BrandHabit

Paris: The private party

by Betty BrandHabit

We hold directions in printed in calligraphy on a small elegant card. 
We enter through a gracious wide hallway. 
Our host takes our coats and lets me know a tag is hanging off my dress!   (Oh dear lord!)
We soon learn the home is owned by Mounir Moufarrege.  He is a big fashion player in many brands including Chloe.
We mingle with two sisters of the Luxe champagne family. 
We chat and congratulate Esteban Cortezr.   Rima Younes a close friend of Mounir's shows us the ostrich sculpture that has been covered with magazines cutouts showing all of Mounir's fashion lines he has started. 
The night is a blur of introductions.
The party is beyond believable.   
We return to the hotel exhausted.
Our 24 hours in Paris has come to an end.

Conclusion:
Chasing the edge of fashion, trying to glimpse the future is not for mere mortals. It is the stuff for socialites and fortune holders.  Our sense of style is deep inside our souls. So dust off your personal passport, dig deep and be yourself.

Paris Shows continued...

by Betty BrandHabit

The lights go down; music pulses; a huge roll of fabric is tossed out, the length of the runway; 100 photographic lenses are poised to shoot.
The models emerge, unbelievably waif like and perched on tiny stilettos. Each is a vision of flowing fabric, color, hats, almost tropical; whites and vibrant colors. 
7 minutes later it's over. 
Somewhere in the chaos we manage to get an invitation to a private dinner and after party.

For the afternoon, we shop and walk until our feet are blistered and we are limping. We stop at the Plaza Hotel for a $40 margarita and a $20 cappuccino.  Lolita buys gold Stella McCarthy Adidas.  She can walk again.  I buy some black camper shoes. We keep shopping.  Lolita buys skinny jeans at a cool French boutique. I score 2 pair of camper shoes and brown knee high Paraboots.  Then we go back to the hotel to primp for the dinners and parties into the evening.

At Emanuel Ungaro Paris Runway Shows

At the SHOW:
We enter the Louvre from the side door.   The invitees wait for the ok to enter through security.  The setting is spectacular with soaring stone walls and arched corridors.   

Flash bulbs going off in all directions.

A photographer lays down on his hands and knees to shoot Lolita’s flowered cowboy boots from a bazaar in Turkey!
We hand security our invitation that reads:
Emanuel Ungaro Paris
Prie Madame Betty Brandhabit
D'assister a la presentation de la Collection Pret-a-Porter Primtemps Ete 2009....
We are ushered to our seats. We have rockstar seats flanked by Tara Subkoff, Rahim Aga Khan, Assim Abdulllah, and Isha Abdullah

Whoever is next to me is getting a millions shots......

Paris next morning 10/8/08

Wakeup 7am.
Le petite dejune in bed.  Every princess needs breakfast in bed.  I’ve had my epiphany. After analyzing 3 magazines on the flight over and observing the French for one night, I have decided I need 3 good sweater dresses for winter in the bay area.   I will throw out everything else.

But for today I wear:

Black stiletto Ferragamo boots
Black BeBe wrap dress
calvin fish nets
wolford black bra
earrings Lotlita purchased last week at the covered bazar in Istanbul
No shower, no time, spray, blow and go.  Makeup MAC. 

Lolitta wears:

a black MaxMara dress
gold hoops from Taloolah
and cowboy boots with flowers all over them.

The show is at the Carasoule de Louvre at 1pm.  Since we have only 1 day in Paris, we will shop, then the show, then shop until stores close, then parties (we hope).  We head straight for the Colette store on Rue de Honere. It is full of people & photographers.  Too hot and trendy for us, we decided to move on.  From 10-Noon we zig-zag the street and go to over 30 stores.  At Paule Ka I find my sweater dresses.  I still need brown boots.... By Noon we walk to the Louvre only a couple blocks away for the show. 

Paris Fashion Shows 10/7/08

Tuesday: 8/7/08
4:50pm  Land Charles de Gualle.  Wow, what a difference from landing at Heathrow.  The innate sense of style is everywhere. Gone are the images of the Starbucks-to-go cups that greeted me in London.

