RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Vogue Fashion Night Out on Avenue Montaigne 2011

8 September 2011. Paris. There is only one place to be – avenue Montaigne, the heart of fashion. The most famous fashion street world over. Glamour, chic, fame – this is an art to walk on this avenue tonight. The great world of fashion unfolds all specter of colors and styles. Thousands of people came to celebrate Vogue Night Out, taste champagne of big houses and buy extraordinary pieces from the hands of creators. How about trying dress under professional look of Jean Paul Gaultier himself, and to see how he is getting you a jacket to ensemble your dress, and ask you to try the shoes? You can't resist, you can't refuse such offer.





Everything is possible for every Cinderella until midnight. Although your new extra luxurious outfit won't turn into tatters later on. Because we are not living in fairy tale – this is reality. You can drive Vogue fancy cars exhibited on streets, looking like pumpkins, but they were fashioned that way to amuse modern Cinderellas, to make them feel the art of speed on highway. Not a golden flourish carriage but ultra speed “pumpkin” can bring you from one place to another faster then wave of magic wand.





Envy to try this modern amusement after greeting Olivier Rousteing - new designer of Balmain, three top models Anja Rubik, Isabeli Fontana and Natasha Poly gave last sparkle look to the photographers and left. Top models with new editor-in-chief of French Vogue magazine Emmanuelle Alt, followed by photographers and exited crowed, were visiting couple of big shops on avenue Montaigne, giving away couple of kisses here and there, making up this evening for everyone who was there.





After visiting the greatest ones, under irresistible influence of my dearest friend editor-in-chief of Moon One TV, noble and brilliant Franck Clere, me and my fashion crew did detour to couple of ultra modern shops, giving our admiration to the new raising stars of High fashion. Never in the world I would miss a chance to be kissed by the one and only, the fairy Prince Charming of magic elegant classic couture Marcel Marongiu, designer of Guy Laroche, and to be turned into Princess by his magic touch. His artistic creativity has no limits or boundaries. There are still in my mind his pieces from Spring Summer 2011 collection: floating feminine looks in muted romantic colors, black and white contemporary ensembles; and the amazing off-the-shoulder red dresses from Fall Winter 2011-2012 collection. I can't wait to see his new creations to be rapt to the heaven of refined sophisticated subtile world.





Meeting on street Yassen Samouilov, designer of new Haute Couture house “On aura tout vu” (We've seen everything), with his team was one of high lights of my evening. Yassen is always amused with the play of fabrics, objects, light, colors, so the true and false are always intermingling in the collection. Live pigeons, eggs, feathers and aviation accessories took over the runway of his last Spring Summer Haute Couture collection. In his imagination there are never enough sparkle, never enough feathers and never enough mix of classic elegant European forms and Afro-Asian motives. He showed me his new play this time – the jewelry collection, “insected” into Venetian style. Strong and romantic way to make the style and finish the look. What can I do for him more then to bright his sparks in front of France 2 TV, and give away all his creative brilliance?





“These boots are made for walking”, and not only for watching - that is the only hope every woman has when she gets herself an exquisite pair of high heels. That night on avenue Montaigne was the perfect place to see how hard could it be: six hours of walking and after-midnight dancing with the most courageous team of boutique Atmosphere. Anyway it was solid “proof of the pudding”.





There is always a star dust in the last moments of passing away evening. The moments what we appreciate the most are the moments when we open in front of each other and capable to be like kids with bold honesty, dancing, laughing, turning this world upside down, and feel happy about it. These moments what I have with my team I treasure the most. My team are my wonderful photographers, designers, cameramen, journalists, and anyone else who shares with us this spirit of always newborn creativity.





Fashion world is not a superficial luxurious environment – it is the world of always reborn creative energy from it's own dust like Phoenix. This night is out. All lights are down and we are already ready for new adventure tomorrow on all streets of Paris. Fashion is everywhere under the sun, and gives it sparks at night to everyone who is capable to feel it.




