Fashion Diaries : Mode en Paris.

From my first encounter or shall I say rendez-vous with Paris, I instantly fell in love. I was intrigued, mezmorized, spellbound and wooed by this city of lights, it was love at first sight. From the Champs-Élysées to the Louvre to a ride down the river Seine, what's not to love about this beautiful city? And on top of all of the history, the architecture and the wonderful food, Paris manages to stay the fashion capital of the world. I often say, as Gertrude Stein did, "America is my country but Paris is my hometown" so it's only natural that I bring you my favorite collections from home, thus far.Tales from the Crypt, my self-imposed title for Rick Owens Fall 2008 collection, presented an array of creepy yet interesting pieces. When I first saw a piece of Owens on Ashley Olsen (a black leather jacket) I knew that I would be following this extraordinary gentleman for a while. This season, black maintained a heavy presence (something I know Marquis can appreciate), in many different ways. Leather of course made an appearance not only in the form of jackets in browns and metallic, but in legging form, with an exposed zipper and flair. Leaving flowers for spring Nicolas Ghesquiér brought Balenciaga lovers a sleek and sophisticated collection for fall. From the slicked bun to the tip of the pointed toe shoe (something I'll be getting used to), there was no denying that these garments were for the woman in charge. Opening the collection with black and white and transitioning into color during the latter part of the show was quite delightful. Making reference to many inspiring eras before us and paying homage to the houses founder, Cristobal Balenciaga and his Spanish heritage, Ghesquire shook the fashion world, yet again.

Fabulously Yours,

Jennifer Pauline