Paris Fashion Week Spring 2013: What to do when you’re caught between the paparazzi and Jennifer Lopez and notes from Valentino, Chanel and Dior

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If you value your footwear (and your toes, for that matter) do not stand anywhere near Jennifer Lopez.

I learned this today as I was making my way to my seat at the Valentino show in a tent in the Tuileries. I have witnessed paparazzi frenzies many times in my career but there is a particularly panic that sets in when J.Lo is in the ‘hood. The freelance photographers can sniff a guaranteed money shot. The staff photographers know they will face the wrath of their editors if they come back empty handed.

Either way, they are all in battle mode.

Which brings me to me, nonchalantly making my way along the runway to my seat until I hit a wall of security in a semi-circle around the star, who was clad in hot pink and chatting with her seatmate, boyfriend Casper Smart. Trying to break through the human barrier were photographers of all shapes, sizes and social graces.

“Sir I told you you must sit down!” bellowed a tall blond woman who I assume is a Valentino publicist.

“I am working!” he screamed back, not budging. Then some pushing ensued, I did a little leap to my right and avoided scuffing my Pierre Hardy booties.

I am not sure I get the strategy of preventing the photographers from taking a celebrity’s picture. That just fuels their fire. Let them get their shot, and move on.

Valentino for Spring 2013, by the way, is very pretty—slip dresses with faggoting detail, black chiffon overlayers, evening jumpsuits, transparent raincoats and a whole series of dresses with lace bibs.

Jennifer Lopez was also at the Chanel show this morning and had her daughter in tow. I didn’t witness any mayhem there, at the Grand Palais, since they were all the way at the other end of the runway—which I swear was longer than the airport runway in St. Barth’s.

The models walked on what looked like solar panels and they weaved in and around 13 wind turbines used to decorate the stage. (I am not sure how much energy it would take to power 13 turbines in a giant hall with no wind, but that is not my problem.)

The collection was also very pretty, and felt more youthful than Chanel has in a while. Standouts included cropped glitter-crusted jackets, graphic windowpane patterns and a purse grafted onto a hula hoop. But frankly, this collection was so wide in scope there should be something to appeal to everyone—from harajuku girl to Parisian grand dame.

After the Chanel show, many of us headed over to Dior headquarters on Avenue Montaigne to inspect Raf Simons first ready-to-wear designs for the house. Showroom visits are so vital because you always see things you can’t see on the runway. Like some of the grey coatdresses have plastic flowers beaded within their pleats or tiny mirrored bars sewn upright on the torso seams

We also got to see the futuristic metal-trimmed slingbacks and the new Lady Dior bag, completely modernized with all the hardware covered in leather. A thoroughly stunning collection and stellar debut.

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