Danielle Steel's Blog, page 55

Paris Fashion Week, Part 1

Hi Everyone,

It’s that crazy time of year again, which happens twice a year (In Sept/Oct and Feb/March): Ready to Wear Fashion Week, which is a misnomer right there, since it’s really Fashion Month, not Fashion week, and is actually one week in each of four cities: New York, London, Milan, Paris. And store buyers and fashion editors and journalists race through a week of intense fashion shows in each city, then fly onto the next one, and by the end of 4 weeks, everyone looks frazzled and is exhausted. It is an intense event in the fashion world. The clothes being shown each season are for 6 months later (so what I am seeing on the runways now will be sold in stores in September for the fall and winter. And in the fall at ‘fashion week’, people are viewing clothes for the following summer). The practical purpose of fashion week is for store buyers to place their orders for the next season. It allows fashion magazine editors to see what’s coming and make comments and plan photo shoots, which are also scheduled 3 months in advance.  Just like in my writing/publishing world, the book I write today will be published usually 18 months or 2 years later, or sometimes longer. In fashion, they show their wares and styles 6 months in advance, and for the designer of those clothes, literally the day after their fashion show, they begin designing the collection for a year later. And fashion is an intensely pressured, highly competitive world. And fashion is big business.

Fashion week and everything around it is an extremely high pressure, highly visible, high profile event. American designers show their collections in New York, British designers in London, Italian in Milan, and French designers in Paris. Millions of dollars are spent on the fashion shows, about 50 or 60 ‘looks’ are shown, usually with 40 to 50 models showing them on the runway, and a huge amount of money is spent to make those shows, and the clothes in them, both exciting and enticing. It’s not only about showcasing the clothes to sell them to store buyers, but it’s also a HUGE publicity event for a brand and designer, and invitations to the shows are highly prized and hard to come by. And to add to the excitement and hype, famous people, movie stars and celebrities attend the shows, so one is torn between admiring the clothes on the runway, worn by gorgeous models, but also one can’t help ogling the people in the audience, rock stars, singers, actresses, and all of the most famous editors in fashion (Like Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue). And press comments and reviews can make or break a line, a season, or a designer. And the shows themselves are covered by hundreds of international reporters and photographers, so the audience are as much photographed as the models—-you cant just slink in wearing some old comfy thing, you have to know that you will probably be all over the press for being there, so everyone makes a huge effort to look as fashionable as what’s on the runway. In many ways, the whole event is exhausting, but soooooo exciting and so much fun!!! And in addition to the many, many fashion shows every day in each of the four cities, week after week for four weeks, there are huge publicity parties and events between and after the shows until the wee hours of the morning, to make that brand’s wares even more notable and more enticing. As I write this, we’re in the home stretch, the final 4 or 5 days of Paris Fashion week, the final city in the 4 week highly concentrated fashion event, and people are talking about how exhausted they are, how little sleep they’ve had in the last 3 weeks, and how they cant wait to go home. But being here is heady stuff, and no one can resist going to the shows, or partying after, which usually means a choice of several major cocktail parties, some equally major dinner parties, and a last round of parties, with dancing, in night clubs, which go on til 3 or 4 am. There are lots of ‘grown ups’ in fashion, fabulous designers like Karl Lagerfeld who is 80, and other equally mature designers, and editors, but the fashion industry is also a mecca of talented very young people, who have the energy to work 18 hours a day, and still go dancing until 4 am. (Big party last night at a nightclub called “Club Sandwich”).

The essence of fashion week of course are the clothes that are shown on the runways by each fashion house, but the partying and social and publicity events are not negligible either, and are part of the whole scene. I’ve always had a passion for fashion, and went to Parsons School of Design at the same time I went to NYU, hoping to become a fashion designer, and right around that time, I got serious about writing professionally, and switched careers before I ever got started as a designer. But I still love to see both the haute couture shows (in January and July, only shown in Paris), and now the ready to wear shows at fashion week. And with 3 daughters who work in fashion, as consultants, stylists, one as a magazine fashion editor, and another as a designer, I take a keen interest in what’s on the runways, coming next season, and of course in my own daughters’ work, and I am VERY proud of all 3 of them, working in such a tough but exciting industry, and all 3 of them doing well. And our love of fashion is something we share. And it is really fun girl time when they come to stay with me in Paris, and I go to the shows, often with one or several of them, if they can spare the time, or to see the shows they’ve worked on.

