Chanel’s caesar  knows very well that in order to sell clothes, first you need to sell a sensation. That’s why for 5 days unseen pairs of hands worked to build a Jambo jet inside Le Grand Palais, Karl Lagerfeld’s favorite location for Chanel’s shows.

Instead of a movie, Air Chanel presented the passengers with a Haute Couture show, during the Haute Couture Fashion Week that takes place currently in the city. This event is almost extinct. in the last few years many labels have reduced or canceled their participation in the Haute Couture Fashion Week, for the articles showcased serve more to wow the public rather than to be worn. In our days, even the richest tend to buy Ready-to-wear collections and not especially made, hand crafted pieces of luxury. Chanel is probably one of the last who can afford such extravagance. In this very small market, they must have 80 percent of the cake or so…

Just Like the mock sky in the windows of the grounded plane, the Lagerfeld’s collection was full of blue in all its diversity.  Throughout the collection, pockets were sewn onto even the most delicate dresses, Out of which we could catch a glimpse of what’s bound to be the next best-seller nail posh from Chanel – Metalic light bleu.

Dring dring! Dring dring!

Issues: “Hello?”

Mr. Screen: “It might just be your lucky day…”

Under circumstances I’m not at liberty to reveal I got an invitation to the DIOR show. A dream come true! Well, almost. I dream of having an actual sit in a show, but I am also very pleased to be standing so close to the holy of holies.

As you all know, yesterday’s show wasn’t like any other before. The clothes weren’t the talk of the day, but their mouthy creator, he-who-must-not-be-named, John Voldemort Galliano. In a 5 minutes long speech, Sidney Toledano, the CEO, managed not to pronounce his name even once.

(Generally speaking, it seems that Christian Dior fashion house is trying to erase the last 15 years from its history. Take for example this ad that popped out of nowhere and flooded the metro, inviting the public to an exhibition of Dior’s past collections, from 1947 to 1997…  The exhibition is held in the Parisian department store Le Bon Marché, who’s related to the group Christian Dior by LVMH)

Leaving aside the historical moment and back to my own personal history making… It started pretty much like I imagined, only a bit less organized. No one even checked my ID card to verify it matches the invitation :) .

Along with Mr. Screen, we were led into the tent to find a long catwalk in the middle, sits from either side and a mountain of photographers in the end (I’m guessing there were about 60 of them, mostly men):

I had a ridiculous smile on my face while my company didn’t seem so excited, bored even. “I’m really not into all that high fashion nonsense”, he told me, using the lowest voice his throat could produce.

Having watched about 500 shows on FTV in the past 10 years, I had a precise idea of what to expect – a high profile event, very elegant, strict and respectful… Yeah… Not from where I was standing.

Once the girls appeared, the mountain of photographers became a hill of horny dogs screaming “Whoo Hoo!!”, “Oh Yeah Baby!” and “Woof woof” at the models.
By the end of the show, Mr. Screen changed his mind about fashion and forgot all about his macho low voice. “THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!”, he concluded. I agree.

P.S. these are my shoes on the DIOR runway

P.P.S Sorry for the pictures’ poor quality… It was dark…

Ever since World War II ended, Europeans like to look down at the rest of the world who hasn’t reached peaceful utopia yet. They, in Europe, have grown way past bloodshed. Here, borders are only an administrative fact and nations treat each other with utmost respect… Bulls**t! Underneath their mature façade, two great European countries continue to take part in a childish rivalry: the English hate the French, the French hate the English, and even though it was officially over in 1453, they forgot nothing about the 100 year’s war.

A recent visit to the UK made me understand just how different things are here and there. In the streets of London, I came across strange names, labels and food… As if globalization doesn’t apply to French-British relations. A friend even asked me to buy him Cadbury chocolate bars he cannot get in Paris. How very 50’s…

It seems that in this mutual pouting, British chose to touch French where it hurts them the most: fashion. How else can you explain that the world is filled with Topshop branches (including Malaysia, Bahrain and Slovenia) but Parisians have to go all the way across La Manche to see the inside of a store?

Coming from a Mediterranean province, I know all about going abroad to get a new wardrobe (the first H&M store in Israel opened only a year ago, the same goes for Gap and other international brands). In Tel Aviv, we blame anti-Semitism, but what can the French say? It’s Jean D’arc’s fault?

