Nowadays the bloggers reporting on the runway are as closely watched as the collections. Camille Charrière – aka Camille Over the Rainbow – is one of the style stars who brings her followers the runway, front row and after-party action as it happens. The fashionista reveals what it takes to get through a manic Fashion Month. How did you become a fashion blogger? How do you get ready for Fashion Month? How do you plan to cover the A/W 2015-16 shows? What shows are you attending? If you were going to a show now, what would you wear? What are your beauty essentials? What is your best memory of a show? Do you keep a healthy lifestyle during Fashion Month? What do you like about Fashion Month? What do you hate about Fashion Month? What city do you look forward to the most?
I grew up in France and after graduating law school I moved to London but I was unable to find a job. I went to work in finance and really didn’t like it, so I started the blog on the side to have sort of a creative outlet. After doing that for a year, I got a job at Net-a-Porter on the editorial team. Meanwhile my blog kept growing to the point where I was earning more through my blog than my job. I was given all these great opportunities that I had to turn down because of office hours, so in January 2013 I decided to make it a full-time occupation.
This year, for the first time, I took a big holiday before Fashion Month because last year I was so tired by the end of it I made myself really ill. My solution for the coming month is to not be too fashion-focused because I know I will be getting a high dose of it. So I do more travel-related or culture-related things to add a bit of diversity to the schedule.
This year I’m doing the two Scandinavian fashion weeks (Stockholm and Copenhagen), New York, London and Paris. I attend the shows and then I write about the ones that I found interesting. Instagram is a big part of the job now: it gives instant coverage of our outfits, what we are seeing on the runway and streets, and a glimpse into the after-parties – it’s like taking your reader with you into that world. I try to immerse them in my experience by posting a couple of show pictures of what I wear and who I hang out with to give them this 360 degree view.
I’m doing some big ones like Chloé, Isabel Marant and Balmain in Paris. In London, I’ll go to Christopher Kane and Burberry. And in New York: Altuzarra, Proenza [Schouler] and Calvin Klein. I will be doing some consulting for a French shop, so I go as their representative in NYC. When I’m not financing myself completely, I’m always quite difficult with the brand who takes me out because I need to know I can be impartial enough in my reviews. I like going with high street brands: they give you a lot of freedom in the schedule and clothes you can wear. In the past I went as a Mango fashion insider – it was a great partnership because all I had to do was inject a couple of Mango pieces into my wardrobe. They weren’t trying to dress me head to toe, which I wouldn’t have agreed to anyway. It was a very cool and relaxed experience. When I was working for Net-a-Porter, I had to take holidays to go to Fashion Month!
I’d wear what I’m wearing today. It’s super relaxed: Acne boots with a Joseph pair of leather leggings which I’ve had for years, a Bruuns Bazaar black knit and this awesome patchy suede Topshop coat. If I’m in Paris, I might make a little more effort, but my approach to fashion week is “Come as you are” because that’s what my readers are interested in. I’ll try and incorporate some trends I see coming for next season because it will bring inspiration to the readers for the following months.
My makeup routine is very simple. I try to focus on having nice skin, so on an everyday basis it means lots of water and getting a decent amount of sleep, which isn’t the easiest part. I use La Mer face cream, a NARS tinted moisturizer and a bit of mascara. I think girls look fresher and prettier when they wear less makeup. When I go out with my British friends, being French is my get out of jail free card: I show up with unbrushed messy hair and they love the famous French “effortlessness”. But in my case, it’s a real lack of effort [laughs]!
My very first was a Jean Paul Gaultier couture show when I was 16 working as a hostess. The girls were smoking down the runway, and the music was beating – it was just so much fun! The other one is last year’s Stella McCartney show in Paris. It was in the Opéra and the finale was like an old Sonia Rykiel one with all the girls laughing and dancing. She came up on the runway with her kids and it was great to see the woman behind the super famous designer.
Not during Fashion Month and not during the rest of the year! I’m really unhealthy and it’s my biggest resolution for this year because I’m 27 now and I can feel I need to start exercising properly.
Seeing all my friends from all around the world. It’s like a big summer camp!
All the traveling is very tiring – I know it can sound like a spoilt thing to say, but being away from home for so long and not seeing your family can be very hard.
Paris is home for me, so I get to see my friends and it’s the best in terms of fashion. The designers always come up with these wonderful ideas that blow you away.
All eyes on the catwalk…and Camille Charrière
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