Karlie Kloss is in full force. I LOVE her.

Last year, I got hung up on a Margaret Howell shirt. So simple, so beautiful, in the most perfect cream cotton. The thing that did me in was the little MH discretely embroidered on the pocket. I pictured myself wearing it like a piece from a bygone era, like something that belonged to my grandmother.
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Let me tell you one thing :

If that video makes you feel just an ounce of the joy everybody feels at a Lanvin show (Even though we didn’t even have time to film the champagne rosé and the chocolate raspberries that are offered before it started) then I can go snowboard in a state of total bliss.

I promise, I will try not to hit a tree.

So, can you feel it, the Lanvin happiness ?

Here’s a few select morsels from my weekend, because if I told you everything, it’d take all day.
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Hey guess what, guess what!?  Discovery of the year: the women behind the scenes of style are just like us! Isn’t that the scoop to end all scoops?! Yeah, I know, I know, no need to thank me. Okay, so yeah, the real fact is that the recession has hit hard and no one is playing games anymore. But I was totally excited to learn that…

- They like to feel comfy. Big pants, long skirts, cotton sweatshirts, even the very body-con dresses we talked about last Friday are unbelievably comfortable. Fit the body well without constraining it… Even if it’s not on the catwalk, the spirit of Alaïa is definitely there.

- They kill themselves in the morning figuring out what to wear. And getting their photo taken in front of the runway shows totally stresses them out. Haha.

- They don’t have plastic feet. Even, sometimes, their feet hurt. Yeah. A friend in a pair of studded Louboutin Pigalle (the highest, most pointy, most surreal, and most beautiful of all stilettos) told me that she only wears them on days when she knows she’ll be at a max of 2 shows. And don’t forget, that’s with special soles and a bunch of band-aids. Her 2.55 was filled with them! Ouuuch!

- They don’t hesitate anymore to bring out the it-stuff from past years. A YSL bag from last year, in the end, doesn’t have a wrinkle on it. Tributes, big Lanvin jewelry, a pair of Spicy by Vuitton… A good excuse to reinvent their “old stuff.”  The only thing that has disappeared are the famous Balmain jackets from last year. Too much exposure? Tough to say. But I won’t be surprised if they make their comeback next year.

- They make babies. I love a pregnant fashionistas! There are a whole bunch all over the place and I can’t wait to show some of them to you!

- They shop at H&M, Zara and Topshop. The little Zara jackets with the padded shoulders are on everyone’s back and the Christopher Kane collection for Topshop got real hot: really, everything that I’ve seen of it is just so good that I can’t believe I didn’t have a second in London to go try it all on.

- They know how to be timeless. And we’re hitting an overdose on the 2.55. Unless it’s a special one: if it’s vintage, or tagged by a friend. Or if it’s green, blue, or red.

- When their luggage gets lost, they too, cry.

- They buy one or two super trendy accessories and never hesitate to wear them in a whole bunch of ways. Main choices this season: thigh-high boots, a bucket bag, or anything with studs.

Okay, but I still haven’t figured out the mystery of their perfect hair, their radiant skin after three weeks of marathons (I have to tell you about the real day of a stylist during fashion week. Really though, fashion is a career for the passionate.) and how they figure out, on top of all that, how to go to parties. I went to one on Saturday. I let myself lose a little. The result: I’m sick. Seriously now, how do they do it?

But after all, it’s not bad to leave a little mystery, don’t ya think? Okay, off we go. Mrs. Doré wishes you a nice day!

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PS: Thanks to all who came out Saturday at Colette. I was so happy to meet all of you. You’re all so beautiful! Thank you for coming and for being so patient and friendly. And thank you to my teen friend as well, who waited just to tell me, “I really have no idea who you are, but when I see people lining up, it means it must be something to have your autograph. Could you sign there, please?” Hmmmm… My dear, I don’t know if you googled me and are now reading me, but thank you. You cracked me up!

Translation : Tim Sullivan

I don’t know which I like better, spending my time riding a bike or spending it at a table outside a café watching the people pass by. But life is so sweet during the summer in Amsterdam that I could almost forget why I’m here…

To work!  Merde!!! It’s six p.m. and I have a rendez-vous in a half hour!!!

That’s exactly what happened to me yesterday. I was on the jury for Lichting, the runway show for the recent graduates of the seven Dutch fashion schools. I knew that I would be up there with my dear Suzie Bubble, Wendy Dagworthy and Lucas Ossedrijver, the wonderful men’s designer for Lanvin.

But what I didn’t know was that I would have to speak in front of 700 people.

Yeah, okay, so I do love speaking, but even I had a couple minutes where I thought about trying to escape. 700 people. And then on top of that, I was in my day outfit for taking photos and riding around on my bike, and I didn’t have a second to change and so I felt rather power woman, if you know what I mean.

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Okayyyy.  That’s it?  Last week is officially over?  Awesome.  Finally.  Sorry for my extended absence.

How are you all?  Here in Paris, men’s fashion week just finished.  It took place in the wind-swept rain and left my head spinning in the applause for Lanvin.  It’s pretty cool to have a brand that can rouse such a high amount of enthusiasm.  It makes my fashion-self rather emotional.

My fashion-self had another emotional moment when I came across the marvelous Maria Cristina in her Ralph Lauren wool coat.  I adored it on the runway, but this was before it got nuked in the microwave of fast-fashion and just became a mound of whatever.  (My god.  Where did that come from?  Oh yes, the week is off to a good start, I can feel it.)  So we needed Maria Cristina to rekindle the flame I had for this clearly sublime woolen.

On top of that, this isn’t the only patterned wool (C’mon, there has to be a better name for it.  For the past hour I’ve been trying to find a better word over here at garancedore incorporated and it is nowhere to be found.  Arg!  Okay.  So maybe I’m here all alone now and maybe, just maybe there was a little champagne involved earlier tonight… But please, help!) (end of interlude) that I’ve come across.

Okay, if not, I’ll leave it as is and we’ll talk seriously for a second.  I went straight-up kooky for Eugene here below, (you gotta say it eeyou-geene please)  who was sick enough last week to the point of needing to be quarantined, just like me, and to have now, such an impeccably cool style, just like me, and to be so completely irresistibly adorable, just like me, and in particular, so modest.

Just like… yeah okay.

I swear on Saint Karl that I would photograph Eugene every day of fashion week except for the days he is quarantined because let’s not kid around here, I’m not jumping into the lions den, from here on out and for hundreds of years to come and then some.

So there it is.  When you finally get to read this post, I’ll probably be on a plane headed to Stockholm.  I’m liking the idea of a plane right now, all with the magazines, you know, suspended time, calories that don’t count, all that.  If I had already packed my bags, that would have been better, considering its 13:45 in the morning and I have to get up in four hours.  Ahh who cares?  I’m too excited!  I’m heading out.  And even GG will be there!

You coming?  That would be too cool!  Literally, cool.  Pack your scarves and mittens.  We’re talking cold here.  But just remember : what’s cooler than being cool?  ICE COLD!

Bisou!

Translation : Tim Padraic Sullivan.