Danielle Steel's Blog, page 42

4/27/15, Writing…

Hi Everyone!

I’m going to take a week off from posting my blog, since i’m really busy writing at the moment. Have a great week!

love,

Danielle

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4/20/15, Your Question

Hi Everyone,

I hope all is well with you. I was very, very touched and pleased that you all liked my blog about the Shabbat Dinner, and were very interested in the fantastic red headed writer/film maker I mentioned, super active, still working hard, who just celebrated her 87th birthday. So I wanted to write to you to give you the info. Many of you wanted to read her book. She is the lady I mentioned who was deported at 14 or 15, and survived 4 concentration camps during World War II.

Her name is Marcelline Loridan-Ivens, and the book is called, in French, “Et tu n’es pas revenu”, which means “And you didn’t come back”. (The publisher is ‘Grasset’, a French publishing house). I don’t know if the book has been translated into English or not, but I imagine you could find out on the Internet. The title and the book really, refer to her father. She was caught and deported with him. They were separated in the camps they were in (in different buildings, but the same camps), but they managed to see each other a few times, but he didn’t survive the camps and was killed there. And she survived and went home to Paris when the camps were liberated at the end of the war. The book is incredibly poignant and touching, and clearly she and the whole family were deeply marked by her father’s not surviving. She talks about a letter her father wrote to her and managed to get to her in the camp. The deprivation, and the anguish, and the horrors of the camps come through her words so powerfully, when she speaks and when she writes. It’s quite a short book, but moved me tremendously. She goes right to the heart of the feelings and the experience. She’s a strong woman and a survivor, despite her tiny size. When she was deported, her mother and the two younger children escaped and were hidden by people for the rest of the war, and her two older siblings joined the Resistance and survived the war. (The Resistance were the brave people who did everything they could to sabotage the Germans while they occupied France). So out of 5 children, only she and her father were caught and deported to the concentration camps. And yet she survived it. She really is a monument to the strength of the human spirit. And the book is powerful and wonderful. I hope you can find it in a language you speak. It is a wonderful book!!!

Some of you were confused too by my saying I hadn’t been to a Shabbat dinner before, but ‘have been 3 or 4 times. When I went to the first Shabbat Dinner I was invited to, I had never been before. It was a Chanukah Dinner. Since then, the same friends have invited me 2 or 3 more times. I love it, and am always thrilled to go.

I hope you can find Marcelline’s book. I don’t usually answer questions in the blog, because there are so many of them. But so many of you asked about this lady, and her book, I really wanted you to know the information. Take care, and have a great week!!

love, Danielle

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4/13/15, Hope

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a good week last week. Mine was a little scrambled, with cancelled plans, sick kids, and a lot of work to do. The usual stuff of life that we all deal with every day. No one is exempt from petty aggravations, changes of plans, unexpected bills, flat tires and the things that annoy us all, not to mention the big things that shake us up more severely.

I’m working on a book, so I was going to keep it short here, and talk about The Big Event in our family: the opening of baseball season!! I love going to baseball games with my youngest son, who is an ardent fan. I have a collection of ‘acceptable’ outfits to support the Giants (who do great even without my support!!), orange loafers, orange and black shoes, a black and orange ‘fan’ jacket, orange sweaters so I don’t freeze when I go to the games. I love going to baseball games with my son (and all the junk I get to eat). So I’m excited that the season is starting. There is always something so wonderful and happy and patriotic about those games. It’s good All American fun!!! So, Go Giants!! Let’s hope they have a great season ahead of them!!! With another shot at the World Series at the end of it!!!

I read your comments to my blogs today, and was very touched by so many of them. You are all so generous and kind to me, and I’m so happy you enjoy the books, that means the world to me. Those who wrote to me liked my blog about ‘resurrection’ on Easter, and said that it gave them hope. And many of you commented that my books give you hope too, when you’re coping with difficult situations. Your comments give me hope!!! I realized a long time ago that one of the essential messages I try to share is that one. Hope. We all deal with difficult things, some more than others, but hope keeps us going and encourages us to hang on. It is so essential in our lives. We need to help each other keep that hope alive, that even in the darkest times, we remember that better times will come. Thank YOU for giving me hope, for sharing my joys,for cheering me up when I’m sad, and for caring about what I write. That is a very precious gift to me. Very, very precious!!! Thank you!!!

There were some very touching messages from people who have lost friends or loved ones, through acts of terrorism, or like the recent suicide plane. It’s incredibly challenging to keep hope alive, and our faith in the human race, faced with such shocking acts that seem so senseless, and are. But whether in our own lives, or in the world, the gift of hope we give each other is essential. If I leave one message on earth when I am gone, through my books or through my life, if I have left even one person with hope in their lives, then my life will have been well spent, and my work worthwhile.

