Paris Fashion Week: Day 2

THURSDAY
11am – With each season, the Carven show becomes a slightly bigger deal. That’s because the brand’s creative director Guillaume Henry has formulated a unique, girly twist on French dressing that is not only trés cool, but also surprisingly affordable as far as French labels go. For fall, he seems to be betting on the oversized trend with a range of voluminous belted coats in soft, slouchy shapes and a mix of fuzzy textures. It’s hard to deny the appeal of a warm, nubby coat in France’s frigid weather and I’m guessing we’ll be seeing many of them this week. But Guillaume’s especially stand out because they come in spring-like, candied almond colors, which make a nice contrast to all of the navy and black outerwear that designers have shown this season.  Because when you’re dying for the sight of spring on a glacial February day, a statement coat in a bold, bright pink makes a pretty good substitute for the sun.

1pm – The façade of the new Karl Lagerfeld store in Saint Germain des Pres looks like it is covered in giant black, studs. That’s so Karl. Inside, where his autumn/winter 13 line is on show, the studs are just as ubiquitous, showing up on the collar of a simple black shirt dress or on a pair of fingerless gloves. The collection is filled with many of the designer’s hallmarks that are as unmistakable as his famous soundbites: the mostly black and white palette (with the exception of a few moments in plum and blue), the edgy biker jackets (reinvented here in wool and leather) and the razor jeans and trousers. I’m especially impressed with a simple, tomboyish tweed blazer, which epitomizes that unique brand of unfussy, Left Bank rocker girl chic that Lagerfeld’s eponymous line has become known for.