Press-ing On: Paris Fashion Week SS17

Bonjour tout le monde! Can I just say, that you really don't get anywhere in life without pushing boundaries and stepping out your comfort zone. This trip proved this for me.

Last Monday I confirmed my Press ticket, booked flights and flew that same Friday.

It all happened so quickly and yet so casually that the reality of what occurred quite honestly didn't hit until the plane ride back! How wonderful it is that we can book flights to another country and be there in the same time it takes to get to another UK city.

Paris is one of those cities that I am constantly drawn back to - coincidently last time I was there a year ago, I said I would come back in Autumn 2016.

It is the beauty, the vibe and the experience.

You walk down the central streets and there is beauty on every corner.

You sit in a cafe and you want to chill out, and observe the world go by.

No experience of Paris is ever the same - at least for me. I feel like I've soaked up life just from being there 48 hours. You feel reenergised - depending on where you go.

I would say that there aren't many cities I have been to that give me that same feeling.

It was the most classic fashionista weekend - you are welcome to judge, but I loved it ;)

We arrived Friday evening and I was compelled to celebrate the start of le weekend with a flute of prosecco, darling, at dinner.

Saturday was a beautiful mix of vintage shop shopping and people-watching in the Le Marais area. (In Paris one must of course do as the Parisians do and gaze upon each others lives and stories - to be fair it is an awesome game). Followed by a cheeky crêperie find on the Île de la Cité for lunch, squished into the tiny space in the window table - and I spotted a woman who looked suspiciously similar to a model in the summer Dolce & Gabbana ads.

Appetites satisfied we got back to our hostel near the Louvre Palace and got ready for the evening.

My outfit for this evening was inspired by the general Parisian preference for elegance - and the colour black. The fun is in the detail.

It turns out my hunch was correct as the majority of the Frow was in black but gold or red embroidered clothing.

For the after-party look I switched the boots for simple black ballerinas with a gold detail - to match the jacket buttons.

The second time around I knew exactly what I was doing. We got prosecco and headed backstage - with plenty stares but whatevs.

I have to say I wasn't drawn to as many lines as in London. Sure there were a couple - and one that stood out to me - but my eyes didn't burst out my eye sockets in a cartoonish way.

I loved the Uwi Twins and Vejits, with their wearable designs and colours.

But the one that stood out for me was most definitely Zulfiya Sulton! The beautiful mix of colour and texture in her line was so wonderful to watch. This was the one line I was drawn to before, during and after the show.

A line should make a customer excited and this line did exactly that. I felt the excited energy of wearing such wonderful fabric and prancing down the street like a fairytale princess going to the ball, just from one small handful of the fabric!

Any dress or skirt with a flouncy hemline makes me happy. Ones you can do sassy, playful twists in.

Revelling in the beautiful city, my friend Beckie and I made our way back to our hostel via food and the Louvre to get some night shots.

Who would have thought that we would stumble upon a Capoeira group next to one of the Louvre triangles!

I momentarily forgot I was in Europe as we watched a roda around half eleven at night film a session. They had gloves with lights on the finger tips and I'm sure with a slightly better camera than my own, it looked fantastic!

Back at Louvre Youth Hostel we had that "do we, don't we" moment of deciding whether we definitely wanted to go out or not - and then did!

I refused to potentially miss another Fashion Week party (the last one because of my knees) so we hopped on the Metro and got over to the Trocadero area. Where we discovered it was a €20 entrance fee but then drinks were at least three times that much...

I blurted out that Beckie didn't feel well to the bouncers at the door and we went for a wander instead.

Nabbing a couple of hot chocolates we sat on the steps in front of the Eiffel Tower and watched it light up around 1am.

It truly is a marvellous sight, and it gets me every time.

Although I am no longer a student so I can't get the discounted entrance - somehow the Eiffel Tower is the one tourist landmarks that I will never tire of.

Perhaps because it has become a symbol of hope and love - despite it's history. Or because like a magpie I like sparkly, shiny things. Or it could just be that I have always loved cities at night and it simply just looked very magical.

We eventually got back around 2ish I think - so we basically did a night out - and were asleep by 3:30am.

Sunday consisted of meandering around the 1st arrondissement, taking in the Place de la Concorde fountain featured in the Devil Wears Prada film - which was actually on for once!

It really was a buzzing centre of fashion and art. A photoshoot team came and went, a bride and groom squinted into the autumn sun for their shoot and we of course took our own among the many other tourists.

Then after lunch we were back on the RER to our separate terminals and on our way home.

As I waited for my plane, I remembered back to summer 2013 when I was waiting in that exact terminal for my flight connection to São Paulo and how far I had come since. I smiled a little.

I want to leave you with a question that Beckie and I asked ourselves on Saturday night: what will you have completed by the end of 2016?

Han x

P.s. my outfit:

• Shirt: Forever 21
• Skirt: New Look
• Tights: Primark
• Boots: New Look
• Jacket: Zara
• Bag: Free P'Star
• Necklace: Accessorize
• Lipstick: Bad Blood (Urban Decay)