Something else occurred to me today, about how easy it is to shut down and shut people out. To shut out an entire group, a race, a nation, a family, a social group because we have been hurt by one person in that group. It is much easier to shut the door on a whole group, than to recognize that we have been injured by one person, who so poorly represented their ‘group’ and hurt us. I think we have to try to keep the doors open, of our minds, our hearts, our lives, not to generalize, or condemn an entire group for the sins of one person. It made me think of social media too, where we are exposed to so many people and have the illusion that we know them, that we are ‘friends’ with them. Lurking among the thousands or millions of people we encounter online, there are some bad ones lurking, inevitably, and many good ones. Social media can be so invasive, we are bombarded by ideas and messages from people who may be of good will or not. We have to learn to avoid, shut out, and ignore the bad ones, and remember that there are good people in the world too. We have to be wise and cautious, with so much information coming at us all the time, and a friend is someone you truly know and value in real life, not necessarily a stranger who calls themselves a friend, and you really don’t know. Social media helps create illusions with people you really don’t know. We need to be wise and cautious about that.

I hope you have an easy, happy week, and that good things happen to you this week. You have my prayers and warm thoughts—be safe, and hang onto hope in your life!!!

love, Danielle

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4/6/15, Fascinating Dinner

Hi Everyone,

I hope that you’re all doing okay, and that all is well with you.

I had a truly fascinating evening recently, and wanted to share it with you. I was invited to a Shabbat Dinner, (a Sabbath dinner) by friends in Paris. They introduced me to their Sabbath dinners a few years ago, and they give them almost every Friday. I’d never been to one before and didn’t know what to expect the first time, and didn’t think much about it before I went. What I found was a really interesting group of people, of all ages, and the atmosphere was lively, warm, enthusiastic, relaxed, congenial. It was a gathering of all ages, many religions, all walks of life. The friends that do these evenings are a lawyer (she), a cardiologist and researcher (he), and they had friends from their own professions, other lines of work, their children, their children’s friends, their friends’ children. The evening began on a religious note as they lit the candles, said a prayer, chanted a prayer, broke bread and sipped wine (no different from our Christian traditions), and then everyone dug into delicious food and engaged in long, interesting conversations about politics, literature, art, film making, and a million subjects. It is a treat to be invited to their Shabbat dinners, and I look forward to it, every time. I’ve been to 3 or 4 of them now, and it’s a privilege to be invited, and I am always intrigued to see who will be there from their grab bag of friends, colleagues, and young people. And the most recent dinner of theirs that I went to was a knock out, and incredibly eclectic. I love the way they gather people around them, regardless of religion, and one feels warmly welcomed, whatever one’s traditions. (What a contrast to the Catholic traditions I grew up with, with quiet Friday night dinners, and always a meal of fish which I hated, although I loved my religion. But I hated the fish, always felt sick from it, and years later, discovered I was allergic to it). At my friends’ Shabbat dinners, the food is plentiful and varied, Italian, Thai, exotic, hearty, roast beef, many choices, and a huge array of delicious, irresistible, and fattening desserts!!! Even the food is joyful at their table, and everything seems happy. To some degree, although I’ve never been to a Shabbat dinner, other than theirs, I think the evening and the combination of people, interesting mix, and long hours of conversation are more likely to happen in France than in the States. The only thing all the guests have in common at their dinners is that everyone is French, probably not by intention, it just happens that way.

The other thing that always strikes me at their dinners is how seriously educated their guests are, and the variety of jobs they have. My own friends seem to be in business, some in the arts, doctors, lawyers, and have pretty human scale jobs. But their friends are in fields that I never even think of. This time I sat between a nuclear scientist and researcher, whose intellectual capacity is out in the stratosphere somewhere compared to mine, although he was very nice, and he’s married to a school teacher. On my other side was a man who sells gold, the man next to him is the head of all cultural radio in France, there were a film maker, a screen writer, a politician of some kind, several lawyers, the age range was from 2 weeks of age (the hosts just had a baby, their 4th child) to 87 years old, with a group of young people at the far end from 17 to 22, two of them law students (the hosts’ older children). Two birthdays were celebrated, 17 and 87. And all the ages and professions and groups were mixed, and it struck me as I looked down the table of 14 or 16 people, that there were two Catholics I knew of including me, two Muslims, and most of the others were Jewish. We all stood respectfully for the lighting of the candles and chanted prayers, as the baby passed from one set of arms to another, amidst the lively discussions around the table, and as always, the table was crowded with platters of delicious food, Mediterranean, Italian, Greek, roast beef and potatoes. There is something for everyone at their table in terms of religions, personalities, interests, careers, and even food (and way too many delicious cakes, and I tried at least three of them).

