A Croissant & Sequin-Packed Day At Paris Fashion Week With Caroline Vazzana

The thought of a New York girl visiting Paris during Fashion Week and pretending she’s Emily Cooper is by no means original, and yet, who could resist? Every time I visit Paris feels like the first, though technically, this is the 10th. The petites cafés, the smell of croissants, and the sparkling Eiffel Tower at night.

Though my Fashion Week schedule here is hectic, no Parisian morning is complete sans un croissant and un pain au chocolat. Only after that can one face the day and begin the process of getting dressed. 

My first look was a tulle dress layered over sequined jeans - I've been loving styling dresses over pants lately and highly recommend. Roger Vivier neon kitten heels on and ultra tiny fuzzy bag at the ready, I made my way to the beloved accessory brand's presentation, which is always a highlight of my week. Four floors filled to the brim with shoes! Practically my heaven. 

Heart shaped stilettos, bedazzled platforms, I could’ve spent all day there in a trance. But Fashion Week is no time to linger, and so I was off to the next. 

I’ve been going to Sandro's presentations since my very first Fashion Week (pre-TikTok, if you can believe it), so it’s always exciting to be back. Sandro always does such stunning suiting, and I’m still dreaming about a three piece set they had that featured a blazer mini skirt and layered underneath were tailored trousers! Anywho they also had bedazzled jeans, so yeah, I got their vibe and they got mine.

While Paris is certainly the City Of Lights, it's also the City of Photo Ops, and so a quick break was in order for my husband to grab some outfit photos. 

Bless his heart - squatting in a suit on the streets of Paris is the modern definition of true love. 

Five hundred photos later (I’m not exaggerating) we made our way to the Maje presentation. Pink suiting, rhinestone lined shorts, popsicles, all things I love.

Starved and ready for a proper break, we popped into a little bakery and got sandwiches to bring back to our hotel. 

Inside this super sweet Parisian woman asked me if it was my wedding because of how I was dressed - if only she knew this was an everyday kind of look for moi! 

Back in my room I ordered a Coke Zero (which always just tastes better in Paris!) for a much-needed kick of caffeine before a long night of events. 

Around 5PM Smashbox Cosmetics sent over a hair and makeup team to get me glam for the night. In honor of Christian Cowan's very first Paris Fashion Week show, my outfit was in your face fun, a mix of pink and purple sequins with feathers sprinkled in for good measure. Barbie herself could never. In keeping with the theme, for glam we went with a glittery smokey eye and big messy curls. 

It's basically illegal not to take photos in front of the Eiffel Tower during Paris Fashion Week. My secret to taking photos in very public spaces is to just tune out the noise and only focus on you and the shot. If you care too much what others think, it’ll ruin the moment - that goes for any time in life! 

After my big shoot, I headed to the American Cathedral in Paris for the show. Christian Cowan knows how to do glamour, setting the scene with moody red lighting, having an actual disco ball walk the runway, surprising the crowd with a special performance by Sam Smith. 

I ended the jam-packed day by slipping into a shiny pair of beautiful red bottom shoes for the Christian Louboutin show and after-party. For this particular occasion I wore a royal blue heeled boots with gold studs styled alongside a matching vintage Betsey Johnson dress and tights. 

Sipping champagne, dancing the night away at the Palais de Tokyo, my luck is not lost on me.

[Photos courtesy Caroline Vazzana]