Magasin’s pop-up newsletter-within-a-newsletter, where we go on the ground to suss out hot shopping gossip from scenes of interest: Paris Fashion Week, Days 1 + 2.
Itinerary
Sept 29
11a Land at CDG
1p Arrive at Hotel Balzac
1:30p Spa Ikoi — located inside my hotel; the best way to kill 1.5 hrs before check-in is available
4p Jacques Marie Mage preview — launching a collection inspired by Bunker Spreckels, a surfer muse to many blue chip artists whose legacy has been lost to history; it includes the public launch of their fine jewelry business (which has been secretly operating through direct sales to private clients for some time now), in this case, $25k skull-and-crossbones signet rings of which only 10 were made. Their rumored made-to-measure eyewear program is also confirmed, though that’ll be available to VICs first; apparently some very buzzy hires have been brought on.
5p Kanika Agarwal preview — Delhi-born, Paris-based alum of Anthony Vaccarello's studio at Saint Laurent under Chemena Kamali who also trained at The Row and Lanvin; her second collection goes heavy on embellishment and airy georgettes with painstaking loyalty to her concept / mission to investigate the overlap of her global realities. Her first collection just got picked up by SSENSE. Beautiful stuff!!
6p Drinks at La Réserve
7p Massage at Spa Ikoi
9p Room service dinner
Sept 30
8:30a Kayla Principato x Live The Process pilates at Fouquet’s — learned of the brand’s 100% cotton workoutwear, which includes a pair of capris leggings: my white whale in the category!
11a David Mallett hair appointment
11:30a Dior re-see — held at the Bassin de L’Octogon in the Jardin de Tuileries, where the show took place; missed the press window, but got to witness the procession of high-end clients breaking out their archival gear, including Galliano-era Diorissimo matching bags and heels
2:30p Ralph Lauren fitting
5p Re{form} Zara Vol. 1, Concept by Couturier John Galliano installation — I was first through the door to see the installation erected in an out-of-use historic hotel to launch the long-awaited John Galliano-Zara link up, which is LIVE as of right this moment. It is 100% expected to sell out, according to the PR, with the grab-an-gos like the bags sure to run out first. I’ve been joking lately that “everything is Backrooms” because I watched it on the plane, but this two-day pop-up really is the Backrooms of Galliano’s brain. You can see the thought process by which he arrived to his way into Zara—like, how to get to a point where something so anathema in many ways to his philosophy could eventually be something great—which begins with him taking pieces and breaking them down into rough, raw pieces to salvage. Those remakings of old Zara stock were then repeated in new fabrics and multiplied in Zara’s factories. Tickets can be purchased to visit + shop the installation (another site for Galliano super-fans) in Paris here. More on the collection itself below!
7p Drinks at Le Mary Celeste
8p Dinner with Comme Si’s Jenni Lee and Mohawk General Store’s Bo Carney
Outfit
Day 1
Veronica De Piante Denim Shirt (similar from Dries Van Noten, $396 $495) / Auralee Hard Twist Mid-Rise Straight-Leg Jeans, $480 / Gia Borghini Ruth Suede Flats, $540 / The Row Marlo 12 Tote, $4,900 / Métier Aquilone Ball Charm, $390 / Maximum Henry Wide Standard Belt, $160
Day 2
Saint Resort Shirt, $203 / Aflalo Wool Pants (similar from Jil Sander, $1,350) / The Row Marlo 12 Tote, $4,900 / Métier Aquilone Ball Charm, $390 / Toteme The Slim Knee-High Boots, $889 $1,593 (low stock; similar from Aeyde, $995)
Here’s the rundown on the Zara-Galliano collection, having seen it all in person: the reference pages were post-Revolutionary France, the execution Vaudeville, ideas expressed at Dior and his eponymous label and re-upped with a mix of earnestness and cheek. Priced as low as $59 for gloves and scarves to $999 for gowns upon gowns upon gowns, some of which have already sold out. The in between counts chic, wearable wool coats and trophy pieces like the Napoleonic jacket with tails; the spliced ragdoll skirts caught my appeal most—this was my fave; a $79 leather belt with a subtle leather tag detail opposite side the strap on the buckle that I appreciated; a moment for the 5-inch platform heels; and if I had to point to one item that exemplifies the collection, it’s this nobbly wool flower hat that’s very “Central Park pigeon lady” but fashion.
Amid a sudden rain shower yesterday, Mohawk General Store’s Bo Carney tipped me off to a line of Dries Van Noten silk scarves that are only available at the Dries beauty counter / via Dries Beauty retailers. They’re inspired by the brand’s fragrances and have names like “Santal” and “Cannabis Patchouli,” and they run about half as much as main-line ones.
In other beauty news, Atlas Atelier, Michele Duncan’s art deco make-up project that I covered last fashion week, has officially launched on Violet Grey with three core products: a lip, an eyeliner, and a blush.
Kassandre Paris hosted a dinner two nights ago to promote its leather bags, one of which I spotted on a woman at the salon. It’s the biggest bag I’ve ever seen, hard not to notice, but it looked great. Upon further investigation, I’m kind of into some of the other shapes—see the Eileen and the Tetra—and the prices are very tolerable.
One more piece of David Mallett gossip: Apparently the salon’s former manager decamped to open up a hotel in Porto named Casa Cedo, which I heard from Live the Process’ Robyn Berkley is remarkable. It certainly looks it, and if the David Mallet hospitality ethos is any indication, the vibes are good, too.
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