So before I get too overwhelmed by the shows I’ve seen, I thought I’d write to you about the first 3 shows I’ve seen so far, which have been VERY exciting.  The first was of course very special to me as my daughter worked closely as a design consultant to Alexander Wang for Balenciaga. Balenciaga is a very important French brand, which has existed since the l930′s, originally started as a couture house by Spaniard Cristobal Balenciaga. In the years since, it has become a hugely respected ready to wear fashion brand (and they stopped doing haute couture many years ago, and only do ready to wear now). And only a few months ago they hired American designer Alexander Wang to design it. This was his first ready to wear collection for them, and the entire fashion world held its breath waiting to see what he would do (and my daughter in close consultation with him). And the show was an absolute knock out. Far more than anyone could imagine, Alex Wang hit one out of the park on this first collection for them, with a fabulous black and white collection of really staggering beauty, with clean, simple lines, gorgeous fabrics, elegant designs. It was a major hit and just sensational, and especially touching for me since my daughter had worked so hard on it with him. Everyone loved the show!!!! And it set the stage for a very exciting week for me!!! And a real celebration both publicly and in our family for the success of the show. Even more than usual, the audience at the Balenciaga show was carefully chosen and very small, as the show itself wended its way through several rooms with a painted canvas runway that looked like marble, in an old French building. There were approximately 100 people at the show, the elite of the fashion world, and I felt privileged to be there!!!

The second show I saw was Dior, in a specially built tent, behind the Invalides (Napoleon’s tomb), in a futuristic decor, with several thousand people at the show. Unlike the Balenciaga show, where it was the elite of the fashion world and no one else, at Dior there were celebrities,clients, publicity seekers, and the people watching before the show was almost as good as what was on the runway.  It is the second year of their new designer, Raf Simmons, a very talented Belgian designer who does both haute couture (all hand made and only special ordered) and ready to wear for Dior. It was a big and impressive show, and very exciting in a different way from Balenciaga. The Balenciaga show was small and elite, the Dior show was huge and like a major brass band playing, a lot to take in at once. (And there is always music during the fashion shows).

The third show I’ve seen so far was Celine, also a very old French brand, that has been around for years, with different designers over the years. Its most recent designer of the past several years is a very talented young British woman named Phoebe Fylo, who does gorgeous, very simple, very chic, simple clothes. The show was absolutely exquisite (I wanted everything!!!). She always adds some special unusual touches, to her very wearable beautiful designs. It was a fabulous show held at a tennis club in the fancy residential part of Paris.

At all of the shows, photographers take photographs of the audience on their way in and out, focus in on celebrities attending (I sat next to the rapper Kanye West at Celine). Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirsten Dunst, and other stars are regulars at the shows. And during the actual fashion show, the photographers focus on the models on the runway, which is what they’re there for. But celebrity watching is an interesting side bar at the shows.

I’ve only been to three shows since Paris fashion week started. The hard core have been to three cities before this, and go to as many as 6 or 7 shows a day,and are seriously exhausted. And I have to admit, I’m already tired half way through one city!! But it’s all very intense and very exciting. and a fun experience for me every time, especially sharing it with my daughters. so stay tuned, more to come. I have 4 more shows to go to!!!

Love, Danielle

 

Running Around

 

Hi Everyone,

Busy days for me, I’ve been in 2 countries and 3 cities in the past 5 days, flying between the cities where I live or visit, seeing my kids, and working. I am working on books in various phases, editing, re-writing, some fresh writing, and working on outlines. It’s still winter time, and this is when I do a LOT of writing. But I take time out to travel to see my children too!!

And speaking of wintertime—-no sign of Spring anywhere that I live. It has been bitter cold in Northern California, freezing cold in Paris, and snowing, and snowing and also freezing in New York. With some sleet thrown in for good measure. It has been bitter cold everywhere I’ve been. I am definitely ready for Spring and some warm weather. I’m tired of wearing layers of clothes and being cold wherever I go. Come on, Spring!!!