The star of the show for me was a tiny woman (I’m 5 feet 1, and she was several inches shorter than I), with bright red hair, a lively personality, she strode into the room looking lively and attractive, bursting with energy, and I guessed her to be about 70, and discovered when we celebrated her birthday later that she was 87, that day. She is a documentary film maker, still busy in her career, just released a new movie, and published a new book, and I found her instantly fascinating as I listened to her at dinner. She was as sharp as a tack, and one of the livelier participants at the table, she had style and energy and a magnetic personality. And listening to her, I discovered that she survived 4 of the worst concentration camps during the war, is a well-known personality, and has made some important documentary films, and was married to a film maker. She was mesmerizing as she talked, and showed us the number tattooed on her arm at one point. She spoke without hesitation or artifice, there was nothing arrogant about her, and listening to her life experiences, especially during the war, was riveting. I have no idea how she survived what she did, and remained whole, alive, full of energy and life. Her family had been decimated by the camps and the war years. Our hostess gave all of us her latest book, which I read the next day, in awe of what she survived in the camps, and how she survived it and demonstrated the strength of the human spirit then and throughout her life. Her book was incredibly touching and poignant, and I was filled with admiration for this woman whom time has not touched, but has been through so much in one lifetime. I felt truly honored to meet her and talk to her.

The dinner ended long after one o*clock, and as always was warm, fascinating, touching. I will long remember the tiny red haired, ageless, timeless woman, so full of life and talent, with a spirit that nothing has destroyed. And once again, I went home feeling so lucky to be included in such a special evening, and to meet so many talented, bright people I would never have met otherwise. And then I went back to my own real life, filled with more ordinary pursuits, and less unusual people. What a blessing to share an evening like that, and come home richer for it. And I will be forever haunted by the film maker’s book about her experiences. I felt humbled by it, and all of those around me. It was, once again, an amazing evening, which I won’t forget. It was a rare night, filled with special people of varied and extraordinary talents. And I felt so lucky to be a part of it……

have a great week!! love, Danielle

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4/2/15, Rebirth

Hi Everyone,

After recent events and what appears to be a plane crash that was a suicide mission, it seems more important than ever to keep our thoughts clear, especially faced with events that are so hard to fathom. We have had many of them recently. Acts of terrorism seen on television with a human being burned alive as a message to the world, equally distressing acts of terrorism in Paris with people in a grocery store taken hostage and some killed, and now what appeared to be a healthy apparently normal young person allegedly turning a normal flight into a suicide mission, taking 150 innocents with him. The common thread here is that innocent people became victims and lost their lives while pursuing ordinary activities, buying bread, or taking a short flight in the course of a school trip, or on vacation. We are all the innocent victims of these acts, whatever the reasons for them, political or not. We somehow seem to get caught in the crossfire, or the acts of troubled minds, and our lives are changed forever. Even if we are in the outer circle of these acts, they shake our faith, our belief system, they engender fear as soon as we or our loved ones leave home. We worry about each other and ourselves, and a darkness takes hold of world thought, our trust in our fellow man is shaken, and the forces of evil appear to win another round. Most of us, wherever we live, whatever we do for a living, pursue ordinary lives, worry about our kids, groan at our taxes or when our car breaks down, we pay our bills, scold our kids, walk our dogs, buy our groceries, and do our laundry. We dont expect tragedy to strike us or those standing next to us in the course of our daily lives. We are profoundly shocked by the acts we read about, and disheartened. We dont feel as safe as we used to. We are all touched by it. We are in just as much danger in the parking lot of our local supermarket if someone goes nuts, as we are getting on a plane to someplace exotic. These random acts affect us all. We are linked by a bond of humanity that has been severely disrupted in recent months. These are not easy times to live in. And while our countries and leaders fight their battles, we are just trying to lead good, ordinary lives, and take care of our loved ones.

More than ever, with the reports we see now, and given the people who run amok on a grand or small scale, whatever the reasons, we need to focus on the things that keep us strong, and allow us to believe in the good things in life. And whatever one’s religion, the degree of one’s faith or none at all, the message that has always meant the most to me is that of “Resurrection” at this time of year. Much of the focus in Christian beliefs is on ‘crucifixion’ at this time of year, on unmerited punishment, and the pains that exist in all of our lives. The losses, the sorrows, the griefs, the things we do not always understand which befall us, and happen to us all. People we love die, people get sick, we lose jobs, money, houses, safety, security, we get divorced, mugged on the street, something happens to one of our kids, small griefs and large ones. It happens to us all, no one is exempt from the pains in life, though some people are luckier than others. But sadness hits us all at some point. But more important than the bad things is how we deal with them, how we get up again after we get knocked down, how we believe in people again, and ourselves, how we rise from the ashes of the flash fires in our lives. Resurrection. In the Christian faith, this week are the darkest days of the year, which honor the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday. I have always liked crosses, but not crucifixes, which seems to put the emphasis on the wrong thing, to me. What seems most important is the notion of resurrection, rebirth, starting over, having the guts to get up and move forward again. Easter Sunday is the celebration of the resurrection, that rebirth, the power of life, instead of the message of death. Now to me, that positive message of rebirth seems something truly worth celebrating, whatever your beliefs. It is the message of not just survival, but of strength. We have all had bad things happen to us. The key, the most vital part is getting up again when you’ve been knocked down. I have a little saying on my office wall that says “Bounce Back”, just those two words to remind me, when I am in the pit of feeling sorry for myself, to get up and get going again. We HAVE to. No matter how hard, or how impossible it seems at times. We MUST continue, no matter what we see on the news, or what friend disappoints us, or what loved one hurts our feelings, or robs us of peace or good feelings. We cant let the bad guys win. We just cant. We cant afford to, or it pulls our own lives down. However we get there, with or without religious beliefs, we have to find rebirth in our own lives, even after reading about something like the plane that was brought down on a suicide mission, even when things are tough in our own lives. We have to bounce back. That is what makes the notion of resurrection so important. It’s a far bigger message than any other to me. I love all the warmth and coziness and shared joy and fun of Christmas, but the really big message, to me anyway, is the one of resurrection, of rebirth, of starting over, no matter how tough life or the world seems at the moment, or what we’ve been through. And the darker the world seems, the more important that message of rebirth is.

