#087: Paris Fashion Week field notes
My first real go at it! My notes on the week, on dining, & on shopping.
*A note! The bulk of the travel guide (where I shopped, ate, etc) is behind the paywall. Above the paywall are my PFW notes and musings.
The last time I was in Paris was exactly one year ago during the SS25 show season. I booked it on a whim with a fellow creator friend for a jolt of much-needed inspiration and curiosity after some time of feeling confused about what direction I wanted my career to go in. I was in a largely different place than I am at now and so that season looked a lot different than this one. I am also no longer friends with that friend.
I didn’t really know what I was doing, mostly because I had not planned anything and hoped to just “figure it out!” I sort of did. But that first trip was vital in setting the tone for this second trip, a tone now rooted in self assuredness, pleasure, and not taking myself too seriously. I had so much fun this time around and I count this season as my first real season, the first of many to come.
It’s important to note the energy you put in to the work that you are doing. A simple shift in thinking about your career and aspirations can change a lot. Obviously, the extends to every other area of your life as well. I used to think there wasn’t a place for a creator like myself, a one man show, in Paris, the final city in the “Big Four” of fashion weeks and considered the old guard final boss of the industry. But there is, in fact, a beautiful ecosystem of fashion to be shared and delighted upon that isn’t confined to attending the most exclusive shows.
The culmination of my network building and genuine love for the world brought me to several shows, many showrooms, and new connections. I’m so grateful to the people behind the scenes making everything happen—my team, the PR wizards, the friends—for the industry and for creators like myself! How lucky am I to be able to travel to Paris to see and immerse myself in this beautiful world.
I was going to do a diary recap but the days have all blurred together and my mind is all over the map. Here are my field notes from my week in Paris, where the days go by faster than anywhere else I observe time going fast in! See my notes below, separated by fashion week notes, dining notes (I ate a lot better this time around!), and shopping notes. I just realized that this has basically become a very coveted city guide… Enjoy!
FASHION WEEK NOTES
In a season of this many designer debuts, to assign a superlative to “the best debut of the season” feels contrived, especially because I am not a fashion journalist or critic. But my goodness were these debuts a delight. Refreshing Vogue Runway after each show felt like partaking in some serious sports spectatorship.
I loved Pierpaolo taking Balenciaga back to its roots. I thought it was a glorious return to form and an homage to the essence of Balenciaga!!! As my dear friend (and most fashionable person I know) Rolly Robinson put it, “For once, Balenciaga does not look like Dick’s Sporting Goods.” I thought the Meghan Markle appearance made soooo much sense.
Jack & Lazaro bringing New York sensibility to Loewe’s playful Spanish flair was really cool to see. I’m curious to see how it’ll perform once the collection hits the stores but I’m already very invested in this new era’s Amazona bag, which came down the runway with one less handle and a slouchier look. Perfect for the hurried girl on the go, aka me!
Jonathan Anderson’s deeply conceptual and emotional Dior debut felt like history in the making. Those bags and shoes will be flying off the shelves. A much-needed revitalization for a house who's ready to wear collections have long-been the butt of industry jokes.
And of course Mathieu Blazy’s era-defining Chanel collection. He made it a mission to know Coco Chanel so intimately and communicate through the clothes the essence of who she was as a woman and designer. Say what you will about this “not looking like Chanel”, but Blazy understands how the modern woman wants to feel in her clothes and he made a big statement with this show. I just think the opening look said so much…
I texted my mother’s family friend whose husband was the president of Chanel Korea for over a decade (!) and who she, herself, is a longtime client. “Sarina, I am dying to know what you and Robert think of the new Chanel!” Her response? Maybe for the next issue ;)
When wandering about Paris and going from showroom to meeting to hangout to dinner, the girls keep is verrryyyy casual and I really appreciated how pared back they kept it. I tried to channel that on this one particularly busy day:
Haider Ackerman’s Tom Ford collection reminded me of why I love sensual, powerful clothing so much. To me, this show was a standout. I was very lucky to go to the re-see in the very venue the show took place in: an intimate lacquered black box housed in a former bank in Place Vendome, with tunes from the show—an acapella version of ‘Heroes’ by David Bowie—seductively echoing in the background. Those laser-cut leather trenches and leather bralettes under blazers, lingerie-inspired gowns, bold pops of lime green and orange and pool blue… It’s really powerful stuff and you should see the collection on the models yourself:
Polo Ralph Lauren showed their women’s spring/summer ‘26 collection in a gorgeous apartment in the swanky 8th arrondissement. I entered the space to see welcome cocktails waiting for me on a silver platter held by hunky waitstaff in crisp white Polo attire. Rooms filled with the sumptuous, colorful collection inspired by Ricky Lauren’s unfussy travels to Jamaica with Ralph behind them. I felt transported to a vacation, even though we were very apparently in a Parisian home. Karen Flora Brody, the creative director of Women’s Polo Ralph Lauren, also styled the collection and the presentation was truly a masterclass in how to have the most discerning taste and eye for style. I took a million photos and am putting what I learned to practice immediately! I’m honestly still processing it to this day… What I always appreciate about Ralph Lauren is their commitment to building a community of creatives who live and breathe the brand’s ethos, who wear the brand so well and contribute to the brand’s ever-distinct lexicon. I am honored to be a part of it.