I’ve had some lovely time with my children, fun dinners with my youngest son, some good time with my youngest daughter (although she’s very busy), and some great time with my three next oldest daughters, some of it one-on-one, which is always very precious to me. Two of my girls and I are going to spend 10 days together. I can’t wait!!!! The greatest joy in my life is always my children, and then my work. And I am currently enjoying both!!!

Today I had a special thrill going to see a friend’s new baby. Without a tiny baby in your life, you forget how little they are, how sweet when they’re brand new, and how fascinating to watch. He was a week old when I saw him, as he looked around, listening to the sounds around him, looking peaceful in my arms. It’s a sweet feeling, and his parents were thrilled and in awe of him. It was nice to share a moment with them.

I have nothing new and exciting to report at the moment, but will have more to tell you next week. I just wanted to check in and say hi, and tell you that I’m thinking of you, as I fly from one city to another, and in between hunker down at my desk to work. Talk to you next week.

Love,  Danielle

Gone Fishing

Hi Everyone,

I’m traveling and writing so I will return to the blog next week.

Have a great week!

Love, Danielle

Winter Daze

Hi Everyone,

As I’ve mentioned to you before, winter is heavy writing time for me. I work on outlines for new books, write a new book, and read research for books I’m working on for the future, and do a LOT of editing, as always. As I write this, I am waiting for a manuscript to arrive, with comments from my editor, which I was going to work on today, and it’s stuck in a blizzard somewhere in the East. (Which gives me a day off today, which is rare for me this time of year!!!) It’s a good time of year to write, it’s cold everywhere I live, the weather is usually lousy, snowy, rainy, cold, and I’m happy staying indoors to work, with the occasional break, having dinner with one of my kids, in whichever city I’m in. We celebrated my youngest son’s birthday last week, which was fun, and I’m enjoying spending time with whichever one is available and willing to share a meal with me, and the rest of the time I work.

My daughters who work in fashion are crazed at the moment, working at fashion week, and travelling from New York to London to Paris, to work on fashion week in each city. And some years, one of them works in Milan too. It sounds like a fun job, and I’m sure it is, but it’s also LOT of work.

Winter seems like a good time of the year to work hard, whatever business you’re in, there’s a lot less to do outside, unless you live in Florida or Hawaii or someplace warm!!!

I’ll be reporting to you soon about some of the fashion shows I go to.  And my very exciting news is that my latest hardcover, “Until the End of Time” opened on the New York Times Bestseller list yesterday at #1, and my current hardcover “Betrayal” is #2. And they’re #2 on the EBook list!!! I never get blasé about that, and am always grateful and excited when a book is doing well. It’s thrilling, no matter how many bestsellers you’ve had. It’s kind of like winning a race!!! Very, very exciting for me. I hope you read either of them. I’m very excited about “Until the End of Time”, it’s a really sweet book and I love the story about two couples, forty years apart, whose fates are intertwined. Read the book and find out!!! It’s one of my favorite books!!!

We’re working on picking covers for the books coming out next fall, and I’m really excited about that too!! So much thought and so many decisions go into the preparation for a book, and it’s a really pretty cover. “Until the End of Time” has a beautiful cover too!!!

So I’m thinking of you, working hard, and hope that all is well with you!!!