My wish for you, for myself, for each and all of us, and my prayer, is that you find that moment of rebirth, the strength to go on, or just stand up, that we continue to believe in the light and not the darkness. In some big or small way, may you find a moment of rebirth. We all need that. It is the very essence of hope.

One of my favorite sayings is what Anne Frank said, the young girl who was hidden with her family during the war, and eventually died in a concentration camp with them. She was 15 years old, and said “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are truly good at heart”. It sounds naive, we see and hear and know of so much evidence to the contrary. I cling to those words as a message of hope for us all.

May you have a moment of rebirth, of light shining into your heart and life, despite the darkness we hear and read about every day. Resurrection. Rebirth. The world needs your light to counter its darkness. May we all shine brightly together, no matter what we see and hear around us.

with all my love, Danielle

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3/30/15, Unthinkable

Hi Everyone,

It’s a somber quiet hello today after the events of the last week. Or The Event, the crash of the German airliner in the French Alps, flying between Spain and Dusseldorf, which now appears to have been a suicide mission on the part of the co-pilot—–and took 150 lives with it. 150 families and loved ones who will be forever affected by it, a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. And yes, there have been other, bigger ones, like 9/11 or natural disasters, but this was so unnecessary and is so profoundly shocking. And knowing that there were children, a class of adolescents and babies on the flight makes it even more horrifying.

For the moment, they are still piecing together the puzzle, and as a police detective (specialized in terrorism and aviation) I spoke to in Paris said, it has highlighted security failures in the system: a seemingly fail-safe anti-terrorist system which allowed the cockpit door to remain locked and would eventually open automatically after entry was refused several times—but too late in this instance, a rule which allowed only one pilot to be in the cockpit alone for a brief time (that rule was changed throughout Europe within hours of the crash. American regulations didn’t allow that, but the airline in this case was German, where a pilot could be alone in the cockpit briefly on that type of plane), and no psychological testing required for pilots of that airline. (It seems to be coming to light now in the investigation that the co-pilot had a history of psychological problems, and allegedly had not been cleared for flight that day). All circumstances which allowed the unimaginable, unthinkable to happen, if what they believe now is true, that a person/co-pilot with a history of mental issues crashed the plane into the mountains in order to commit suicide, and took a plane full of innocents with him. Apparently, the pilot (who had left the cockpit for a few moments) fought heroically to re-enter the cockpit, and even tried to break down the cockpit door with an axe, once his co-pilot had denied him re-entry, and was taking the plane down at a rapid rate. The drama ended within minutes and turned into tragedy. It is a haunting event which has touched us all. For anyone who flies, we all take our risks, as you do when you drive down the highway too. A mechanical failure or bad weather can bring a plane down, and today terrorism has become a factor we are all aware of, and was demonstrated so shockingly during 9/11. Similarly people who went to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread risked and lost their lives when terrorists took over a grocery store in Paris recently, and tragedy struck there too. But to have to worry now about becoming part of a pilot or co-pilot’s suicide is a heavy dose of reality for us all. And it is always a tragedy when lives are lost, or even one life, whatever the circumstances.

Authorities are now looking for fragments of the victims’ bodies to return to their families, using DNA tests to identify even tiny pieces. It is ALL so unthinkable. The death of any loved one or family member, or even a good friend, changes your life forever. The absence of that person leaves a hole and an ache in your heart forever. The terrible ‘why’ it happened, trying to understand why they were struck by an illness, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, a careless moment behind the wheel of a car, or why they may have been negligent for an instant. And to die in innocence seems such a terrible way to lose someone. And to be the victim of someone else’s suicide, in a circumstance where you are supposed to feel relatively safe and have no control, seems particularly awful. I was in Paris when it happened, and people all over Europe are badly shaken by it, as I am sure they are in the States too. I flew myself 3 days later, and I think the event was on everyone’s mind then as well, both passengers and crew seemed unusually quiet, and I felt that way too. It peels away a layer of safety and trust, and adds one more thing to worry about on the list, along with terrorism, mechanical failure, and bad weather.

