Thursday, February 24, 2011

Fashion Week

I thought I'd do a quick post while my coffee pot descales itself and my oven cleans itself
 (don't you just love modern appliances?).

I noticed somewhere on TV yesterday that it's fashion week in Milan and soon to be fashion week in Paris.  I thought this a perfect time to share with you our experiences with Paris fashion week in October.  

I had heard it was going to be fashion week when we were in town, and as our week progressed, big white tents were being set up all over the city.  At night if we had the TV on, the only mildly interesting channel was the fashion channel...all in French of course...but you could tell by their enthusiasm, that something big was going down.  As we walked though the city, we began seeing other clues that the fashion gurus were upon us.







 I knew we couldn't get tickets to any of the events, but we could see a lot of tents were being set up in the Tuileries Gardens. I made Scott go there on a spy mission one day, and look what we found...

 
I had already looked up the time for the show, so we went for a quick lunch, and headed back to rubberneck the whole event from behind the security fence.  At first I will admit that Scott thought this the dumbest thing he had ever seen, but soon he got into it, for reasons I will share in a bit... here are a few photos we took watching from the sidelines.

Our favorite outfit of the entire day...




 A huge, giant celebrity couple arrived, but we never got to see who it was... the cameras were going crazy and they practically tackled the couple.  We found out later it was the CEO of Dior and Kate Moss.

We watched all of the arrivals, and soon you could hear music booming from inside the tent... the show had started.  While the show went on, we walked around with all the other nobodies without tickets. We wanted to wait until the show was over and see the beautiful people (?) exit.  I had on my new leopard coat, so in my mind I could easily have been mistaken for a model...

 
oh how soon my bubble was burst!!!!

We were standing by the fence, and I saw this man approaching us with his camera and microphone.  I was so excited... I was going to be INTERVIEWED!!!


 This man walked straight up to SCOTT, and began asking him questions in English, but with a very heavy French accent.  The camera was pointed directly at Scott, and he could not understand a word the man said.  Finally, in my desperation to get into the shot, I began interpreting his questions to Scott... Let me give you a rundown of how it went...
Scott's words and actions are in blue...
mine in red...
interviewer in black.


"Hello sir.  How are you today?"
(Scott gives him a blank stare...)
"Where are you from?" 
"Florida."
"Could you tell me sir, do you know the new color for spring?"
(this was all said with such a heavy accent, I had to interpret all further questions)
"No."
"Well sir, could you tell me what you think of beige as the new color for spring?" 
(Beige was said with such an accent...you have no idea...)
(Scott continues to stare... )
"Honey, he wants to know what you think of beige?"
"Well...it's kinda like brown isn't it?"
(Blank stare from interviewer...)
"Well... yes, it's kinda like brown... but what do you think of it?"
"I guess brown is okay."
"Do you think it's the hot new color for spring?"
"I guess..."
"Well, your jacket is beige."
"Oh, I thought it was brown..."

This exchange continued until the guy gave up.  He never for one second pointed the camera at me.  Depressed does not even begin to express to you my feelings!

A few minutes later... this woman walked up to ME with her camera crew...


OK... so she was 100 yrs old, but here was my chance to be interviewed.  I smiled at her and waited for my first question... however, she never got around to asking me anything.  Instead, she put her hand into a claw like position, and began scratching at my arm... as she scratched over and over, she GROWLED at me (was it my leopard coat?).  It was beyond bizarre, and let me tell you, Scott thought this whole scene HILARIOUS.  Finally, I had to walk away.  So much for my 15 seconds of fame.  

Why couldn't this girl from MTV interview me???


 Soon, hangers on and freak shows arrived...






  
At the very end, we actually saw two of the models leaving.  We later saw other models on the metro.  I thought their life was way more glamorous than riding a subway!!!



 For the next two days, whenever we were in the apartment, we had the fashion channel on religiously, but never saw Scott's interview, or thankfully, MY sort-of interview.
All in all it was a crazy-fun experience, one we will not soon forget!

12 comments:

Jenny said...

OH. MY. GOODNESS, TERI! You and Scott make me laugh. This post was fun, chic, and hilarious all in one. What a fabulous Paris experience....GRRRR, to you leopard lady for sharing this whole crazy event with us. I am now so assured that you and Scott make the most of each opportunity. I would love to travel with all to Paris. What a hoot. thank you both for sharing.

TeriGigi/Girl Meets Paris said...

Jenny... thank you! Your comments are always so sweet and thought out. I really appreciate your enthusiasm over our crazy Paris trips. It's fun to share with friends like you!

Teri

BonjourRomance said...

Bonjour Teri,
That old lady does reports for a Sunday show that features funny things over the past week. Unfortunately, we are drawing a blank on the name of the show right now. It comes on after the Guignols (the big puppets that make fun of all the politicians, stars,etc.) She has actually become quite popular, and she does quirky things like giving you the GRRRR. But it is funny because she is no nonsense and makes these outrageous but true comments in her 'interviews'.
We usually lay low during fashion week - so many misfits...I am trying to be kind! I once dined next to a huge designer and his 'entourage' at l'Avenue, and well, watching their 'antics' pretty well did me in.
Great story, I'm sure the two of you were the best looking couple around!
à bientôt,
Mimi

TeriGigi/Girl Meets Paris said...

Mimi... I cannot believe you know this woman!!!!! I feel a little better now. There was one other American couple there, and they ran up to me after she finished and asked me what she said and if she was for real. I told them I had no idea. That is too funny that she has her own show. There were some strange people there for sure, but it was such a fun experience. I will say by the end of the week, the tents were quite distracting. I was glad I had seen Paris without them... glad that wasn't my first trip. Like a few years ago the Eiffel Tower was blue. It was pretty and all that, but I was glad I had seen the normal E.T. the year before. I guess you never know what's going to be going on in Paris!!! That is part of her charm afterall!

Karen said...

Loved your post Teri! I was laughing while reading it! Especially the part where you said the freak show started. So funny. Thanks for sharing it.
Have a wonderful evening~
Karen

A Tale of Two Cities said...

Isn't people watching in Paris just the best entertainment around--and it's free! What a bonus--to be there during Fashion Week. What a missed opportunity those interviewers experienced when they did not interview you. After all, with your fashion savvy, I'm sure you had some wonderful thoughts to share....

Vava (aka Virginia) said...

Oh, my goodness. I just ROARED...at Scott's interview. And Grrrrrring obviously is cool in Paris. What a hoot!

Mya said...

Fashion shows often look like they are designing for Gaga - they go to such extremes. The two of you looked much better than the models I bet.
From what Mimi said, your interview with the lady was probably on tv. In French her growls probably meant, "Darling, where did you get this fabulous lepoard coat?" Be ready to sign autographs on your next trip to Paris.

Meagan said...

That interview was so funny!!

char said...

This is just so Scott, and just so Teri. What a pair you are. This is your funniest blog entry yet. I can just imagine your face when they started interviewing Scott instead of you. That was just cruel. But it was their loss, our gain. You alone wouldn't have been nearly as funny!Your interpreting for Scott is priceless.

annawithlove said...

your blog is so lovely, glad I found it! Also really enjoying these photos, I miss Paris so much!
http://www.annawithlove.com

myletterstoemily said...

what a fun and hilarious story! my husband
is mildly color blind. he thinks all shades
of beige thru tan and on to charcoal are
"brown."

you wouldn't know it to see my uniform
(sweat pants and oversized denim shirt)
but i'm a huge fashionista. that would
have been a dream for me to see all the
models.

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