Hello hello! Before we delve into Paris Fashion Week field notes, I have to address the fact that September’s issue of How to Be Devastatingly Hot and Cool simply… never arrived. I could pretend this was intentional, but September did what September tends to do: swallowed me whole and left me feeling like a shell of a human. I got ill, quite literally. Fashion week, countless events and dinners, deadlines, and the whiplash of returning to real life after a tail-end-of-summer vacation. By the time I came up for air, it was October.
Is it devastatingly hot and cool to miss your own deadline? Not really.. But I also think there’s something decidedly not DHC about torturing yourself over an arbitrary deadline when life gets in the way. Sometimes you drop the ball and you move on. We’re in Paris and I’m holding myself accountable to daily newsletters while I’m here, even if some days are way busier and noteworthy than others.
There’s been a lot of buzz about the “new Sézane” and it feels timely to talk about it while in the birthplace of the beloved brand. This new era feels like something more significant than just a rebrand. It ushers in a new logo, a redesigned digital experience, a reimagined store experience, and a collection that feels like a more refined, grown-up expression of the French brand we’ve always known and loved for its effortless Parisian style.
The codes are still there—romance, femininity, that distinctly French ease—but everything feels a little sharper, more considered, and more confident. That evolution comes through in more dramatic silhouettes (the detachable scarf/cape on my trench is a prime example), elevated fabrications like pure wool, cashmere, and leather, and a greater emphasis on handbags—arguably one of Sézane’s strongest categories. This perfect bucket bag has quickly become my most-worn bag this fall.
It almost feels like this new era translates more naturally to the US market, and to New York in particular, where cool girls from the Upper East Side to Tribeca can play around with sturdy trench coats, oversized proportions, and creamy neutrals.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
8 am—I arrived from New York and made my way to my hotel in the 6th. I’ve learned from my first season to steer clear of the Marais, which, while is one of my favorite places in Paris, is just too far from the action of fashion week. Staying more central and closer to the river is right move.
10 am—Naturally, my hotel room wasn’t ready so I walked and got a breakfast—baguette, croissant, fresh OJ, and coffee—and journaled. Mainly about how grateful I am to be here and to remind myself how far I’ve come since 2 years ago when I first tried out Paris Fashion Week. While it’s never easy and can be mentally taxing to deal with rejection and comparison, it remains an enormous privilege to be here at all. Ask anyone you encounter during this week, and chances are that they are also dealing with the exact same feelings as you are. A gentle reminder that we are all finding our place and working hard.
11am—I found a coiffeur to get a blow out to feel a little bit more human again. I walked around my neighborhood until I felt like my room would probably be ready again.
2pm—Lacoste fitting. The Lacoste show is always a grand affair in Paris, with the kind of cultural weight and spectacle that I’m not sure any American athletic brand could pull off on quite the same scale. There’s something very French about the ability to make sportswear feel like heritage, fashion, and national identity all at once. My look is very me and I’m excited for my first-ever Lacoste show!
3pm—Polo Ralph Lauren shows in Paris every season, and the market makes perfect sense for the brand. The women’s Polo presentation has become a major moment in its fiscal year and an important push heading into the holiday season. But beyond the business of it all, I love seeing such an emphatically American brand in Paris. All of the Ralph Lauren codes feel even more pronounced against the backdrop of French fashion houses. Ralph Lauren has always sold an idea of America as much as it has sold clothes, and seeing that fantasy translated for Paris is a reminder of just how far that mythology travels. The images—and impeccable styling—from this presentation inevitably go viral, circulating for months until the season actually arrives. That kind of staying power says something about just how deeply ingrained Polo Ralph Lauren is in our cultural zeitgeist: we don’t just want the clothes, we want the world they depict now and ahead.
4:30pm—I always have to remind myself to eat! I found a Lebanese manoush spot near my hotel and got a divine labneh + zaatar manoush to devour before my next fitting.
6pm— Lanvin fitting. A big show for me! What an elegant and storied French fashion house, one I’ve admired since the Alber Elbaz days. Peter Copping has taken that DNA and translated it into something that still feels sophisticated and grown-up, but still romantic, sensual, and modern. I love the look I’ve chosen. It feels like a testament to Peter Copping’s modern push for the house.
7pm—Dôen cocktail party. The brand is growing at a rapid pace, with a thirsty fan base that monitors collection drops and races to secure the pieces that will inevitably sell out. Dôen holding market appointments in Paris makes a lot of sense, yes, for its romantic sensibility and flair, but also because the brand increasingly feels much bigger than the California label it began as. Paris puts Dôen in front of an international audience and reflects its ambitions beyond the American market. It’s so special watching a brand I’ve worked so intimately with, with such a specific, recognizable identity scale without losing the world-building that made people so obsessive about it in the first place. Tonight’s cocktail party felt like the Dôen world come to life: friends of the brand gathered in a gorgeous Parisian apartment overlooking the Tuileries and the Eiffel Tower, all wearing pieces from the upcoming holiday and winter collections. We got a sneak peak at what’s on the horizon and it’s really just all so good.
11pm—In bed, amazed I didn’t take a single nap today. Ready for a full day tomorrow and reminding myself, as often as I can, how lucky I am to get to live this, even when I’m exhausted.
Love YOU!
Laura