An American [Vogue Assistant] In Paris

Vogue Editorial Assistant Cynthia Smith just spent her first fall Fashion Week in Paris. 
Here's her photo diary from her adventure:

"I arrived in Paris on a Sunday morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and headed to quite possibly the most enchanting apartment on Boulevard Saint Germain.

Three suitcases and nineteen pairs of shoes later, I had unpacked and was ready to seize my only day of leisure."

  "With my cousin Max and two friends in tow, our first stop was Café de Flore for an authentic cafe au lait and pain au chocolate. This boîte is très magnifique! Once fully nourished, across the Seine and into the Marais we went."

 
"The queue for the Louis Vuitton trunk exhibit at the Carnavalet Museum stretched as long as the line for Shake Shack on a New York summer day. We waited patiently while taking in the bustling streets of the district—bicycles, baguettes, and blondes, oh my!"

"The exhibit was full of the most extravagant and unusual trunks, including two custom ones designed by Damien Hirst to hold surgical tools.  I couldn’t help but wonder where some of these steamers had traveled and the lives they had lived."

 
"As all of Paris takes off Sunday as its day of rest, we ventured over to the right bank to marvel at the windows on Avenue Montaigne."

 I window-shopped till I dropped. Stopped at L’Avenue for a delightful aperitif.

" I love Paris in the springtime..."

"For my first day in the Paris office, I chose my outerwear based on my brisk 20-minute walk to work: a winter white Stella McCartney coat, Wolford tights, and flats (which I stealthily swapped for sky-high leopard Louboutin pumps when I was a block away)."

 In the Paris office of Vogue, located in one of the most charming buildings in Paris, a spiral staircase led me up three flights of stairs where I was immediately drawn to giant pane-glass windows that framed an absolutely breathtaking view of L’Assemblée Nationale.

The weather called for my favorite spring trend: a full skirt with bare legs, and brightly colored ankle socks paired with my favorite peeptoe heel. I paired a long-sleeved black sweater with a DVF dress that I had revamped into a skirt.

 The office is a home base for all our New York editors to collaborate, critique, and rest between collections. My job was to keep everyone on schedule and organized.

 I didn’t think things could get any more exciting until I was pulled in to assist on a photo shoot with David Sims, with Camilla Nickerson as stylist. From the candy-colored bangles to the geometric Balenciaga flannel suit and Mondrian-esque separates, this Op Art set transformed Caroline Trentini into a modern-day Twiggy grooving to the Beatles. 

 With my one and only editorial project completed, the rest of my week was jam-packed with assisting our Vogue editors.

Lucky me, I even got to attend some spectacular shows including Lanvin, Nina Ricci, Stella McCartney, and Vivienne Westwood. Perhaps the biggest factor that separates the Paris collections apart from other cities is the literally monumental settings where the shows take place.

My Prada heels and Delvaux handbag after a stroll in the Tulleries.

From the Paris Opera house for Stella McCartney to the Miu Miu show staged at the Palais d’Iéna, it is easy to get lost in the dreamy whimsy that is Paris Fashion Week. Of course, looking around at the shows or the Tuileries or even a tiny café, I knew we were all there for the same reason: La Mode!

Read more at vogue.com