Shopping in Paris

I never thought I would use a personal shopper. I like to think I know what looks good on me. And I’m very decisive. I’ll know right away if I want something or not. But what a dream to shop in Paris. Knowing I only had an afternoon to myself on a work trip to the “La Ville-Lumière,” I didn’t want to waste my time going to stores where I wouldn’t buy anything. My friend Daniel MacKinnon, the man behind the blog Jet Legs, suggested I make it a mission to buy a dress like no other – a frock you could only find in France.

After a phone consultation with Laetitia Roukbi of The Paris Shopper, I sent her some of my pins of gowns. And after Googling her name, I found out that not only is she gorgeous with impeccable taste, she’s also frequently photographed for her street style fashions. I loved that she went to stores ahead of time, put cocktail dresses and gowns in my size on hold, actually kept within my budget and had a schedule of where we would go. It was like shopping with a friend but better. Honestly, without Laetitia I would have never tried on these amazing dresses.

First, we went to Collette to try on Dior black and white cocktail number, Christopher Kane blue dress with feather trim, and a shape-shifter Simone Rocha pink frock.

Then we went to Dries Van Noten to see two dresses that really excited Laetitia. One was a shift with jewelled feathers, and the other was a backless dress with a feathered skirt (shown with pants and a blazer on the runway).

The fanciest dress was a gown from Alberto Ferretti.

Our last stop was at the French boutique Paule Ka, where I tried on red carpet gowns and glam cocktail dresses.      

Sorry, but I’m not showing the dress I bought. You’ll have to wait for another post.

Sparkling moon

This is the result of nail envy. It would seem that all of the Canadian beauty editors get their nails done at Tips Nail Bar in Toronto. If I compliment a colleague’s nails, I know what she is going to say. She went to Tips. They’ve worked with Revlon for events and fashion shows (ahem, Lucian Matis). I was once invited to get my nails done there by a lacquer brand, but it was on my birthday. I have yet to make it there. But my jealous nails, after a basic manicure with Dior’s Gris Trianon (a colour recco by Glow’s beauty editor), wanted some glam, some shine, a moon manicure. I took inspiration from a recent Tips moon mani. Instead of the nude moon, I went for Nars Silver Factory, which is part of the Andy Warhol collection. I simply used the Essence French Manicure Tip Guides, by placing the strips about half a centimetre from my cuticle. Too much polish can run under the guide, so I was careful to apply two thin coats, peel the sticker away and finish with a top coat. It’s my cheap and chic delay until I finally get my tips into Tips.