Paris 2

Trend Union is the most prestigious trend forecasting company in the world. They are mentioned in textbooks and groups of people travel from all over the world to hear their presentations about upcoming trends. In September Trend Union put together a presentation for 2012. The experience involves all senses of the body. There was bread being prepared and baked at the entrance to engage people and get them involved in the process; everyone gets excited about food. Phillip, a very successful trend forecaster is gracious to let students into the presentation and to see the work of grad students working to become forecasters themselves. A young girl put together a presentation about horse racing in Mongolia for her final project and from that experience she was able to put together the idea for a sweater. The group at Trend Union is a group of abstract thinkers that are always ahead of the times. The slideshow presentation depicted with few words and pictures the upcoming trends. The main color based on the presentation was white. It is simply phenomenal how Phillip can take years worth of information and consolidate it into very few words and straightforward pictures. The bread being baked at the beginning of the presentation was served in many different ways to the guests in order to continue the experience.

Colette is a unique store to Paris equipped with a water bar. While most would probably expect the bar to serve wine among other drinks, it has chosen water as the drink of choice. Colette’s atmosphere is directly comparable to that of a Dover Street Market in London and an Urban Outfitter’s in the United States. Dover Street Market is a raw collection of clothes and accessories that gives the feeling of a fashion show collection fresh from the runway. Urban Outfitter’s has clothing, but it is mostly known for their eclectic book collection and interesting gadgets to collect. Colette’s entrance brings the customers into a floor that is full of books and random toys, but they are significantly more expensive. For example, a fun but random item to buy is a magnetic hamburger set. While it could be fun, the point of it is somewhat in question. The clothing is set out so that only one of each item in one size can be seen. If a customer is interested in purchasing the staff will retrieve the item from the back. There is a high level of exclusivity among the store; people feel like they have special treatment. There is a beauty section, which allows people to customize their own perfumes. Whether the item is exclusive or not the customer feels like it is and keeps them coming back for more. The restaurant down stairs is modern, chic, and very minimalist. The entire wall of the bar is lined with several types of bottle water that do not come cheap. The point of the store itself is to be minimal, clean, and healthy. Colette is eclectic and one can never be bored trying shop.

Shopping can only be expected when visiting the fashion capital of the world. Paris offers some of the most divine places to keep up with trends in the world of shopping. Galeries Lafayette and Bon Marche are two department stores worth visiting and spending some money. The main store of Galeries Lafayette has ten floors to spend hours shopping. The men’s store has four floors and the home store has five floors. Every single expensive name brand designer can be found in every department of the store each one given their own section. The shoe department in this Galeries is about the size of an entire department store in the United States; this means that shoe heaven has been found. There are reasonably priced sections as in all department stores. The amount of merchandise and designer items found in the store would make it impossible to make it through the store in less than a couple days. The food section is interesting because of the fresh salts and spices that are available. Each salt is a different color, but they are not dyed salts; the salt is naturally blue, pink, or green. An array of spices is available as well; the aroma surrounds the customers and fills the air. The staff will happily package the salt and spices for the customers to make the experience more pleasant. Bon Marche is a good place to visit because it has a little of everything. There is a book store, an office section, a small café, a place to buy luggage, and an endless supply of yarn for knitting. Bon Marche is less focused on fashion as is Galeries Lafayette and more focused on items needed in everyday life. The grocery store, which is across the street from the main store, is somewhat expensive but they have a wide variety. Any type of chocolate can be found, a wide array of fresh fish and meat can be bought. There is even a small section of some American food for those missing home.

If each piece of art in the Louvre was looked at for only thirty seconds it would take six months to make it through the entire museum without stopping to eat or sleep. The Louvre is home to some of the most famous pieces of artwork known today. The Mona Lisa is the one painting that everybody goes to the Louvre to see no matter what. The smiling woman with no eyebrows is famous, but the painting in reality is disappointing compared to what it has been built up to be. The greatness of the painting is still felt because Leonardo da Vinci painted it, but the size of the painting is smaller than a lot of people expect. The eyes of the Mona Lisa follow fellow onlookers across the room because da Vinci wanted it to appear that way, but her soft smile is soothing. Photographs without a flash are allowed to be taken, but the painting is behind a shield of glass to protect it. The Mona Lisa is in the center of the room with a belt surrounding it and the clusters of people automatically flock to the masterpiece.  It takes a while to get through the herds of people to get snapshot of the stunning Mona Lisa. Napoleons apartment is situated inside the museum and it was his actual place of residence at one point in time that was reserved within the museum. It would be a dream to live in such an apartment. The furniture is antique and sophisticated. All the trim along the walls and ceiling are covered in gold, and the ceilings are intricately painted with murals. Grand chandeliers hang from the ceilings, and the setting feels like a fairy tale.

Premiere vision, Who’s Next and Pret a Porter are a retail buyers heaven. All the collections for the upcoming seasons are spread out in booths around a showroom featuring hundreds of designers. Over 200 countries were represented by buyers throughout the trade shows. The shows are exclusive and it’s extremely difficult to get into.  The designers are very strict and protective of their collections for fear that new designers will come in and steal their ideas. The buying process is can be complicated as it involves several decisions and processes. The buyer needs to decide what pieces their store would sell and in what colors. The buyer needs to figure what styles will work best and how many to buy while also keeping the budget in mind. Premiere vision is similar to who’s next and prêt a porter but it is strictly fabric. The fabric vendors are also very concerned about people stealing their ideas for patterns. Buyers that purchase fabric also need to make a lot of decisions, the amount of fabric being the most important and the budget. The shows also give people an idea as to what is going to be popular in the upcoming seasons, which will help them decide what direction to go in while buying. This year in Pret a porter is was clear that orange, and royal blue will be the in colors for the upcoming summer season.

                The Champs Elysees that leads to the Arc de triumph is a long, but pleasurable walk. The Champs Elysees is lined with shops that are mostly to attract the tourists. Louis Vuitton, Disney Store and Abercrombie and Fitch are among the stores that tourists aim towards. The Louis Vuitton store almost always has a line to get in, but it is fabulous on the inside.  From the distance the arc looks closer than it really is, but as the walk progresses the distance becomes evident. In order to access the arc there is an underground tunnel and then stairs to take in order to get underneath it. The names of soldiers line the walls of the arc and the gravesite of the Unknown Soldier can be found here. The structure is massive and from the top a great view of the city is visible.