Brasserie Gabrielle

Does it get better that this? I think not. There is a reason why Chanel is the greatest fashion house and yesterday’s fashion show is exactly why. Held at the Grand Palais, Karl Lagerfeld transformed the joint into a Parisian brasserie. No detail was overlooked… Mosaic floor tiling, bistro revolving door, red banquette seating, French newspapers, white tablecloths, snooty waiters, perfect brasserie bar serving “Parisian ladies who lunch” grapefruit juice and pain au chocolat. Lemon tea for the well-dressed Chanel clad ladies at the tables. I mean, come on! And then, don’t forget, the reason for the show… The collection!

It was as if Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was reincarnated through each of the models. Absolute Parisian sophistication. Uber chic would be an understatement. Each of the models wore identical two-tone iconic Chanel low slingback heels. I think my favorite look of the collection was the fitted yet movable classic tweed skirt… Midcalf! Genius. I don’t even have the words to describe everything, so let’s just take a look. You can check out the whole live show HERE but first here is a little tease of the show…

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


I want. I need. I love.
The show, as usual, drew quite the celebrity crowd. My favorite momager, Kris Jenner, was on hand to support model daughter, Kendell. Cara Delevingne graced the runway and Anna Wintour was front and center. My favorite style icon and a former Chanel muse, Ines de la Fressange, was in attendance and praised the show. Take a look…

 
 
 


*Something you don’t know about me? Well, today it’s really about Gracie, my daughter. Since Gracie was in the ninth grade, all that she wanted to do was attend NYU for college. She fell in love with New York when we were living there in 2009-2011. For ninth grade, Gracie was homeschooled and setting her own schedule so she had plenty of time to explore New York City. I took her everywhere with me, uptown, downtown, Brooklyn, Harlem, SoHo, the East Side, the West Side and everything in between. For 10th grade, Gracie attended an all-girls Catholic school literally next door to our apartment on E. 68th St. Every day after school, Gracie and her girlfriends would further explore the city as only teenagers could. Gracie was smitten. Riding the subway all over New York (in their sassy school uniforms), Gracie and her friends saw everything and were exposed to different cultures, different ethnicities, different socioeconomic backgrounds, hipsters, gossip girls, psychos, artists, musicians, different religions and everything in between. Gracie embraced it all. She loved going with her girlfriends to Dylan’s Candy Shop, California Pizza Kitchen, Serafina’s, Serendipity, Shake Shack and the Meatball Shop. Gracie was set to spend her future in New York City. NYU was her dream school.
At the end of Gracie’s 10th grade, I was diagnosed with ALS. So annoying. Gracie had plans for God sakes and I just ruined them. We were leaving New York. We needed to go home to Santa Barbara for me and this monster called ALS. Grace was disappointed but knew that my health was more important. So off we went to Santa Barbara but Gracie never gave up her goal to attend NYU. Gracie homeschooled her junior and senior year in Santa Barbara. When the time came, Gracie started her application to NYU. I told her that she needed to apply to other schools as well “just in case.” Gracie reluctantly applied to a couple other schools, including American University in Paris. Applications were finished and sent off. Now the waiting game. Gracie checked the mailbox every single day. Months later, Gracie received her acceptance letter to another college in New York. She didn’t even really care… All she was waiting for was that letter from NYU. One afternoon a letter from NYU showed up in the mailbox. Gracie took the letter to her bedroom and quietly peeled it open without me knowing about it. 10 minutes later Gracie came into the living room where I was with tears rolling down her cheeks and a look of disappointment that I will never forget. I knew the answer.
Here we go again… I have to be supermom and “make it all better“ like I did when I had to tell Gracie I had ALS. To be honest, as crazy as this may seem, my ALS and Gracie not getting accepted to NYU were about equal on the devastation scale.… To both of us. It’s funny how when mothers don’t always have the fast answers, we seem to come up with something that works. I just told Gracie that there was obviously a plan for her… And NYU was not it. It broke my heart to see her so sad but I had to keep my wits about me and let her in on one of life’s secrets… Sometimes life sucks. Not everything will go your way and there will be disappointment, sadness and frustration. However, it’s how you choose to deal with it that strengthens your character. I told her she had two choices. She could either wallow in her disappointment or she could stay positive and look at different options. She was so upset all she wanted to do was go to her bedroom and cry for a while which she did. The very next day, Gracie received her acceptance letter to American University of Paris. She couldn’t help but smile. She knew that Paris was her destiny and her plans for New York were indefinitely shelved.
Fast-forward two years later, Gracie is living in Paris in her own apartment, has a French boyfriend who adores her, she loves her school, loves her friends and loves her super cool job. Gracie was at my apartment last night for a little impromptu dinner party. She was a little bit late because her school was on a field trip to the Palais de Tokyo, a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It is quite possibly the chicest spot in Paris with its Monsieur Bleu restaurant designed by famed architect and designer Joseph Dirand. I looked at her and said, “You still wish you were at NYU?” Today, Gracie graced us with an unusual double visit to my apartment. I asked her what her plans at school were for tomorrow. She told me that they were going on another field trip to the new Lanvin exhibit in honor of Paris fashion week. I looked at her again and asked, “You still wish you were at NYU?”
Usually my stories don’t really have any point or morals but today they do. We don’t always know the plan, we don’t have all of the answers, there will be highs, there will be lows, there will be challenges and there will be rewards… All that matters is how you choose to react. Look, after I was diagnosed with quite possibly the worst disease on earth, I chose to take the higher ground. I could have just as easily crawled up into a ball and depressed myself into my demise. I chose not to. I chose to be happy and I took my fate and chose to make the best of it ( Aren't I amazing?). What the fuck else was I going to do? I like to be happy. I think Gracie has witnessed this in me and chose to make her life in Paris the very best she could… And she has. I am a true believer that when one door closes, another one opens. Life is full of surprises… So just enjoy the ride. The End.
Photos courtesy the internet... Duh.

