It felt like the airplane was gliding through the clouds as I looked out the window with anticipation, wondering what this next trip would bring. I couldn’t wait to touch ground and get my feet moving. Since my tour would not start until the next day, where would I go first? What would be the first activity after I stepped off the plane? I did not have anything planned, which was out of the ordinary for me. I used the flight to mull over a general outline of what my day could look like. But nothing in my wildest dreams could prepare me for the unexpected joys of Paris Fashion Week.
Touchdown to Paris Fashion Week
The wheels hit the ground around 10:00 AM and I made it to the hotel around noon. Much to my surprise, I was informed it was Paris Fashion Week 2017, and the city was jammed packed with events! This softened the blow when I was told that my room could not be reimbursed from the night prior because it was booked through Booking.com. I was going to have to call them directly and work out a room reimbursement (note: it was a nightmare trying to get this resolved through Booking.com).
Prior to hearing about Paris Fashion Week, I thought about touring the Louvre and checking out the Seine river scene, but hey, Fashion week sounded like the plan. Plan B: throw out Plan A, the plan I had meticulously crafted on the plane.
Much to my surprise, my luck got better – my hotel was right in the thick of Paris Fashion Week. I decided it was time to not have a plan at all. I went to my room, unpacked, then went and took a chance. That chance was just what I needed – I found what I was looking for without even knowing that I was looking for it.
Going in a Different Direction
As I started to walk down the streets near the Madeleine, I happened to meander down a street not realizing that I had been distracted by window displays. After looking up from the window display, I realized I was in my own nostalgic world. I felt myself reminiscing way back to the days when my passion for fashion started in the late 1980s. The iconic sequins and heavy shoulder pad days of the ‘80s were in full throttle. I was probably seven when the movie, Mannequin, was released. However, this movie, including the window displays in the movie, had a pretty significant impact in my life. Not to mention, Kim Cattrall was absolutely stunning in her early years!
Back to the window displays: I walked down a side street and happened to glance up. There it was… the grand opening of Kate Spade Paris, happening right in the middle of Paris Fashion Week. I paused and stood there. Then, I took a step, and then another. As the actor says in Mannequin when he finds his Roxy, “it’s a miracle.” He thinks he finds a mannequin that came to life too. And in that moment, I felt the same way! This was such an epic and totally unexpected moment that had perfectly tied my childhood movie fantasies to a real-life window display fantasy. I couldn’t believe my luck!
Kate Spade has been a part of my life for decades. My very first Kate Spade bag was the iconic black nylon make-up bag that never wore down. It lasted my entire undergrad college career. Of course, there were other Kate Spade items that were eventually added to my collection—her wallets have always been my favorite! The opening of the store during Paris Fashion Week was probably one of the best finds on that trip. Touchdown!
The Meaningful Impact of Kate Spade
Looking back now that Kate Spade has passed, being at the Paris opening of her store during Paris Fashion Week means so much more to me now than it did before. It reminds me to never stop telling those around you how much they mean to you. Spade’s passing was sudden and tragic, and no one will ever know what she had going on in her life. Her tragic passing reminds me even more that one small act of kindness can go very far.
In one of my earlier posts, I stated this quote; I refer to this frequently, as it makes so much sense to me:
’Cause you never think the last time is going to be the last time – you think there will be more. You think you will have forever but you don’t.”
My Kate Spade moment happened on my first afternoon in Paris. After the first day, however, most of my itinerary remained on schedule.
Find out what’s next for Leesa as she continues her adventures in Paris.
