Grace Kelley Graces the Catwalks: Paris Brings back the Elegance

Dare we say we have predicted the demise of trash and flash, and, the return of the elegance? Quite frankly, the truth is, that we've been there, and done that. The quiet, elegant and subtle sexiness of Grace Kelley and is showing itself on the catwalk. I think that it took the Paris runways to remind us, that, well, girls are great, but the elegant women trumps them all.  I hope that "it" media girls are taking note.  Academy Awards red carpets, will be the true test of how this message has reached the mainstream. She who finds herself in too much flesh, will be, dare I say it, out of date?

She was unique. Dashing. Forward thinking. Empowering. That was, Chanel. With her birthday happening this month, its no wonder we wanted to take a moment to celebrate this extraordinary women. Her life, and, her art were integrated into one grand experience, and, women everywhere sa her spritis and admired her, and, her workers were terrified of her. She was exacting, demanding, precise. What did she do, that other houses of couture simply could not grasp? That a woman, could, if she dared, play both sides of the fence. She didn't have to rest as one image, she could, be explore the masucline side of femininity, and the feminine side of being tailored, or masculine. There was a dash of the theatrical, the circus, the horsewoman, and the elements of a Watteau painting, and, also, the love of the decorative arts that is the soul of Paris. Chanel is fashion. Fragrance, a lifestyle, a point of view. A Chanel women, is all things, to herself, first, then, she is everything that a women wants to be: daring, explorative, sensual, girlish, and, sophisticated. Legendary.

Dior Fall Collections: Paris Nights

The Delights of Dior are to be found in every collection, and, often American magazine writers mistake the delicious fantasies for real fashion.  No, the sensibility of French Couture is that Fashion, is an art, a delightful romp into a vision of a dreamer.  Theater. Opera. Movies. All great influences for the French Couture business. Just breathtaking, and designed to simply 'stop' our breath.

Once inside the shop, (the Christian Dior Boutique) on Avenue Montaigne (I was there during a fashion night party) you'll experience the more everyday things that proper French ladies come to depend on: Bags, shoes, coats, and skirts, blouses, and other well-crafted separates that a proper lady simply must have.  Fur vests, worn over delicious Italian cashmere and mixed with tweed skirts that fold over into wraps, or are sky-high short. These are lady like clothes that the teen audience won't buy. They are decidedly committed to the Dior shoes and bags. So, what's a girl to do?  Simply sit back, and enjoy the ride, as the runway is where the dreams are made, before they reach your store.  We suggest, that, you relax, have a glass of champagne, and, enjoy what the French are so good at: Fantasy, Imagination and Impossible Dreams that are made for the Royal Princess in all of us.