Eleonora de Gray

Photographer Pierre-Yves Le Strat

29 September. Fashion week. Devastee, Pierre Cardin and Guy Laroche fashion shows.

Fashion week in Paris heats up for fall. This season all catwalks are given to young fashion Asian designers. I see in official scheduler 12 of them. All are exiting different and extremely creative, bringing something to Paris what we haven't see for a long time.
I made a random choice of the Asian fashion designers what I'd like to see this season – known and absolutely new names. I like differences. I made my choice by my way of seeing elegance, colors and shapes. Of course there's always black white and red, and there's also the classic shapes of starlets, sexy secretary of fifties.
My first fashion show this season was the first show of little mark Devastee. Two French designers Ophelie Klere and Francois Alary, decided to go to Japan in their creations – push out the daisies in black and white movie tape of fashion. Theme of black and white movies comes in chic of peasants. Black and white floral print is an interesting twist on the classic spring look - definitely a departure from the bold boring colors.
“The gates were opened, the hinges were singing their loneliness” - that's the main theme of the collection. Floral sad Pierrot, who has nothing to do with Commedia dell Arte. An approach of could, and I felt like my heart is slowing down, my blood is freezing in this New Ice Age. Could summer of 2011 – an unusual combination of economic forces brought us together this morning, and don't let us to be lonely and don't freeze to death.







From this freezing world I came directly to colorful summer collection of Pierre Cardin. Pierre Cardin, the pioneer of Space Age fashion back in the 1960s, re-launched his catwalk career after a 10-year absence, at the Paris prêt-à-porter season. The 88-year-old designer proved he can still boldly go into the future, with a spring/summer 2011 collection which featured his 'n' hers, astronaut-style bodysuits in hot pink, rubber jewellery, UFO-bubble-hats, neon-bright, architectural mini-dresses and cyber-look crinolines in silk brocade. Still glorious, still talented, still surprising.
This is one of the amazing shows this fashion week for me. This show of 60th anniversary of fashion house. The symbol of great class and experiment and elegance Pierre Cardin told in his interview that he would never hand over his label to a younger designer, explaining that, "No, because I have five people sketching for me who are very young. And I think the young designers of today are less avant-garde than I am. I'm still in good shape, I work every day."
Cardin designed the collection to represent a four-season, and give us a tour of his own fashion galaxy. The man who made his mark on the 20th century with far-reaching, futuristic designs, once worn by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, reclaimed his auditorium in order to prove his "name" is still a viable force in the 21st century: something already demonstrated by the fact Lady Gaga recently wore one of his metallic, chain-mail creations.
The original fashion Trekkie, Pierre Cardin, began the show with his and her futuristic jumpsuits in bright fuchsia, cobalt blue, metallic and brown. Next, came little, mini cocktail dresses in futuristic and avant-garde colors. It reminds me spirit of avant-garde and futuristic painters, architectonic designers and poets. In his collections was everything in great collaboration – geometric forms and poetic elegance mixed in styles of 20th and 50th. Casual and cocktail dresses, futuristic rain coats and bridal gowns showed great specter of Pierre Cardin vision and creativity in mixture of different styles epochs, profound light trough of 100 years of our history, culture, dreams about universe and still being under sign “down to Earth”.
Personally I adore his hats and futuristic silhouettes what came from classy fifties, which gives amazing elegance of creative and modern woman.





































After Pierre Cardin I was heading to Guy Laroche fashion show. Different world – warm, soft made by muted colors made me feel.... well like real French lady type of Catherine Deneuve and almost saying something like “lamour toujours”. Rephrase: born to be blond or not to be – there's no matter, Marcel Marongiu, the designer of Guy Laroche, will make you feel like real blond.
The military collection of Marcel Marongiu’s was inspired by strength of modern woman who likes her independence and in the same time soft and unresisting attraction. Classy French blond with pistol who can ones and for all damage poor men hearts.
Simple style and yet sophisticated look is presentation of feminine tailored basics – that is real French couture. The show itself seemed to almost mimic the changing of the seasons. The collection started out in cool neutrals – shades of taupe, dusty pink, gray, and navy dominated the first third of the show, a reminder of the slow transition from winter to spring. A pop of orange followed in a matching printed silk chiffon top and pants, as well as in a belted dress whose mini skirt had a daring slit up the side, marking the collection’s full embrace of spring in royal blue, lemon yellow, and crisp white. Floor-length yellow printed dresses and an equally ethereal purple printed chiffon mini dress are “Le Bouquet Finale” of the collection.
Indeed I enjoyed the show and soft vision for the business woman made with class and tailors attention.