The world seems so troubled these days, none of us feel totally safe anymore in our daily lives, wherever we live, whether put at risk by a crazed student on a campus, a shooter in a fast food store, as victims of an elaborate plot, or simply one lone moment of madness, as seems to have happened on the flight from Spain to Germany this week. What is making the world so much more tense, causing people to implode and commit unthinkable acts (like at the Boston Marathon), fall prey to politics which injure others, or take others with them in an act of suicide? We hear about too many of these events. It crosses our minds more often, and we and our loved ones seem so much more at risk in the world today. I think about it each time my children fly, or I do, and probably you do too. And even a life lived more locally is not without risk, if you can be killed at the grocery store by a mad gunman. We can’t hide at home, we can’t imagine danger in every corner, and yet we seem to have regressed to an era in history (like the middle ages) when daily life was dangerous, and the future was never safe or certain, and the weapons of choice now seem to range from homemade bombs to very sophisticated ones and elaborate plots, a handgun or an airplane.

The family of the young co-pilot must be deeply aggrieved too. It is a tragedy for everyone on that plane and everyone they loved and who loved them, and for all of us, to be mourning again people we did not know, and who should not have died on that plane. Laws will be changed as a result, which will prevent exactly that scenario from happening again, but it is somehow a sign of a deep wound somewhere in our civilization that such troubled people have power over us, even when we least suspect it. My deepest sympathy and my prayers go out to all of those affected, and to all of us as well, as we stand by helplessly and mourn innocent people yet again. The tragedies seem to be becoming more shocking and more frequent. May we somehow find a way to heal the wounds in our world, and help each other.

love, Danielle

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3/23/15, Cinderella

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’ve had a nice first few days of Spring, and are enjoying warmer weather somewhere. All the cities I travel to still seem to be in the grips of winter. Paris has cooled down again, New York is still freezing, and had more snow in the past week, and for now Spring is more a hope than a reality.

I had an absolutely wonderful time I wanted to share with you. I took my Godchildren to the preview of the new Disney movie, “Cinderella”. And nothing is more terrific than the world seen through the eyes of a child, and they are such a perfect age. The youngest is 4 years old, and I got her Cinderella’s ‘ballgown’, complete with light up shoes and tiara at the Disney store. She put it on immediately when I gave it to her, and it was soooooo fun watching her play Cinderella. And I LOVED the movie. It is beautifully done, with real actors, not animation, and the star who plays Cinderella, Lily James, is one of the actresses on my favorite TV series (Downton Abbey), and one of the stepsisters is from Downton Abbey too. I saw the film in French, and it was a preview, which was VERY exciting. Now I want to see it in English, and about 16 more times. It reminded me of how totally I enjoyed my children at those ages, and the time I spent with them, where everything you do is an adventure, everything is new and thrilling, no one is tired, jaded, worried, stressed, overworked, or facing the challenges of real life. And no matter what is happening in your (adult) life, the cares and worries melt away with the magic of a fairytale, a delightful movie, and sharing it (or anything else) with children you love. I had as much fun as they did, and they are exceptionally lovely children, so we all had a good time, they were mesmerized, and totally enthralled, and their mother and I cried at all the touching parts. I came out floating, it made us all happy, and was an absolutely great experience. If you have a sentimental side at all, and a touch of romance, and want to be swept away by a wonderful movie, with a happy ending, go to see Cinderella, with or without children, as soon as you can!!! I absolutely LOVED it!!!!

much love, Danielle

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Cinderella, 3/23/15

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’ve had a nice first few days of Spring, and are enjoying warmer weather somewhere. All the cities I travel to still seem to be in the grips of winter. Paris has cooled down again, New York is still freezing, and had more snow in the past week, and for now Spring is more a hope than a reality.

I had an absolutely wonderful time I wanted to share with you. I took my Godchildren to the preview of the new Disney movie, “Cinderella”. And nothing is more terrific than the world seen through the eyes of a child, and they are such a perfect age. The youngest is 4 years old, and I got her Cinderella’s ‘ballgown’, complete with light up shoes and tiara at the Disney store. She put it on immediately when I gave it to her, and it was soooooo fun watching her play Cinderella. And I LOVED the movie. It is beautifully done, with real actors, not animation, and the star who plays Cinderella, Lily James, is one of the actresses on my favorite TV series (Downton Abbey), and one of the stepsisters is from Downton Abbey too. I saw the film in French, and it was a preview, which was VERY exciting. Now I want to see it in English, and about 16 more times. It reminded me of how totally I enjoyed my children at those ages, and the time I spent with them, where everything you do is an adventure, everything is new and thrilling, no one is tired, jaded, worried, stressed, overworked, or facing the challenges of real life. And no matter what is happening in your (adult) life, the cares and worries melt away with the magic of a fairytale, a delightful movie, and sharing it (or anything else) with children you love. I had as much fun as they did, and they are exceptionally lovely children, so we all had a good time, they were mesmerized, and totally enthralled, and their mother and I cried at all the touching parts. I came out floating, it made us all happy, and was an absolutely great experience. If you have a sentimental side at all, and a touch of romance, and want to be swept away by a wonderful movie, with a happy ending, go to see Cinderella, with or without children, as soon as you can!!! I absolutely LOVED it!!!!

much love, Danielle

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3/16/15, Chanel!!!

