There is not really a concept for the French rentrée in English. The Brits used to call it the beginning of the season, and Hallmark has turned it into Back to School in the US, but La Rentrée is not about school, it is about getting back to life, particularly a social life. After the long (in France, anyway) summer hiatus spent with family, everyone is back in town and ready to play. Businesses open their doors, parking spaces fill up, there is activity on the street AND the invitations start pouring in as cultural events go into full swing. The “season” has begun.
There is the Biennale antiquaires at the Grand Palais, Dali expo at the Pompidou, Parcours des Mondes at the galleries, FIAC, Dom Juan at the Comedie Française, Les Nuits Blanches, Journées de la Patrimoine and the list just goes on and on…
Today the excitement really began, when I received my very first ever invitation to Vogue’s Fashion Night Out. I have gone the past few years, but only thanks to friends and their extra invites. This year, it is My invite, in My name. I felt like Christmas had come early!!! Now, to get an invite, you really just have to be a client and this year I got a very special pair of shoes from a very special address (whose initials are NOT CL). You can also snag one by buying the Fashion Night Out edition of Vogue, so my invite is not really all that, but it makes me happy, all the same.
What do you do on Fashion Night Out and what exactly is it? Its just a glorified block party where fashion houses uncork the champagne until it flows out on the streets. Lots of young, gorgeous people are paid to show up and prance around in fabulous fashions to tempt the ridiculously rich, who are a sight to behold in their own right. If you’ve got the budget for plastic surgery, this is the place to come and collect names of which doctors do a fantastic, natural looking job for your senior years and which doctors you would like to hire for your ex’s 28 year old girlfriend’s boob job. Design students flock the streets wearing the most outrageous silhouettes to catch your eye and hoping to be ‘discovered’, or at the very least, score a spare invite.
Marketing fashion on fashion night
For me it is total eye candy and the people watching highlight of my year. I’ll be there with bells on. Perhaps even literally…
And if you’d like to join me, drop me a line, because I just got a second invite and I’d LOVE to share it with one of my faithful readers!!!
I’m a faithful reader! And it just so happens that I’m free on Thursday evening. 🙂 But if you want to go with a fashionista, I’m screwed.
You win, MK…. One ticket to Fashion Night out is yours!!!
Woohoo! Thank you! See you Thursday night.
It never ceases to amaze me how the French maintain their traditional holidays and Sundays, in a world where the pace and flow has changed.
In the north of England we used to have “wakes” weeks, When each cotton producing town would completely close down for two weeks and the workers would all go on holiday, usually to the seaside. Each town had their own week and this is still reflected in the school holidays. Even though the cotton industry here is long gone. The rest of industry and business long abandoned these holidays and life goes on as usual.
The Fashion even sounds like fun…if only for the people watching. What on earth does one wear to something like that?……something old, so you will be thought of as an original trend setter, or something new, so you can can be seen as keeping up to the moment?…..or do you just not bother, because one cannot possibly compete!
Love Denise
Black, you wear black. Nobody sees it, or you, so you don’t feel out of place and you fit right in with the “in” crowd!!!
I’m going to Fashion’s Night Out here! It’s going to be a madhouse, but I’m hoping to check out Alexander McQueen.
Have fun, you two!