There are cafes with saucers and plates. Everyone is chic. I debate taking a cab for $50 or a train for $8. I choose the train.  One hour late, I climb up from the underground rail in the shadow of the Notre Dame I am out of my mind excited.  All the previous memories of countless trips to Paris coming rushing back.

- single girl solo traveler of the Patagonia catalogue style, with beau as a backpacker, sleeping on trains

- with beau again to cycle the Loire river valley

- as a single mom with a 10 month old

- with new husband and son

It has been since pre 9/11 and it is as exciting as the first time, perhaps even more.  Now I am here as an invited guest...more than just a tourist.   

7:00 PM: I arrive at Hotel Pont Royal on the Left Bank. The handsome greeters hands me my hand addressed invitation to the Emmanuel Ungaro show!  My name is written in calligraphy on the envelope and on the invitation.    Merci! I take the invite and room key to room 105.  Lolita waits for me.  She arrived 7 hours earlier. (I had a passport setback...a story for another time).  I drop my bags and we had head out for the evening. No time to change or primp; we must get started. I toss on my Dean Hutchinson wool scarf and Margaret O’Leary trench.  Lolita has on skinny jeans and tan Prada boots that reach her knees.  Since Lolita is 6'2" she is all Prada boot. (bitch)

I soon learn that bed head and 3 day old hair is the norm in Paris. No big hair blowouts here or boob jobs (that are now a sure sign of an American girl).  We walk to a cafe and have cocktails and catch up.   We stumble through the French menu and manage to order; a double espresso, margarita, wine.  Done now. Off to the Marais to a new restaurant. We are flanked by a couple of beautiful gay French men that prove flirtatious and funny.  One was a chef in London . We enjoy a long dinner (3 hours) and talk to the men and the couple on either side of our table.  At midnight we return to the hotel for some sleep.  Sleep 1:30am

Landing in Paris

$57 dollars in mags.

Sky is the limit.

I plan on being famous for something before I leave gay Paris.

Lodging: Hotel Pont Royal. I'm kinda scared it's for fancy OLD people.

Oh, I forgot to say that my shoes are Donald J Pliner. So yesterday and butch. Anyway, I will throw them away as soon as I find something hot on the streets.

My traveling partner Lolita Marvelous is on a different flight. She lands 6 hours before I do and has a larger splurge budget. I will be sure to itemize all her purchases. She just might show up in those duds in the Nob Hill Gazette.

Questions I hope to answer:

What the heck is fashion week?
Do we really see into the future of what we will be wearing?
Will we be able to get into some amazing private parties?
Will we sleep?
Will we fit in?
Will the women in Paris look incredible as usual or have the Bay Area woman passed them up in health and style?
How many designers will hear about Brandhabit for the first time?
How many already know about it?
Will these runway clothes translate and have some meaning to my every day dressing and that of our Brandhabit audience?
What will be more exciting the show or the crowd?
Will Gwen P be there?
How many famous people will I get my photo with?
How many will end up flying to California for a visit?
Will I actually leave Paris?

Umm.... I know the answer to the last question. But we all have our fantasys.

We taxi now out on the runway. Next stop Paris

Oh #*&+@ just realized I left my $150 silver hoop earrings from Taloolah at security. That was a key part of my feeble look. A true fashion emergency is at hand.

24 Hours in Paris

by Betty BrandHabit

Brandhabit Ambassador; Betty here.

Just sat down in my British Airways seat. Wired on coffee wearing my True Religion chocolate brown cords, Prada wallet, Prada biz card holder, brown Marc Jacobs purse, Tag watch with diamonds, gold ring by Laurie MacAdam, Tiffany bracelet.

Ok I know you are thinking, "why does Betty get to go to Fashion Week? She's clueless!"

Well I admit there are many others that would look better at Fashion Week BUT I have the grit and the creativity to get the word out about Brandhabit. I also plan to do my homework on my flight.

I don't watch TV and I work way too hard in my day job but at one time as a teenager I did have 8 pairs of Guess jeans.

In flight reading: Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, InStyle, Shape, The Wall Street Journal, US, Cosmo Girl, Travel and Leisure, Glamour, Real Simple.

Put on your seat belts, this will only get better! Paris: Here I come!