Love, Danielle

V-Day

Hi Everyone,

Oh dear, here it comes again….another one of those MAJOR days (though not as major as some) that requires some thought about how to deal with it, and is something of a personal challenge. On Thanksgiving, we get to worry about who to spend it with, or will we be alone, or do you gather lonely friends around the table, and make it a holiday about friendship, if one has no family close at hand. And then there is Christmas so full of cheer and joy and hope for some, and lonely for others, and will it live up to our expectations….New Year’s eve and who to spend it with, if there is no special someone in your life (or several special someones—that can be dicey too!!). And then there is Valentine’s Day, which is supposed to be filled with romance, flowers and candy, or maybe even a proposal (I got engaged to John, my husband for 18 years, on Valentine’s Day. Now THAT was romantic!!!!)—-but what if there is no candidate for high romance in your life, and here comes Valentine’s Day? Halloween seems so much easier when all you have to decide is if you want to wear a costume, and if so, who or what do you want to be. There are no high expectations attached to Halloween, which makes it soooo much easier. It’s the holidays that are so linked to expectations (of family, romance, or wonderful gifts, our children close at hand, and the people we love dealing with the day in all the ways we hope)—-it’s those expectations we all have that make some holidays a real challenge. And Valentine’s Day is one of them. It may seem childish, but there is a child in all of us, that hopes all our dreams will come true, at any age. So here comes Valentine’s Day again. And as I’ve said to all of you before, I’ve had some great ones and some really lousy ones. And some Valentine’s Days that just limped along.

The obvious dilemma about Valentine’s Day is that you need to be part of a couple, in some form, to really get the most out of it. A pretty dress, a glass of champagne, flowers from someone you love, a romantic dinner, a tender kiss…..a wonderful, romantic gift. It all sounds so perfect, but sometimes reality is a lonnnnnnggggg way from that as we all know. Men or women who let us down, husbands who forget the date, or no one in our life at that moment to fulfill the Prince or Princess Charming role. Then what? Who do you spend it with? What do you do? You chalk it up to one of those off years, and hope the next one will be better. It’s not a great feeling when you’re the odd man out in the game of romantic musical chairs, and you know you won’t be doing anything special this year on Valentine’s Day. When you’re alone, or not involved with anyone, it feels like the entire world is in couples, and you’ve been left out. We all assume, or most of us do, that people in couples share something really special——although that’s not always true. Some couples are living a life that none of us would want, and not everyone in partnership is happy. Sometimes, we’re actually better off alone than with a partner who doesn’t suit us, or in a relationship that doesn’t work. But it’s hard to remember that at times when it feels like the whole world is staring into each other’s eyes, and whispering sweet nothings. Only a lucky few are that happy, and I have been in my life at times…..at other times we all lead mundane lives, and romance may not be part of the picture, and Valentine’s Day is just another day, to pick up groceries, unstop the sink, or walk the dog. How’s that for romantic? Not very. But not every year can be the best Valentine’s Day of your life.

For me, I think I have the eternally hopeful attitude that love can happen at any age. The French say “Love has no age”. I like that. (And Valentine’s Day is certainly not reserved for only the young). We all hear about people who meet in their 50′s, 60′s, 70′s or 80′s and fall in love. Why not? You don’t have to be 18 or 25 or 30 to fall in love. It can happen any time, to anyone. I like keeping that door open, and see what life will bring. We have different charms that appeal to different people at every age. And whatever age you are, love may be just around the corner. There are plenty of young people these days who find it hard to meet people, and haven’t met the love of their life yet. Maybe you haven’t either. And if you have, Bravo for you!!! That’s something to celebrate. And you just never know what life has in store, the perfect person for you may be heading your way, and you just haven’t noticed, or met him or her yet. A mediocre Valentine’s Day, or the lack of a partner today is no reason to lose hope!!! Someone special may be thinking of you right now, or destiny may be about to send someone wonderful your way.

In the meantime, what do you do if this Valentine’s Day isn’t looking too hopeful? If dinner plans are not in the offing, and you’re not likely to be getting candy, flowers or a proposal by Thursday?  Maybe all we can do in that case is be philosophical, and have a sense of humor about it, and find something else to do. My solution to things like that is to keep busy and work. I’ll be writing on Valentine’s Day. And I’ve had my share of relationships and romance, so I can’t complain. I’ve had some wonderful people in my life, and some not so wonderful people. And for the moment, I have friends, kids, dogs, and work. That’s not so bad. And you just don’t know what will happen in life. Maybe a cherished friend you’ve enjoyed for years will suddenly fall in love with you, or you with them, that’s not a bad way to start a lifelong romance!!! Or maybe someone new will come along, and you’ll be getting all the romance you want next year. Or maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who’ll be out to dinner on Valentine’s Day staring into someone’s eyes. If not, there’s always next year, and a whole lot could change by then. My best times have always come after my worst times, and life is full of surprises. So don’t give up on love. And if this Valentine’s Day doesn’t look like it will be exciting, maybe next year will be a whole different story, with the love of your life. I hope so, for you.

