My fav. new booties (Chanel, of course) and the invite - Thank you to my friend MB for this artistic shot!

Virgin …. (Paris Fashion Week "virgin" that is) is what I was till I landed in Paris on March 1st and life took on a new meaning! I am well aware of the fact that you guys know I’m prone to exaggeration but I swear this is the truth, the honest truth and nothing but the truth. I’ll definitely write another blog post to recap all the shows I attended but this particular one I HAVE to dedicate to the one and only CHANEL.

The night before the Chanel show a bunch of us attended a private dinner at a very cool and sexy restaurant called Castel. Imagine red-ish burgundy velvet walls and banquettes, narrow staircases with the walls lined with unique photographs and sketches, low-lit rooms with the most exquisite chandeliers and a rose scented aroma in the air. Did I mention there's a club in the basement of the restaurant? The following morning was the Chanel show that was held at The Grand Palais. As I mentioned earlier, I’d never been to PFW (several times to NYFW for sure and that’s a detail I’m proud to mention since that has it’s own charm too) but I’d often heard, seen and read about the elaborate undertaking that is the Chanel show.

However, to be a part of it was indeed something I’d never imagined! A sweet friend of mine, David Holt, said something before I left for Paris that really resonated with me. On hearing that I was going to attend the Chanel show he said it is a real blessing and that I should cherish the moment. I recognize that the word “blessed” is completely and utterly overused especially in social media but David’s words stayed with me and that is exactly what I experienced as I walked into the woods that Karl Lagerfeld had created for his show. The invite, as you can see in the picture with my boots, had an orange leaf on it. As I walked in I was hit with the realization that the leaf on the invitation had just been a teaser because the entire floor of the Grand Palais was carpeted with crunchy, brown and orange autumn leaves and twigs against a photographed forest backdrop along with many trees and a moss-strewn glade that I feel I can’t describe properly in words. Needless to say, this blog post is very pic-heavy as that is the best way to show you what I witnessed. The highlight of the morning for me, other than being in this re-imagined forest surrounded by the fashion world, all clad in Chanel, was to see Kaia Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s daughter) walk the runway. She is as exquisite, as her mom – talk about a genetic lottery because the dad and brother aren’t shabby either. And of course, to see Karl Lagerfeld walk out briefly after the show ended!!

After the show ended a group of us, as guests of Chanel, headed for lunch to L’Avenue, an attitude riddled but super chic restaurant for the fashion darlings and one of the best places to pose (my dream) & people watch during (and otherwise) fashion week.

At Coco Chanel's apartment - this is where she sat and watched her shows while they were being reflected in these mirrors.

Coco's (yes, we're on a first name basis now) couch!

One would think we’d all had enough of Chanel, right? Wrong:) The next day we were fortunate enough to visit 31 Rue Cambon, the address that houses the first ever Chanel boutique on the ground floor. The first floor has a large reception area that was used to present her collections and for fittings with her Haute Couture clients. A mirror lined stairway leads to her second floor apartment which is filled with many of her private treasures (of course, I got a pic taken here). I managed to take a few pics and have added them here for you all to savor as well. Hope you'll enjoy my trip into the world of Chanel via my blog post!