In 2015, I had two major firsts: my first Ladygunn feature and my first collaboration with the internationally renowned Parisian fashion boutique, colette. colette is so cool that they refer to themselves in lowercase… I mean, c’mon! Could any other boutique sell out of a pair of geode-laden Crocs like these?
The focus of my first Ladygunn feature took an unexpected turn when the terrorist attacks on the Bataclan happened during the trip. Needless to say, that had a profound effect on both my life and my time in the city. So, when I found out I’d be going back to Paris to celebrate my collaboration with Carebears for their 35th Anniversary, I knew I needed to follow up with my return trip – one which captures the true essence of the excitement and positivity of the City of Lights. 
First, I am happy to report that Paris was back to its old self – full of joie de vivre. The cafes were bustling, the coffee was flowing, and the cigarette smoke was wafting… just as I had always envisioned. And this time I made it to the Eiffel Tower at night, in all its glitzy sparkleness.
I arrived in Paris on Sunday, February 12th. I took a red-eye, dropped off my things at the Westin Vendome (thanks for the upgrade, guys), and went straight to colette. Oh, and I had to pack colette’s order with my stuff in my suitcases because UPS managed to lose a box — not once, but twice! Ahhhh, the life of an entrepreneur. Honestly, that was such a headache I’ll spare you the details.
colette is closed on Sundays to change out the product, windows, and displays. I had the opportunity to meet the team as they were incorporating the Boy Meets Girl product into the store, and to dive into our plans for The Big Event on Tuesday (which was Valentine’s Day, by the way).
When you were little did you have that dream where you got locked in to your favorite toy store overnight? Well, I was living my dream and having my Behind the Seams moment with my pals at colette, which I happen to believe is the most important store in the world (rounding out the top three would be Dover Street Market and Bergdorf Goodman, in case you were wondering).
Now, let me tell you about Colette (the person). Collette is Colette Roussaux, the namesake, and co-founder of colette (the store), together with her daughter Sarah. Colette was not at colette during my first collaboration. This time, however, Colette was the first person to welcome me to the store, and her graciousness and warm hugs were the boost of energy needed for this weary traveler.
Here’s a picture of Colette unloading some Boy Meets Girl tracksuits. It’s a pity that from this angle you cannot see her signature scarf. It is quite fetching. But I love this picture anyway, because it shows that retail is not always so glamorous. A lot of steaming, tagging and hang-tagging goes into it before Billy Farrell gets there….
We finished our prep day with a good luck toast in the newly Boy Meets Girl x Care Bears decked out Water Bar. Here are some pictures of the branded Water Bar.
On Monday, I had a little time in between meetings to see some of the sites and sounds of Paris that were on my itinerary in 2015 but I didn’t have the chance to see. First, I had an amazing breakfast meeting at Hotel Costes where every waitress looks like a supermodel.
Full disclosure, I did visit Hotel Costes last time around, but it was for dinner and this place is just too awesome to miss! Anyway, after breakfast I ran to Kilo Shop. I am a lover or all things vintage (in fact, I have written a number of blog posts on subjects like my favorite vintage finds and consignment shops), so finding this gem was pure joy for me. I highly recommend paying Kilo Shop a visit.
Next, I made my way to Tuileries Garden, which was closed during my last visit. Again, I made it a point this time to enjoy touristy attractions and soak it all in.
Before I knew it, the day of the event arrived. Valentine’s Day in Paris is special. It was even more so this time around, I’ll never forget it. To get the party started, my friend Justine Skye performed. Justine first performed at our NYFW show in 2015, which was her first ever Fashion Week performance. And her performance at colette was her first performance in Paris.
After the event, I had a celebratory Valentine’s Day dinner with Justine Skye, her BFF and photographer of several of these photos Renell Medrano (thank you Renell), Justine’s Mum, team Boy Meets Girl® and my incredible father who accompanied me on this trip (my husband was back at home watching our son, Dylan). Then we went back to the hotel and relaxed a bit before we had to pack up our bags and say goodbye. Until we meet again, Paris.
Au Revoir!
#boymeetsgirlinparis #bmgxcb #boymeetsgirl x #carebears x #colette
We sold out of all the styles that I handed over to Colette on Sunday and almost all the other styles. Any items left at colette you can check out here. We dropped three exclusive styles on Boy Meets Girl’s website here. USE code: LADYGUNN15 to get 15% off!
Story by Stacy Igel
Images by colette, Dodi and Renell Medrano, Nancy Shuster and Stacy Igel