I send you a big hug on Valentine’s Day, as always, and all my hopes that your dreams will come true. Don’t give up your dreams. And I hope that whatever you do this year, that Valentine’s Day turns out to be a lovely day. I wish you flowers and candy, and true love, whenever it happens, this year, or next year, or anytime in between…..have a terrific day!!!!

Love, Danielle

Pinterest

Hi Everyone,

Although I write on a 1946 typewriter (that I bought years ago for $20.00 in a junk shop, and dearly love), I am nonetheless somewhat involved in the Internet, with this blog to you, a Facebook page, AND now I am going to be on Pinterest.  We have put together some very fun storyboards with pictures of Paris, where I live some of the time, San Francisco, where I also live, and New York where I spend time visiting some of my children. There are pictures that I like of things I’ve seen, or done, or places I’ve been, or things I just plain love (like sexy shoes!!). It combines my interests, the things I like to do, the places I like to be, everything from a snowy night in Paris, and the Eiffel Tower all lit up, to a sunrise in San Francisco, and jewelry I wish I owned, to my love of hearts, dogs, and kids, decorating, art, and books of course!! There is even a Pinterest board with the covers of many of my books on it (in case you’ve missed some) with a link so that you can purchase the ones you want. Pinterest is such a fun concept, and I really hope you enjoy looking at it, as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you. Follow me on Pinterest and leave me a note on this pin to tell me what you’d like to see.

Love, Danielle

First Sight

First Sight

In Stores: July 16, 2013

Valerie Wyatt is the queen of gracious living and the arbiter of taste. Since her long-ago divorce, she’s worked hard to reach the pinnacle of her profession and to create a camera-ready life in her Fifth Avenue penthouse. So why is she so depressed? All the hours with her personal trainer, the careful work of New York’s best hairdressers, cosmetic surgeons, and her own God-given bone structure and great looks can’t fudge the truth or her lies about it: Valerie is turning sixty.

Valerie’s daughter, April, has no love life, no rest, and no prospect of that changing in the foreseeable future. Her popular one-of-a-kind restaurant in downtown New York, where she is chef and owner, consumes every ounce of her attention and energy. Ready or not, though, April’s life is about to change, in a tumultuous transformation that begins the morning it hits her: She’s thirty. And what does she have to show for it? A restaurant, no man, no kids.

Jack Adams once threw a football like a guided missile. Twelve years after retiring from the NFL, he is the most charismatic sports analyst on TV, a man who has his pick of the most desirable twentysomething women. But after a particularly memorable Halloween party, Jack wakes up on his fiftieth birthday, his back thrown out of whack, feeling every year his age.

A terrifying act of violence, an out-of-the-blue blessing, and two extremely unlikely love affairs soon turn lives inside out and upside down. In a novel brimming with warmth and insight, beginning on one birthday and ending on another, Valerie, April, and Jack discover that life itself can be a celebration—and that its greatest gifts are always a surprise.

Winter Fashion Shows / January in Paris

Hi Everyone,

It’s that time of year again, the depths of winter in Paris, gray and snowy. And as I write this, it has snowed for the past 3 days, and although snow is a nuisance in any city, it is beautiful here, and I love it. And it has been VERY cold!!!

