Paris SS11 Recap

Paris Fashion Week S/S 11 - 12 Shows Total
1 Opening Slot
0 Closing Slots

Balenciaga - 1 Look
Balmain - 2 Looks
Celine - 1 Look
Chanel (O) - 2 Looks
Chloe - 2 Looks
Isabel Marant - 3 Looks
Lanvin - 2 Looks
Louis Vuitton - 1 Look
Miu Miu - 1 Look
Stella McCartney - 2 Looks
Valentino - 2 Looks
Yves Saint Laurent - 2 Looks

Ahhh, what a month it's been. We finally come to the end of the SS11 season, and while I'm always sad to see the shows end, I'm relieved and happy that I can get my life back. I'm sure most of you feel the same way. No more hunching over the computer compiling showlists, no more straining your eyes to take in a fuzzy live stream, no more searching through magazine sites for backstage pictures, no more any of that. As happy as we are, I can only imagine how elated the models, designers, editors, buyers, etc are to be going home to finally sleep in their own beds after a month straight of traveling. But I suppose there's no rest for the weary, for there is always business to take care of. Speaking of, Freja's Paris recap follows.....

SS11 seemed to end with a whimper and not a bang. After numerous closings and openings in New York and Milan, Freja left Paris with only one under her belt. A bit disappointing, but I know I'm being pretty ridiculous here. It's like being sad about getting an A on a test instead of an A+. It was a wonderful season overall, and Paris gave us a number of good appearances. The week started on Thursday, two days after shows started. Freja didn't walk for Dries Van Noten on Wednesday (which was the biggest disappointment for me since I love Dries), but she was at Balmain and Balenciaga as expected. These shows are staples in her runway repertoire and it's just comforting to see her on their runways.

I think one reason why Paris seemed a bit quiet for me was because it lacked surprises. It was all a bit predictable. On Friday Freja walked for Isabel Marant and Lanvin, both eagerly anticipated shows that we all expected her to be at. Don't get me wrong, she looked great; but it was all a bit boring......maybe that's just the show season fatigue speaking in me. I do love to see Freja at Marant, mostly because her models always look so chic, effortless and stunningly beautiful. There's just something about that Parisian, bohemian style that gets me every single time. And do I even need to mention that both Marant and Lanvin are known for their own respective interpretations of femininity? So I do LOVE that Freja is a runway regular at both shows.

The weekend was definitely slow and quiet, with Freja only walking for Celine on Sunday. But most of the shows that happened over the weekend weren't shows I expected Freja to walk for. Yeah, I hoped for Givenchy, but that was just a pipe dream. After her refusal to smile at Rykiel two seasons ago, it will be a miracle if we ever see here there again. And with Karl Lagerfeld's namesake line discontinued, that left Celine. But since it's Celine, that made everything ok in my book for Phoebe Philo can do no wrong.

Monday brought about a flurry of activity compared to the slow weekend. Freja started the day at Stella McCartney with two sleek, but trendy looks. Denim? Conspicuous prints? Check and check....expect to see a lot of those come spring. Next came Chloe and my two favorite looks of the week. It's just so nice to see Freja look simple and refined. Her true beauty really shined through because this kind of pared down styling enhances and compliments her features. It's the kind of thing that makes me remember just how pretty Freja is; because to tell you the truth, I do forget sometimes. I look at so many pictures of Freja and so many different models, especially during fashion season, that everything kind of blends together and loses its impact after a while. So it's nice to be reminded. :) I also love how Freja is giving the side-eye in her first Chloe look. Anyway, Monday ended with two looks at Yves Saint Laurent. With rumors running rampant about Pilati leaving and the inevitable shakeups that would cause, we should enjoy Freja at YSL while we can!

As I've made pretty clear, I love Karl Lagerfeld. And after this season I love Chanel. On Tuesday Freja opened the Chanel show at the Grand Palais along with Stella Tennant. If you haven't seen video of this show yet, stop reading this and go watch! This is fashion at its best: it whisks you away and drops you off in a fantasy land where everything is beautiful and problems don't exist. For 15 minutes you can forget about your daily life, or the problems that plague the world, or the upcoming midterm elections in the US. Yeah fashion can be frivolous, but sometimes you really just need a good 15 minutes full of frivolity. The day continued on with Freja walking for Valentino. Two shows for two brands, both featuring Freja in their campaigns. Chanel has already signed her on again, can we expect the same for Valentino?

And this brings us to today (or I guess yesterday considering the time it is here), the last day of Paris Fashion Week and the SS11 season. Again, no surprises.....just two good shows. Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu. The former being a nice reprise after an absence last season. The later being the always dependable and pleasant end to the season.

So there you have it! A post season mega wrap up to come later, after I pay some attention to all the life things I've basically ignored these past few weeks. I tell you, the more seasons I follow the shows, the more things and models (beside Freja) I develop an interest in. It's fun, but it makes it a pain to try and follow everything. Anyone else have this problem too? Or am I basically just talking to a bunch of hardcore Freja-only fans? :) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the season! Our girl did great and we should all be proud. Now everyone can rest, relax a bit and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Image Credits: style.it