Hi Everyone,

I hope that all is well with you and that a hint of Spring is in the air and just around the corner.

I wanted to give you my last report of Paris fashion week as it draws to a close for this season, and as usual, I wound up my participation with a flourish: the always impressive, dazzling, fantabulous Chanel show. It is always an ASTOUNDING fantastic show, and today was very much in keeping with their ready to wear tradition of gorgeous clothes. One of the most impressive things about the Chanel ready to wear fashion show (as opposed to Haute Couture, which is loftier, more elitist, all made to order and hand made, whereas the ready to wear clothes are mass produced, and Chanel is at the very high end of the ready to wear market)—but one of the things that makes the show special and different is the lengths they go to with the setting and decor. They go ALL OUT and spend millions to make the setting and backdrop of the show an event you will never forget. One year, they had a giant, and I mean GIANT, like 30 feet high maybe, gold lion center stage, with the models coming out of its mouth and onto the runway. The one that I will never forget was when they flew in a small iceberg from Sweden, put it in the middle of the Grand Palais, a fabulous glass palace where they hold their shows—–the models walked around the iceberg, the room was freezing to preserve the iceberg, and after the show, it was flown back to Sweden, and set back down in its natural habitat. Last year, Chanel created a “supermarket”, an extraordinary replica of one, with real food in it, and where the models strode around with shopping carts, wearing gorgeous mostly casual clothes, to show the collection. I was sooooo excited by the fun setting that I hardly noticed the clothes, I wasn’t sure where to look or what to watch, the beautiful clothes, or the amazing setting where the groceries had fun names. This time, the setting was still the Grand Palais, which had been transformed into the Brasserie Gabrielle, —-a brasserie is like a bistro, an informal restaurant, and it looked like a real restaurant. As you entered, there was a bar, where coffee, orange juice and croissants were being served. Then you made your way to your assigned seat (with your name on it). And there were tables set up for both male and female models wearing the collection, on the other side of the runway, while waiters waited to take their ‘orders’, as part of the staging. By comparison, Balenciaga who had one of the most beautiful shows of the season clothes-wise, did their show in a half finished construction site, and Celine did their show on the courts of a tennis club. But Chanel doesn’t do things by half. They go ALLLL OUTTTT, and they sure did with the bistro setting today!!!

Everything at Chanel is bigger, better, and more. Most shows these days consist of 35 to 50 ‘looks'(outfits). Chanel presented 97 looks, as they always do, worn by 97 models, twice what anyone else had. And two thousand people attended the show, and beg to do so. It’s by invitation only, and people plead for those invitations. We got a gift bag at the end, which we always do, usually with a perfume, or make up. This time, we were given little bags that contained 5 beautiful new lipsticks, all in shades I like!!

The clothes themselves were beautiful and elegant, some of them quite elaborate, with many layered looks, and lots of sequins and sparkles. Chanel has gone very sparkly in the last few years, which their customers seem to love. I’m a little less of a sparkly-person, but as far as those things go, it was best in show. The audience lapped it up, as the models pounded down the runway, looking very tall, very serious and beautifully dressed. It is always a show worth going to, and they didn’t let us down. They never do!! I loved it, and had a ball going to the show.

I had a great Fashion Week in Paris, going to the 3 shows I went to, which were totally different and distinct: the stunning elegance of Balenciaga, followed by the casual chic of the show by Celine, and then Chanel which pulled out all the stops, as always. And best of all, Chanel is designed by Karl Lagerfeld, the designer who is a genius, and not only designs Chanel, but also Fendi and his own line, as well as a sideline in photography—-all very impressive, but even more so when you know that he is in his mid-80s and is a creative genius, with unlimited energy who still sets style trends in fashion around the world. He is a TRULY remarkable person, and it’s a thrill to see what he designs, always fresh, young, exciting, and totally in tune with the modern world, and he sets the trends that other designers follow. He is an inspiration to anyone creative, and fills me with admiration that he is so productive in his field. He comes out at the end of the show, a handsome man, with a white pony tail, tied with a black ribbon, high starched white collar, long black coat, leather pants and boots, black leather gloves and dark glasses, and waves to his admiring fans. And as always, this time, it was a great, great show. And a fun fashion week for me!! I can hardly wait to see what surprises the designers have in store next season…..attending the fashion shows during fashion week is always a privilege and a treat for me!!! Have a great week!!!

love, Danielle

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3/9/15, Paris Fashion Week

Hi Everyone!!!