As I’ve written to you before in previous years, in January, there are the Haute Couture fashion shows. In years past, Haute Couture was a VERY big deal, the shows lasted for a week, there were many “Haute Couture” houses, and there were four or five shows a day to show the creations of the various houses. It was a flurry of fun activity running from one show to the next, with movie stars and presidential wives present, well known women on the best dressed list, and a glittering crowd with invitations to see the show. (Even now, you can only go by invitation). What distinguishes Haute Couture from other kinds of fashion is that every single item is handmade. EVERY stitch, hundreds if not thousands of hours go into the embroideries, the sequins, the construction of the clothes, exquisitely made, the samples are shown on the runway by models, and everything has to be special ordered, what you see is only a sample of the dress, and the samples usually go into the archives and museums of each designer, and are rarely sold. The people who work on these clothes do 12 years of apprenticeship before they are allowed to work on the clothes. It is a dying art. Now most of the houses that made these clothes have disappeared, one by one (St. Laurent, Balmain, and others), and there are really only two Haute Couture houses left: Dior and Chanel. Both make ready to wear clothes too (shown during Fashion week in February/March), but these two houses still create these remarkable clothes that are truly part of a dying art. The clients of the past have vanished, the prices are exorbitant because of the intense workmanship involved, and there is very little market for them, but putting on these shows twice a year still showcases the remarkable skill involved, pays homage to the best of French fashion, and is wonderful publicity for the houses that make them. Millions of dollars are involved in the production of these events, both to create the setting, and produce the clothes. And it is a treat to be there to see it. You can look up these shows on style.com to get a feeling of it. I have gone to see them since I was a very young girl, and still find it exciting to see what they’ll come up with every season.

In January, they show summer clothes, and at the July show, they show their winter collection.

I saw the Dior show first, on a snowy evening, with snow and ice on the ground, a tent had been set up in the garden of the Tuileries, entering off the Place de la Concorde, in front of the famous Louvre museum. And it was about a two block hike, slipping and sliding to reach the tent, which was comfortable and well heated, with bleachers for everyone to sit. This was the second collection by Raf Simmons, the new designer at Dior. His first was last July in an extraordinary setting in a house, where each room was ‘tapestried’ with flowers, as though the walls were made of flowers, each room in a different color, pink, white, blue, etc. It was amazing. This time, there was a garden effect, with bushes that had been planted in a kind of maze pattern, where the models walked around so everyone could see the clothes, and they were very pretty. The models are very tall, frighteningly thin, and walk past expressionlessly (by tradition) so as not to distract from the clothes. They stare straight ahead, walk in towering high heels, and the models at Dior yesterday had a thick layer of red glitter on their lipstick, which made them look almost like dolls. And the clothes were very summery and kind of ‘dreamy’, in pastel colors, flowing fabrics, a lot of strapless dresses, and a very summery look. The collection struck me as very young looking, all of it would have looked gorgeous on my 4 daughters in their 20′s, but none of it would have looked great on me. It looked like a collection for young girls. The new designer for Dior is Belgian, and has been there for less than a year. Previously he designed for Jil Sander, a German designer, where he did strong ready-to-wear clothes which I loved, wonderful basics, good colors, and terrific clothes for every day. Now he is designing Dior’s ready to wear, and the Haute Couture, and I’m sure it is very difficult to enter a new design firm, at a very old established house which has its own style. He is emerging gently into the world of Dior, without making a bold statement. The clothes were really lovely and delicate, and looked beautiful on the models. Traditionally, there is always a wedding dress at the end of an Haute Couture show, and this time there were four, one more beautiful than the other, mostly white with touches of the palest pink. The wedding dresses were truly gorgeous!!!

The show that Chanel put on today for their Haute Couture collection was entirely different. Chanel makes a big splash with every show they put on, whether for ready to wear or Haute Couture, sometimes literally in terms of the ‘splash’ (A few years ago, they flew in an iceberg from Sweden as part of the decor, and kept the building bitter cold to preserve it before they flew it back to Sweden the next day. I can’t even imagine how you fly an iceberg anywhere!!!  The base of the iceberg melted a little during the show, and the models paraded around the iceberg in 6 inches of icy water in high heels, many of them losing shoes, and never missing a beat, a step, or batting an eye. It was quite a show!!) Chanel’s decor for their shows is always amazing. An uninhabited ‘planet’ a year ago, with volcanic rock everywhere and a look of desolation with giant crystals standing in sand, an enormous gold lion one year, last winter the entire interior of the setting was made to look like an airplane with videos of clouds, drifting past the ‘windows’, totally amazing. This time, they had set up a summer forest, that looked like it might have been near a beach. You walked in among live trees (to the recorded sound of birds) and the models walked through sand beneath the trees. It was a beautiful fantasy that set the tone for the summer collection. And the dresses were spectacular, lots of black and white, and color, incredible beading and sequins, with clothes that would look gorgeous on women of every age. There was something for everyone in the Chanel collection, there always is. The designer leaves no one out, and everyone sat dreamy eyed as they watched it, especially knowing the workmanship that went into it. There were roughly 60 or 70 outfits shown, each one complete with jewels and accessories.

