Overheard on the Metro...

Occasionally I'll be on the metro and here native English speakers and naturally perk up. They assume that no one can understand them so lots of times they talk about things you would probably not talk about on the metro. I admit, I do the same thing. Anyway, sometimes I hear really weird or funny things so I'm going to occasionally put them up!

"No, no! That was the night we came home and I polished all your silver."

"Broccoli does not help my digestive system."
"Yeah...I noticed."

"She's not one of those girls you can be sitting with in bed, in your pjs, on Facebook, and then just start going at it. She likes excitement and role play. Dude, it's hard."

Fashion Week!

I know, fashion week is over. Somehow I forgot to write about the fact that I dressed models at the Elie Saab ready to wear fashion show last week! How that slipped my mind, I have no idea because it was one of the most amazing experiences.

Some GW kids here in another program live with fashion students which is how I got to be around such expensive clothing. Alright, so we had to all show up in black (of course) and we get there and it's ridiculous. Beautiful people in amazing clothes speaking a combination of French, English, and Arabic. Each one of the dressers had a model with 2 or 3 looks. My model was Mathilde. I was hoping she wouldn't be the stereotypical bitchy model...but she was. She didn't even speak to me at first. Just sat down and put out her feet so I could put her six inch heels on. Most of the models were very sweet though.

Alright, so while the models are getting ready there is SO much press backstage. Tons of photographers. The models ate it up. They'd be on their cell phones or talking and a photographer would come up and they would just morph into model posing mode. Kind of hilarious. So while they were being hams, Elie Saab was giving interviews/posing for pictures with Dita Von Teese and Nelly Furtado. It was all very chaotic and loud, but also glamorous to be around photographers, beautiful clothes, and famous people.

The entire show took less than 3o minutes and felt like 5. My model's dresses were easy to get on and off, but her shoes were another story. Of course, they chose these ridiculous 6 inch sandals that you have to tie. First they go "tie the bow in the back" then it's "tie the bow in the front" then it's "tie the bow on the side." So, I'm literally down on the ground tying my models shoes ten different times because every two minutes someone comes over and goes "no, not like that!" Finally, they're "right" and she's ready to go...until this woman with a platinum blonde asymmetrical haircut and a crazy pirate blouse comes up to me and goes "No! NO! you just don't understand!" She showed me yet another way to tie the sandals.

I realize how important a fashion show is, but you can't help but laugh at how seriously people took it. It was as if these sandals were a matter of life or death.

It was pretty amazing to see all the models in line, techno music pumping, Elie Saab giving them the final once over before they went out and did their thing. Right before Elie Saab went out at the end of the show, his wife fixed his hair and kissed him. It was such a sweet and tender moment. So private, as if it was just the two of them.

I've posted pictures of my model, as well as a link to the entire collection. It looks so amazing in person though, the pictures don't do it justice.

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2010RTW-ESAAB/

Thanksgivig, The Store.

Yesterday I'm walking down a teeny tiny street in the Marais and from far away I see the word "Thanksgiving." I literally ran across the street to see what this mystical store sold and guess what?! It sells American processed food! It's basically like walking into the crappy section of a grocery store that has all the canned stuff, but it's cool here because it's American and sort of retro. Naturally, I wanted to buy the Quaker oats, bagels, cream cheese, goldfish, etc. Then I looked at the price...How does 4.50 euro for Campbell's soup sound? 7.50 euro for Nestle chocolate chips? How about 9 euros for some peanut butter?

It was hilarious though because everyone in the store was French except for my Australian friend and I, so I kept being like "seriously, this is like 50 cents in America" and all the Frenchies just went on buying it. They even sold Miller Lite! Come on, at least sell a good American beer. Still, I might go back to get the H+H bagels, I've been dying for a bagel.

Cabs and Cakes

On Thursday Nina and I tried to find a birthday cake. Surprisingly, it was difficult. There are pastry shops on every corner, but very few of them have large tarts/cakes. Finally, we found one with a big chocolate cake and we told the lady we wanted to buy it. She asked if it was some one's birthday because I guess it was weird to be buying the big cake. We said yes and she was very cute and gave us 21st birthday candles and "wrapped" the box. By wrap I mean she put a very little gold ribbon on it, no big bows or anything. Anyway, we're walking home and this older Frenchman just looks at me and very seriously goes "Bon Anniversaire." Really, hardly any emotion. It was as if it was a sad occasion. So, i'm thinking the yellow ribbon is a tip off that it's a birthday/special occasion? I have no idea what it's customary to eat on your birthday here, I should find out.

On Friday the Internet man was supposed to show up between 10 and 11. By 12:25 I gave up on him...he arrived at 5pm. Anyway, after he was done installing whatever he installed I go "so does it work, can i use it?" and he goes "what, are you in a rush?" So, my Internet should work within 5 days...UGH.

I love Paris, I really do, I just wish they had more cabs. The subway closes (relatively) early on the weekends. You have to get there by 1:40 or else take a night bus or a cab. There seems to be a huge shortage of cabs. You can try and hail one, but on the weekends they are usually all taken or they won't stop for you because they're going to the taxi line to pick up people who have been waiting. So, I miss the metro last night (by two minutes, of course) and get in line to take a cab. There are 20 people in front of me. And of course there has to be a gang of drunk Irish rugby players behind me. I had to wait 35 minutes, but luckily I made friends with some Swedish girls and then a guy who was from D.C. so that made the time go by. But seriously, more cabs here would be great.

Frustration

As I've mentioned before, Franklin & Marshall paraphernalia is big here. Today I walked into a store that sells their sweatshirts. I was thinking they would be around 30 euros, oh no, 85 euros For a fake college sweatshirt. I'm seriously thinking about selling my GW stuff, it seems like I could get a lot for it.



My one class today was cancelled because the teacher is too damn important to teach. She has changed our class schedule so many times it is ridiculous. I get it, she's the head of the Georgian opposition party, she's got more important stuff to do. Fine, then stay in Georgia and don't teach a class in France! It's really frustrating. Sciences Po likes having all these fancy people teach classes. They fly in a guy from New York every week to teach a law class...really, you couldn't find a guy from a fancy law firm in Paris to teach?!

La Nuit Blanche

Last night Paris had their Nuit Blanche. It's basically an art festival that lasts all night throughout certain areas of Paris. It was pretty chaotic and i feel like everything was too spread out, but it was still fun. My favorites were a man made out wire hanging in between two buildings and a light show in a Gothic church. The church was completely dark except for the light show, almost like a disco ball? but less intense. It was creepy but in a cool way. The Pompidou was open and free until 2am so we went in there too. The view from the top was so nice! You can see all of Paris, t'was lovely. Looking at modern art at 1am seemed like an awesome idea, but it really just exhausted me. There was a big exhibit on feminist art, a lot of which I didn't agree with, so it hurt my brain to think about it.

This has nothing to do with La Nuit Blanche, but I am getting obsessed with French advertising. They are just so damn odd. For instance, Orangina has these "sexy" animal adds everywhere. Why would a deer in lingerie make me want to drink Orangina?

Evian has come out with a new add campaign the includes babies on rollerblades...again, what were the ad execs thinking? "Oh, I know! Let's get mom's to give their infants bottled water. By having the babies rollerblading we'll be showing how Evian makes them strong." I mean, that's what I get out of it, anyway. So weird and crazy, but I love it.

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