to the 60s, where hemlines got shorter, music got a little louder, and dancing became more free, fascinates me. How can two periods be so close in time, yet so different in culture?
My inner-mod, and former American Dreams extra just fell for the rainbow of his signature buckled ballet flats and in my head, pieced together looks (complete with hair dos, contrasting colored tights, and handbags) for each color.
Well if this painting doesn't say it all...To add to the total 60's vibe, the legendary Bertrand Burgulat and his group A.S Concert played two sets in the spacious loft that looked out on to rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré where the fashion energy was just exploding out on to the street. BB being heavily influenced by iconic French pop stars France Gall and Bardot (the original BB), Burgalat is responsible for lending his breezy cool 60s vibe on his production work with Air, April March and his own recordings.
Me and Bertrand. How cute is he?Photo courtesy of Out and About in Paris. 
He's clearly interested and she can't be bothered. Love.
In fashion, you always have to look bored like Miss Pinky over here.
I was never able to pull off looking bored because I get way too excited about things like free champagne and dance music, and made these videos to share with you my love of little French men, pop and kitch moments in Paris. I swear sometimes this is one of the reasons I moved here.
Many thanks to Finding Noon and Mary-Kay for a much-needed girl's night out, getting me back into the fashion swing of things, and allowing me to catch up with you two saucy, sassy minxes!
This rentrée back is certainly shaping up to be the best one I've had yet...
...because we all know what was happening this time last year.