Attending the Paloma Wool show felt like being in a fever dream in the best way possible. I was so happy to see Paloma’s niece, who frequently shows up on the brand’s IG in the most adorable way, open the show by running around the show space turning on all the spotlights one by one. The collection was Paloma Wool in every way: layers galore, sheer heaven, and that Spanish effortlessness that can’t be mimicked. ILIA Beauty did the makeup with Allie Smith.
I loved my makeup :) Done myself using ILIA Michael Rider’s Celine is very good!!! I love how you could tell he cut his teeth at Ralph Lauren but turned to French sensibility for his debut co-ed show in a park just outside of Paris. Yes, one does not go to Celine for the most groundbreaking fashion, but you go for the best quality this, best quality that. I appreciated just how approachable the styling was. A wardrobe for the modern women whose femininity comes out in the most subtle but remarkable ways. My one bag purchase in Paris this trip was Celine, more on that in my shopping notes.
Christopher Esber’s show proved that the designer is not just the go-to brand for vacation wear but for the pieces to feel like you’re on vacation, even if you’re going from the office to dinner out with friends. It’s that relaxed, sexy attitude that is in every one of his collections that make him so successful. I wore this electric blue dress of my dreams and I will never forget this show for being one of my first shows of Paris Fashion Week, for welcoming me and making me feel like I was really a part of a designer’s world for 30 minutes! Everyone from the models to the attendees to the PR girls to the photographers was HOT.
Said dress of my dreams… 
Akris is another fashion house that welcomed me in with open arms and it may not be a coincidence that I also wore electric blue to the show—this time in the form of a mulberry silk power suit. Akris does form so well. Like really, really well. There is sensuality in draping and fabric and proportions and these are all markers that define the Akris woman. She knows who she is and she doesn’t need the fanfare to prove it. And I loved how color really brought this collection to life.
I got to meet Maria McManus, a designer who I have long-admired as a shopper scouring the web for a discount on her signature poplin shirts. On the day I visited her showroom, she was wear a cream satin skirt with lace trim overgrew wool trousers and one of her signature shirts in a grey wool flannel with a tonal grey turtleneck underneath.
She presented her SS26 collection alongside a denim collaboration with American cult label AGOLDE—an effortless fusion of her refined sensibility and AGOLDE’s signature craftsmanship and commitment to sustainability. Sooo many delicious pieces from this collection, most notably her work with satin. Standouts include this double faced satin coat, a delicious ruby red deep V tank, and these basketball trousers that come in a shorts length, too.
Hermès proves that when a female creative director is designing for women… magical, beautiful, sexy, empowering clothes are the product. The culmination of skin, leather cut to new degrees, and a bohemian sensibility proved perfect in this collection. Also, the return of the So Kelly is the talk of the town.
DINING NOTES
Brasserie Lipp is the place to go to during fashion week and if you do not make reservations in advance, you will be turned away in person or over the phone. I made reservations well in advance knowing this from last time I was in Paris, and I was delighted to look at the menu and see just how traditionally French it is. There is no French onion soup on the menu. Pork knuckles and sausages are some of their most popular dishes. It is an unsexy menu in a sexy dining room and they don’t compromise! The room is always buzzing, the lighting is unmatched, and the service is very good. It’s also just excellent people watching, to be kind of at ground zero for fashion people off duty.
I was traveling in Italy for 8 days prior to arriving in Paris so my appetite for asian food was at an all-time high. I unfortunately skipped some meals due to being busy and then getting terribly sick for 48 hours… but I was pleased to make two new pho discoveries this trip: COM, open all-day to accommodate for irregular hours of eating lunch and Fraternité Vietnamienne, a true mom and pop shop with the most eccentric owner who will speak with you in French or Vietnamese even if you understand neither.
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