Despite hideous, cold, snowy, awful weather in most of the US, particularly the East, it’s springtime in Paris. It’s almost embarrassing to admit it, sunny, with still a little nip in the air, but beautiful weather, and it feels like spring, with temperatures in the 60’s. And it has been challenging to get to Paris for all the buyers and editors coming from the States. One of my daughters had a 25 hour flight from LA to Paris (normally a 10 or 11 hour flight), with an emergency landing in Boston, and a stop in New York, in a blizzard, and long delays. And many flights were cancelled, while the East of the US was pummeled by snow storms and arctic temperatures—-all of which made arriving in Paris, in the sunshine, with gentle weather, seem even more magical. And it’s that wild, busy, chaotic exciting week in Paris again, with the fashion shows of all the major French designers, packed in day by day for 8 days, while fashion magazine editors, store buyers, designers, stylists, models, international press from all over the world, come to Paris to run from one location to another to see the runway shows of each French designer’s line of women’s clothing for the upcoming fall and winter season. They show the clothes 6 months in advance, so stores can order them, and the manufacturers can make them in time for the fall/winter season. (Spring summer clothes are shown in September, also 6 months in advance of when they’ll be available in stores. Fashion week is an advance look at the next season, for the entire world to observe). And if you can’t get to the shows, you can see them all, listed by designer, on style.com

American designers show their lines in New York, to kick off “Fashion Week”, which is really fashion month, Italian designers show their wares in Milan, the British in London, and the grand finale is 8 days of non-stop fashion shows by French designers in Paris. (like Balenciaga, Celine, Chanel, Givenchy, and all the big French brands, and many other French brands). And for the past several years, the ready to wear shows of fashion week is where all the fashion action is. You not only see what will be in stores 6 months later, but you see a fascinating cast of characters at the shows, in the audience, and even outside in the streets. Even the gawkers who come to stare at who goes in and out of the venues, wear some pretty fabulous or intriguing costumes. Famous actors and actresses flock to the shows in droves, fashion notables, important socialites, singers and entertainment celebrities from all over the world. And you can’t just decide to see your favorite designer’s show and wander in, you have to be invited, and seats at the shows are harder to get than winning lottery tickets. It’s a BIG deal to be invited, and be allowed to go. The most important attendees are the fashion magazine editors who will write about the clothes, and either pan them or make them successful, and the store buyers who will decide to order them and sell them. But all the fanfare is not just on the runways, with big name stars from around the world coming to be seen at the shows, and even people who just like fashion. And the stars are checking out what they will want to borrow from the designers to wear to important press events in the coming months. And fashion is BIG business, billions of dollars change hands in the fashion industry every year. So fashion week is a MAJOR event, as a form of advertising, a spectacle, a glimpse of the styles to come, and a harbinger of what will the look will be in 6 months, and which designers will be the most successful this year. Vast fortunes are made and lost in fashion. And it is VERY exciting to be at fashion week, and see what’s going on, and what’s to come. And with 3 daughters who work in fashion, I get interesting tidbits of information that even I didn’t know, after years of being an observer on the fashion scene. (For instance, most of the models you see on the runways at these shows, who look like totally adult, sophisticated women, are actually between 16 and 18 years old (and are chosen by the designers for their thin bodies and lack of curves, so as not to interfere with the clothes) and some are as young as 15, and at 15, they need a medical certificate to walk in the shows, parental approval to do so, and a chaperone at all times. A few of the models are in their early twenties, and it’s a rarity to see a model who is 25. After that, they do magazine work, but don’t walk the runways at fashion shows. So if you’re comparing your body to those very young girls, don’t. No one looks like that except teenagers, no matter how grown up their faces are!! Many of the models are Russian and from Eastern Europe, but generally they come from all over the world. And often they are discovered by ‘scouts’ who travel around looking for rare beauties and new faces for the fashion scene. Being discovered can change their lives forever, and turn a waitress in a small town into a major star. Many young girls dream of that, although it happens to only a chosen few. And they’re not all traditional beauties, some have very interesting looks, and all of them are very tall!!!

When one of my daughters was a fashion editor on a fashion magazine, I tagged along to many shows with her, sometimes to designers I didn’t even know. But now, with all three of my fashion business daughters established as stylists, I either go to the shows they help put on, or the designers I like to wear, so this time I am only going to 3 ready to wear shows (I went to the Haute Couture shows in January, also in Paris, but that’s a whole different scene, and less of a stampede). There was a fourth show I really wanted to go to, but had a conflict on the same day (for my own work), and another show where I couldn’t get tickets. But I’m satisfied with the 3 I’m planning to attend, and all 3 are important shows!!!