In the heart of Paris, right next to the luxurious Bristol hotel, well dressed men and women suddenly forget all about their elegant suits or tight skirts and crouch-down in the middle of the street, trying to sneak a peek… On the other side of the tinted window sits Alexis, a proud young shoemaker working for Walter Steiger Bottier – the only workshop of the brand where you can order a pair of shoes made-to-mesaure.

Working only with metal tools and wooden forms, Alexis and his colleague Michel fabricate shoes in a traditional manner, “this is how shoes were made 200 years ago”, he smiles, “Every pair of women shoes represents about 35 hours of manual work; boots take at least 10 hours more. A pair of men’s shoes takes at least 45 hours too, because everything is sewn by hand”. Right now Alexis has about 25 pairs in progress, but he doesn’t seem too worried about the work load, “it’s always like this…”.

Walter Steiger’s name might not ring a bell to every other girl on the street, but in the right kind of circles (where Beyonce hangs out, for example) the designer’s shoes are well celebrated since the 70’s for their clean innovating lines, bold colors and perfect finishing. Over the years, Walter Steiger’s shoes walked down many fashion shows (Chloé, Kenzo, Oscar de La Renta, just to name a few), and the ready-to-wear collections (made in Italy) are now sold all over the world.

A year and a half ago, when the world financial crisis was at its peak and everywhere businesses were looking to cut down their losses, Walter Steiger turned the opposite direction. With the opening of his Parisian atelier, he placed himself in the “Haute couture“of footwear.

Why opening an atelier?
“I think that Walter (…wouldn’t it be nice to be on a first name bases with him?…) wanted to open a place like this for a long time”, says Alexis. “He learned the secrets of the trade in such a workshop, in his father’s atelier. Then, as he got into the fashion world he had to leave these old methods behind.

In the modern world, people were replaced by machines and the knowhow of shoe-making is slowly, and naturally, disappearing. But if there’s no more power tomorrow, we can still make shoes and all those production lines can’t”.

To you, what’s the difference between good shoes, and shoes of poor quality?
“First of all – the materials. Whether it’s in our ready-to-wear line or a custom-made pair, our shoes are made of the same leather, the finest in the market. It’s a crucial part of our quality charter.

Secondly, the comfort – we don’t give our models their shape by chance. We know the foot, the places where it could get sore, and we do everything to ensure the most comfortable shoe possible. That goes for the ready-to-wear collection as well, to a certain level, of course.

Here, when a client comes in we decide on a design and then do a trial shoe. It’s a model made of tissue that I cut open in different places to look at the person’s foot inside. I make corrections according to his or her particular needs and the final product is perfectly adapted to the client. It’s half orthopedic really”.

How long does it take from the order to the final product?
“There’s a certain delay. Some clients come and ask to have their shoes ready in three days but that’s just impossible. Sometimes we have to order a special kind of leather, and then there are the hours of work…  In general, it takes about two months from the command to the delivery, but if a client is in a hurry and we have the right materials we can sometimes have the shoes ready in a month”.

How much does a custom-made pair of shoes cost?
“For women, the prices start at 2,200 € and for men at 4,300€. But the sum can climb up pretty quickly”.

Alexis grabs a pair of croco-boots and explains: “one of Walter’s trademarks is the one-piece leather boot. Here, nothing is sewed, except for the zipper. A medium size crocodile costs at least 500 € before taxes, but to make a pair I need 2 BIG crocodiles, one for each foot. Also, they need to have similar looking skin so the left boot wouldn’t be so different from the right boot… in the end, a pair like this cost 10,000 Euros”.

Do you “repair” costumers’ tasteless choices or do you fulfill all their fantasies?
“Sometimes we try to give our opinion or suggest other options, but in the bottom line, the customer is the one who has to wear these shoes, so they get to decide”.

At this point of the conversation, having had one or two laughs, I would normally stop addressing Alexis with the respectful and distant french VOUS and pass on to the more familiar TU. Yet, looking around all these perfect shoes he created (made them from scratch!), I just couldn’t. I went along addressing him with the respect he deserves.

How did you get to work in a place like this?
“Actually, Like Walter’s father, my dad was a shoemaker too and every day after school I went to his workshop, waiting for him to finish his day. When I got bored, he gave me bits and pieces of leather to make little objects with. In the end, I got in a training program (without even telling my dad). I’ve been doing this for about ten years now, and it makes me happy”

Have you ever tried on a pair of high heel shoes? Have you any idea how it feels like?
“NO! Ho no, I respect shoes too much to do that”.