Chanel is designed by a remarkable man, Karl Lagerfeld, he is German, and has designed for Chanel for many years. Somewhere around 80 years old, he also designs for his own label, also for Fendi, does museum quality photography, and designs Chanel both ready-to-wear and Haute Couture, several collections a year. His clothes are fabulous and his talent immeasurable, as witnessed yet again by the show I just saw in the tree-lined beach setting at the Grand Palais. It was a truly beautiful show, with a little twist for the wedding dress in his show too. Two identical wedding gowns were worn by two beautiful models, with a 5 or 6 year old boy in a white satin suit walking with them, so the impression was that of twin brides, which was a very pretty closing for the show.  Mr. Lagerfeld came out briefly at the end of the show, with his snow white hair tied in the ponytail he always wears with a black ribbon. And as always, he delivered a fabulous show!!!

Another element struck me this time, as I watched both shows, and it’s not a new concept, but I thought about it more than previously. Many French men (and Europeans) have had mistresses as far back as the court of Louis the Fourteenth and long before. Divorce was impossible in European (Catholic) countries (France, Italy, Spain, and others) until recent years, so men stayed married and had mistresses. And even some allegedly ‘happily’ married men had mistresses as well, often much younger than they. And the trend of much older men, with very young pretty women is not new either, even in the States.  Hugh Hefner, at 86, recently married a 26 year old woman, a 60 year age span between bride and groom, unusual perhaps, but variations on the theme are prevalent these days, and perhaps always were among successful men who have much to offer a young woman materially.  There are no more expensive clothes than Haute Couture, and designing them for very young women is a big statement on the customs of our times. Some designers of Haute Couture design for very young girls, who can’t possibly afford the clothes, which leads one to believe that older men allied with very young women are buying those clothes—they are surely not buying them for their middle aged wives, if the clothes are geared mostly to young girls.  Designers like Lagerfeld, on the other hand, are designing for those lucky young women who have older, substantial men to buy clothes for them, and for a more mature client who can afford those clothes as well. There are not a lot of clients for Haute Couture these days, but it’s nice to see collections that everyone can wear, at a broader range of ages.  In any case, as always, I thoroughly enjoyed the shows, the workmanship, the beauty of what are really works of art, and at the same time, in some ways, reflect the customs and mores of our times. In its own subtle way, fashion has always reflected what is going on in the world. Take a look at style.com if you want to see the clothes.  They are truly beautiful!!!

Love, Danielle

Obsession

Hi Everyone,

I don’t usually have a lot of spare time to watch TV, because I’m always working. And evenings and night time are the best time for me to work, without interruptions, although I write during the daytime too. But my strong suit is not relaxation—I’m much better at working. I’m one of those awful people who, the moment I sit down for 5 minutes, think of all the things I should be doing, and always feel I should be working. With four or five books in progress at once, I can always think of work I need to do. And when I run out of work (editing, writing, making notes on a new outline, or doing a re-write), I then immediately get antsy and start sorting out closets and getting rid of stuff, or reorganizing something, or cleaning out the refrigerator. And I’m always dragging a set of galleys around on vacation, and pull them out of a beach bag, dog eared, at the beach, to make final corrections before a book is printed. The hardest thing for me to do is just lie or sit around and do nothing, or sit peacefully and watch TV at night. It’s as if an alarm bell goes off in my head the minute my behind hits a chair, and I instantly think of something else I should be doing. (I’m sure it’s very annoying, but I get a lot done). After bringing up 9 children, and chasing after them when they were younger, while continuing to write books, now that the kids are grown up, I still have a lot of energy for other projects and more time than I used to. When the kids were little, I never got time to sit around either (they had to be fed, bathed, chased around, have scraped knees attended to, games to play, and toys to constantly pick up). So you get the picture, I’m not great at sitting around and relaxing!!!