I opened my fashion week participation with an absolutely dazzling show that my own daughter is involved in as a stylist and design consultant. It was Balenciaga, a very distinguished old French brand, which was recently modernized and revitalized and given a burst of new energy by famous American designer Alexander Wang, who still designs his own line (under his own name), and does Balenciaga as well. And he’s done a spectacularly beautiful job. I’ve been lucky enough to know him since he went to high school with my daughters. He is an ENORMOUS talent, and like my daughters is in his late 20’s. And his fashion show this season was absolutely spectacular, held in the evening, the collection was majestically elegant, both fashion forward, and innovative, while respecting the traditions and esthetic of the house’s original designer, Cristobal Balenciaga. The venues for these shows are an important element too, and set the stage for the mood the designer wants to set to show his line. Balenciaga chose an almost complete construction site on the Left Bank in Paris, in the 7th arrondissement (and crawling through a crush of traffic descending on the location adds to the heightened excitement of getting there, while you worry that you’ll be late, but shows never start on time, fortunately, to add to the anticipation, and while waiting for hundreds of people to find their seats, and everyone has an assigned seat, and where you are seated is important too!!!). The almost finished construction site had a modern industrial look, it was a huge venue, carpeted with miles and miles of criss crossed black and gray carpet installed for the show, and very dim lighting as we found our seats. I was greatly honored to find myself seated next to the famous Editor of Vogue Magazine, Anna Wintour, looking very chic as always, in signature haircut and dark glasses. And on my left was a mysteriously empty seat.

There are young male ushers in black suits to help you find your seat, and after about half an hour while photographers comb the crowd for famous people, suddenly an electric current goes through the crowd and you’re told that the show is about to begin, just as a fleet of people appear to remove the protective paper, covering the strip of carpeting, between the rows of seating facing each other—-where the models will pass between us near enough to touch. Bright lights come on over the runway, music explodes to life, while everyone waits expectantly, and this time, the house of Balenciaga had a surprise for us, BEFORE the show began. Suddenly, after we were all seated, in the expectant hush, down the long runway pranced a dramatic, familiar figure, in a black dress specially designed for her, with a slit to the hip, in the shoes the models would be wearing. She came dramatically down the aisle, as people realized it was Lady Gaga, and I was the most surprised of all when she took her seat next to me, so I had an impressive woman to my left AND right, and the photographers had a field day. She took her seat very elegantly, as the tension in the room continued to increase, and then Lady Gaga became an observer like the rest of us, after model after model came down the runway in absolutely spectacularly elegant and exciting clothes. Coats, suits, jackets, dresses, beautiful shapes and colors and textures, with wonderful details, in bejeweled plexi see through shoes, with black and beige details and jewels on them. Every detail of the show was perfect, and the clothes themselves breathtaking. And now and then, Lady Gaga and I would whisper something to each other, as we admired the clothes. I had met her before 2 years ago, when we were on TV, on the View, at the same time, and she is an immensely talented, extremely disciplined lovely person, and I was delighted to see her again.

There are roughly 50 ‘looks’ or outfits in a show, worn by 50 models, and the overall impression is truly stunning, and for me was doubly so, first to see such gorgeous clothes, and then to realize that my daughter had contributed to each look and design, working with Alex Wang—-and I was very, very proud of her—-and of Alex, since I’ve known him since he was so young, and he is so immensely talented. It was a really, really, REALLY exciting show for me!!!The show ended with thunderous applause for the designer, while he ran down the runway, to take a rapid, modest bow, and then it was over, and like Cinderella, we were left to shuffle through the venue, in the crushing crowd (of 500 or 600 people) trying to leave, hoping we didn’t lose a shoe. It was an absolutely gorgeous show with spectacular clothes!!!

Two days later, on a sunny Sunday morning, the fashion elite made their way through a park to a private tennis club, where the mood, the attire and the crowd were relaxed and at ease, to see the Celine show, one of my favorite lines of clothes, they are easy to wear, always elegant, with a casual touch, and the ambiance in the tennis club was one of relaxed excitement, where most people had opted to wear upscale Sunday gear. What the audience wears is part of the magic too. I wore jeans and navy loafers, a navy Celine sweater, and a multi colored coat, also Celine (dark blue, flamingo pink and yellow—wild but fun). At the Balenciaga show, I had worn black sweater and pants with a dressy plain black coat, high heels, and a big rhinestone necklace—-a dressier look!!! There were lots of running shoes at the Celine show, and colorful easy clothes. I was once again honored by my seat, this time next to the new Ambassador to France, Ambassador Jane Hartley, a lovely woman I recently met when she arrived to take her post in Paris in December. Last year, I was seated next to Kanye West at the Celine show. It’s always fun to see who I’ll be seated next to at the shows!!!

And the collection at Celine had a whole different feeling from the high fashion impact, look, and silhouettes of the Balenciaga show. At Celine it was all about fun, and ease, comfortable layers, soft fabrics in soft natural tones, wide legged pants with cut outs, fun coats, slip dresses It was a youthful collection, with fun, funky shoes—-which they do often, last year they adapted Birkenstocks and skateboard shoes. The whole collection was young, playful, and easy, in keeping with the venue, the time of day, location, mood, and their customer. It was a great show, and my daughter and I went out for brunch afterwards to talk about what we’d seen.

There’s no doubt about it, I love fashion, and all the fun and fanfare and surprises that go with it, as we wait to see what will be available to us next season. The Celine show was a great way to end the week, and the Balenciaga show a powerful opening to an exciting week of fashion…I can’t wait to see what comes next week……stay tuned!!!! There’s more to come!!!

love, Danielle

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