One day, maybe, we’ll get to be one of Alexis’s customers (but I’m going to go with the odds and say it isn’t very likely). Until then -
Can you give an advice to women when they buy shoes, high heels in particular (I have a drawer full of beautiful pairs I use for only five minutes at a time)?
“Yes, you should pay attention to the arch of the foot, it has to be maintained, the shoe needs to support all the parts of the foot. Also, the leather needs to be tight, because it relaxes later, but you shouldn’t be in pain in any way. If it hurts – don’t buy”.

Hmmm… Not buying shoes that hurt our feet? Why didn’t I think of that before?

Steiger Bottier
33, Avenue Matignon 75008 Paris
Luckily, just 20 meters away you can find the ready-to-wear boutique for lower budgets (approximetly 390-600€ for women’s pumps, 480-1200€ for men’s shoes).
Walter Steiger,
83, Faubourg St Honoré

After years being categorized as children wear, the rubber boot had made a comeback into adults’ closet during the last few years. Its advantages are obvious – the rubber keeps your feet dry and, thanks to its high grip in the ground, prevents you from slipping and getting up close and personal with the pavement (… Yeap… I should know). But the rubber boot has one big flaw – chubby and bulky, it’s as elegant as a dairy farmer after a long day of work between his cows.

Shlomit Slavin, founder of the footwear label HOKI , understood the need in a new generation of rubber boots. From her home in Tel Aviv, along with her sister Mira Kaermely, she compromises fine design and rough material. Introducing the URBAN rubber boot:

Hoki boots 65-85 Euros.

Today’s newspapers are reporting with surprise about a mysterious coup in the french industry -  the luxury giant LVMH bought 17.1 % of Hermès’s shares, without Hermès even knowing about it ! By doing that, LVMH became the second most powerful share holder, right after the Hermès family. I believe this is a good opportunity to discuss LVMH, a one-of-a-kind octopus that touches your life and mine more then we might think.

Let me explain: a girl, we can call her Suzy, wakes up in the morning, takes a shower and gets dressed. Suzy puts on a set of kenzo lingerie, a dress from Céline, a pair of Marc Jacobs shoes and turns to the bathroom to perform her make-up routine. She applies a Guerlin foundation, mascara from Dior, a Make Up Forever lipstick and a Sephora blush.
On the way out she spritz herself with some Givenchy perfume, throws over a Donna Karen coat, grabs her Louis Vuitton bag and goes out the door.

Suzy adores fashion her taste in style is exquisite… She picked each and every one of these cherished possessions carefully. Do you think that she knows that all of her wardrobe and beauty products come from the same source? Do you think she would have bought them if she did? Probably not, and that’s what makes LVMH so powerful in the industry today. As powerful as 77,000 employees worldwide and an annual revenue of 17.053 billion Euros (net profit of 1.973 billion in 2009).

LVMH was created in 1987 after the wine group Moët Hennessy merged with the leather goods and fashion house Louis Vuitton. Over the years and after many taking-overs, the group grew to control more than 60 different labels, mostly in Fashion, beauty, wine and jewelry. The acquired companies keep their identities and maintain some kind of an autonomic activity, but they all report to the same headquarters. Practically speaking, you buy LVMH products all the time, without even knowing.

In the group’s little black book one might find all of the examples above plus Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Acqua di Parma, Benefit Cosmetics, Hublot, Zenith, Château d’Yquem, Loewe, StefanoBi, Dom Pérignon, Chaumet, Le Bon Marché, and the list goes on and on…

And the plot thickens when you go up a scale – the group Christian Dior owns 42 % of LVMH’s shares (wait, aren’t they supposed to compete ?). Both groups are under the control of a privet company – Group Arnault SAS who belongs to the french business man Mr. Bernard Arnault, chairman of both Christian Dior and LVMH. According to Forbes Magazine, Arnault is the world’s 7th richest person, with an estimated wealth of 27.5 billion Dollars (before the Hermes ambush).

Does it all sounds too complicated to you ? Maybe you should start reading the financial newspaper Les Echos. Can you guess who it belongs to ?

*hint : it’s a four-letters initials.