For a couple of years now, I’ve heard about the British TV series ‘Downton Abbey’, from my kids, friends, and several colleagues (my editor, and assistants). Hmm…I thought. That’s nice. And when would I have the time to watch that? Probably in another lifetime, or after I write 50 more books, and reorganize all my closets and fridge again. A friend even gave me a set of DVD’s of the show for Christmas and said I ‘had’ to watch it. And of course, since getting them, I haven’t had time, with all of my kids home for Christmas, and I’ve been doing the groundwork for a new book. But Paris in January is cold and rainy, and it has been freezing cold, my work was done, I was taking a 2 week break from work, and suddenly found myself with time on my hands on cold winter nights. And my closets were tidy, and my fridge clean…..so I took out the DVD’s of Downton Abbey, and thought I’d watch an hour of it, to pass the time and check it out. That hour turned into five hours the first night, as I sat glued to the TV, engulfed in the story, totally mesmerized by it. I had fallen in love! And I went to bed at 5 am. (What people claim I do to them with my books!!!) With some embarrassment, I watched another segment after breakfast the next morning, and came home from an afternoon out, and turned it on again. I watched 11 DVD’s of it in about 3 days, Seasons 1, 2 and 3, and sat glued to it, totally in love with the characters and the story, the subplots, the nuances. It takes place from 1912 (and opens the morning after the sinking of the Titanic), and where I left off is in the 1920′s, after the First World War, and I wanted to beg for more when the last segment ended, with the end of Season 3. Okay, I will admit it, I’m addicted. What’s more, everyone I spoke to, claimed to be equally so. One of my daughters said she stayed up all night to watch it, much as I did. Half a dozen friends claimed the same. I have never enjoyed anything so much, and every night as I sat down to watch the DVD’s, I felt like I was meeting up with friends (an aristocratic multi-generational English family, and the army of their ‘servants’ downstairs, who all blend into one rich, fascinating whole.). I have totally loved it, and wanted to share with you that I’m obsessed with it, like so many others. It’s a fabulous show!! I didn’t move an inch, had no urge to clean my closets, never even thought about my refrigerator. When my children called while I was watching, I shamelessly told them I was ‘busy’, and then finally confessed to what I was doing, and they all laughed. I am truly addicted to it by now, and thoroughly loving it!! You might want to check it out, you may enjoy it too. I just love it!!!!) it is fabulous distraction and great fun!!!

Love, Danielle

Lucky

I gave myself a very special Christmas gift this year. A bracelet. Not just any bracelet, it’s a bracelet that the famous French jeweler Van Cleef and Arpels made in l970. I was too young to be interested in jewelry then, but I saw one of these bracelets many years later, and have seen a few since at vintage jewelers, and because they are so rare, and were a limited edition, and have become a collectors’ item, they were out of my budget. A few months ago, my daughter who is the fashion editor of a magazine told me she had read about it, and that Van Cleef was making another limited edition of the famous bracelet, at a normal price, not the price I’d seen over the years in fancy vintage stores. And I called the store in Paris and immediately ordered one for me, and for each of my daughters. (Once again, it’s a limited edition, and I believe there are between 50 and 100 being made, and they won’t make any more after that). It’s not a fancy, jazzy bracelet, there are no diamonds on it. It’s a beautiful, very simple bracelet with a great message on it, kind of a good luck charm. I’ve always wanted it, and I love both art and jewelry that involves words, or a message. (I have a wonderful gold link bracelet with one word engraved on each link, like ‘love’, ‘laughter’, ‘harmony’, ‘friendship’, all the good things in life that make us happy.)

The Van Cleef bracelet is simple and beautiful. It’s a bangle bracelet made of wood (ebony or 2 different kinds of dark brown wood) with 4 little gold oval plaques on it, and in French it says “To be lucky, you have to believe in luck”. I LOVE that message, and the simple wood bracelet. It’s such a great reminder to have a positive outlook in life and really believe that good things can happen to you. (I put mine on in the store, and have worn it everyday and everywhere since). I am soooooo excited about this bracelet, and owning it, after so many years of wanting it!!! I hope it will be my lucky charm, and one for my daughters too!!!

Love, Danielle