Paris, caressing an early springtime, is truly a beautiful and romantic city. It’s a visual patisserie oozing with sensory overload. High on its endless wow factor London’s Bond Street has attractions, but only offers the expected retail experience, mixed with endless traffic wardens, and slow moving diesel spouting buses. But the narrow Rue St. Honore sprinkles big name designers with tantalising glimpses of the Louvre buildings, secret courtyards, fabulous tiny shops, wafting bespoke perfumes, flimsy lingerie and a louche atmosphere of implied boudoir pleasure.

Strolling post-dinner window shopping is inevitably a warming liqueur which slips into the promise of a ruinous future retail purchase. At all cost avoid Miu Miu’s irresistible jewel red bag which glows like a tantalising work of art through their window. Instead visit the Hotel Coste where the fashion pack overflow spills down the entrance steps, and a small crowd lounges against the new, very black and shiny frontage. Their cigarettes glowing amber in the night as desperate smokers adjust to the recent ban while awaiting non-existent taxis.

Around the corner at the museum of textiles, Christian Lacroix is honoured with a show that mixes lovingly archived and historical garments with his amazingly theatrical fantasies. Colour, texture, shape and fantasy all wildly intermingle across generations and centuries, successfully creating a kaleidoscope of unexpected and awe inspiring beauty.

Neither Texworld nor Premier Vision can offer anything to match this splendour. Before the touch and partnership of a talented designer, cloth however beautiful remains nothing more than a length of fabric awaiting the magic. For those of us exploring the conundrum of spring/summer 09 it seems that “soft” is the current buzz-word. Or, as our P.R. at Huge would say, soft will be the future “hero” product.

Melt London jacket

Having exhausted ourselves absorbing the new in textiles, we said a temporary farewell to the Eiffel Tower’s stardust twinkle, and will return this week to exhibit at Paris Sur Mode. Anyone interested in taking a look at the Melt London collection, please come and visit us in the Westin Hotel on the Rue Rivoli, stand Imperial C4.

Paris Sur Mode is on from Friday 29th February to Monday 3rd March - 10am to 7pm

http://www.parissurmode.com/

By Susan Royston

Creative Director of Melt London

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