Barely a soul was awake early Sunday morning in Paris, thanks to Saturday night's Nuit Blanche festivities, which meant all of the City of Lights (or at least those under 25) stayed up until the wee hours crawling the cobblestone streets and ponts in search of the next best gallery party or impromptu break dance battle.
Still, this morning--sans cafe au lait--I trekked to Trocadero near the Eiffel Tower for the Akris Spring/Summer 2011 show. Upon arriving, I immediately spotted The New York Times's resident shutterbug Bill Cunningham snapping photos of chic septugarians and well-heeled editors seated front row. Other anonymous A-listers wore their Birkins and blow-outs proudly. Certainly these were not the same Parisians I encountered last night on the streets of the Marais--this was an uptown affair. Before the lights dimmed, W's new editor-in-chief Stefano Tonchi swiftly arrived with T alum Anne Christensen--sadly both forced to watch the show standing (gasp!).
Despite the buttoned-up crowd, the clothes were decidedly fresh. Crisp white suits with tailored shorts, brightly tropical floral cocoon sheaths, and cropped leather trenches all exuded a bright vitality. Perhaps the most highly covetable part of the collection was the handful of slim monochrome suits in nude and navy with mesh detailing--a nice variation for Hillary, if she'd only listen.
But perhaps the highlight of the morning was the box of chocolate truffles the fashion house so generously gifted at each seat. Once the show wrapped (mercifully on time), I hopped the Metro back to the 5th, where I happily tucked into the sweets as the rest of the city began to stir. After all, this is Paris.