Christy Turlington, Natalia Vodianova and Karen Elson by Steven Meisel

I was wondering online when I came across this outfit on Cos’s web site (*Info: Cos is the higher-quality label of Hennes & Mauritz, more known as H&M).

To the untrained eye, this would be a dress, but a closer look reveals another picture…

Like a wardrobe from IKEA, so is this dress from Cos (maybe it’s a swedish thing?) – You have to buy it by pieces. The sleeves come separately from the top, and the skirt isn’t really for sale, it’s only there for the catalog…  Never did a fashion company remind me more of a car thief  (:

Goodbye sun, beach and shopping… My two-weeks-long vacation had reached its brutal end, but on the way back to Paris, my suitcase is filled with some of the work of Israel’s finest.

The Tel-Avivian people are very fashion-alerted, but the unforgiving sun of the Middle East forces them to make some compromises in their outfits (flip-flops – yes, shorts – yes, jeans – Oh no! Black – are you suicidal or what?). As a result, the Tel Avivian chic is very different from the European poised allure. The Israeli touch is colorful, eclectic and eccentric, and so are the talents emerging from the city’s streets.

During my visit, the annual Accessories Festival took place. There, in a forest of leather bags, belts, hats and shoes, something out of the ordinary caught my eye; Glued together and bound on a necklace, there they were – Snow White and her seven dwarfs.

Generous, beautiful and humoristic, this piece represents with success the woman standing behind it – Liat Ginzburg.  Three years ago she was still teaching art and photography in schools. Today, her unusual designs are starring on Israeli magazines covers, on celebrities’ necks and in prime time TV shows. «As a girl, I took apart my mother and grandmother’s dresses and shoes and assembled my jewelry”, Liat explains the radical change of career, “I always knew that something big has to happen to me in this field. It was burning Inside of me».

Something was burning alright… Enough to design and sell a Lego-house head-band, or a parrot necklace. “It doesn’t seem THAT bold to me!”, the designer defends her creations, “My sources of inspiration are colorful… Frida Kahlo, Almodóvar… Poetry, art and literature… So I just started doing what felt right. I was sincere, and people accepted it”.

For the moment, Liat’s jewelry is mostly available in Israel. Some of her designs are sold in the Parisian stores Franck et Fils and Victoire (hoping to expand soon…).
Prices: Neck pieces 180-430 euros, earings 80-150, braclets 90-170.

Wow….Oooo… Hoooo…

After a loooong wait, and even though H&M kind of stole their thunder with the whole Lanvin buzz…. This week Zara had finally opened its online store.

It was really just a matter of time. For a while now, things were going a bit too smoothly in the fashion blogging field. The biggest bloggers have been wooed by the most luxurious fashion houses for several years now; they are invited to the front row in fashion week and get expensive gifts by the dozen. But now a mini web-storm is threatening to touch this indulgent milieu in France. The credibility and very image of all fashion bloggers is hanging in the balance.

It all began with the crossing of an invisible line. The 3rd most popular French fashion blogger, Miss Pandora (with 15,000-20,000 visits per day!), decided to pose for a campaign of the French label “Comptoir Des Cotonniers” with her mother (traditionally, the ads of this brand show couples of mothers and daughters using the same garment of clothing).

Suddenly, a rain of criticism fell on Pandora’s head. The relationship between bloggers and labels became the hottest issue of the day, with articles and analysis all over the net. The attention, the gifts, the privet parties, the hidden sponsorships… Are the bloggers under influence? Asked L’Express magazine. Are they bribed? Wondered Rue89 website. Are they breaking an ethical code when they write about a dress they “adore” and fail to mention this was a gift? Or when they pose in a pair of shoes made by their own label, without full disclosure?

The answer is yes, they are breaking the ethical code of journalism. But they are not journalists.

The real problem is that the difference between journalism and blog writing has gotten too vague. After all, many respectable journalists write a blog on the side and many major events are covered by bloggers… My first reaction says that we have to keep in mind that these are two worlds apart. But judging by the state of the press nowadays, blogs might be the neo-journalism. Nevertheless, If they want to stay relevant, bloggers will have to adopt certain professional ethics, or they will lose their credibility sooner then expected.

Pandora played with fire, but i can only assume that with today’s buzz she got much more visits than Betty or Alix (first and second French fashion blogs)…. And visibility is the name of the game, right?