Vintage Fashion

Friday, March 11, 2011

With love from Paris

I can’t say I remember any Fall Paris Fashion Week being as pleasant and sunny as this one. Ten days of blue skies, crisp temperatures and not a drop of rain. For once the flock of fashion show crusaders had only to complain about shows starting late, wardrobe malfunctions and disappointing collections. If all else failed, the dry weather was their daily saving grace. And what a week it was too. I am convinced, more than ever, that the fashion industry is an unhealthy business. People are losing money, weight and their minds, all in the line of fashion duty.

But I was not in Paris to participate in the gossip or speculate about who would be next in line at Dior. (Though personally I think someone should drop Oliver Theyskens’ name in this game of musical chairs.) I was happily strolling through the Tuileries and the Marais, seeing some shows, eating croissants, meeting friends, and going to dinner parties.

Me, outside The Royal Opera, wearing all vintage. Photo: Tommy Ton for style.com

It was at the dinner for Zadig & Voltaire that I was seated next to Elettra Wiedemann, the stunning 27-year old daughter of Isabella Rossellini and former Calvin Klein model, Jonathan Wiedemann. By the time the main course was served we had planned and mapped out a Tales shoot. "I love vintage," she confessed to me breaking her lobster tails. "Every piece has a story; sometimes I like to fantasize about the woman who owned it before me and what her life was like." Elettra likes to call herself a relaxed dresser, "but I always try to look put together and elegant" she adds. She has soft, friendly eyes, full lips and a captivating smile. And like her mother she is a successful model - both are spokespeople for Lancome - and a muse to many.

On Saturday, between Viktor & Rolf and Sonia Rykiel, we visited Neila’s, a small, high-end vintage boutique on Rue Mont Thabor. There were very few pieces on display that week since Neila was hosting one side of the store to a friend who designs furs. Now and then Neila would disappear to the back and come back with more delightful things from the archive. Nonetheless everything we had at our disposal was exquisite and perfectly suited for a spring day in Paris. "Being in sunglasses and bare feet made me feel like I was calling out to Spring: "JUST GET HERE ALREADY!", raved Elettra, "I'm so over winter." Amen.