32 comments:

  1. Yes, you are amazing.
    Sheila

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  2. Anna must have been so happy about the shoes.
    Sheila

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  3. Ellie, you are amazing and sometimes your posts have such resonance with me.
    My best friend's daughter and my princess Audrey as I call her had the same dream. She has been in boarding school and on weekends in NY with her dad. She loves NY, the weather, the fashion, the energy, all of it. Audrey's dream was also to attend NYU. She applied and wea all waited anxiously for the famous letter. One morning my phone rang and all I heard on the other side was Audrey sobbing, she had received the letter and she was not accepted. She was devastated. Even though I am not always good at following the advise that you gave to Gracie I gave the same advise to Audrey. She was so sad and I was so sad for her. Fast forward and she got accepted at George Washington University. She loved the city and is now very excited about living there. Everything does happen for a reason, often it takes a long time to know what the reason is, for audrey I do not know what DC holds but I hope that she fares as well as Gracie. I think that one of the most important aspects of being a well balanced individual is being accepting of what life gives us, embrace it and make the best of it. You are a living example of that, whenever I am not focused on living with the right attitude, I think of you, you are my daily inspiration xoxoxoxo

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  4. zoo good! your Gracie comments were inspiring. You are passing along a happiness attitude! the secret to life? Enjoy it!

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  5. You one fierce, funny and inspiring woman! Thank you!

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  6. Can I just say how much I love your blog and all your anecdotes and insights?

    Thank God I found you via my garden tour friend Janet from Gardener's Cottage.

    That is all x

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  7. I just sent my only boy off to college this past September and I swear I am still traumatized by the whole application/waiting/acceptance process. It is one of the ultimate tests of parenthood because really there is not one thing you can do about it.

    I love your fierce love for Gracie and your perfectly chosen words to tell us about it.

    Oh and that Chanel. Swoon.

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  8. You are some woman. How lucky Gracie is to have a mother who has taught her those things.

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  9. I love you Ellie and you don't even know me.

    Bonnie

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  10. Ellie, I feel the same as FF and only wish I had found you sooner. You DO hold your head up and have taken the higher road and look where it has taken you. As far as being a Mom, you are the best that Gracie could ever have! An inspiration always!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  11. The Chanel show, ALS, NYU...you're the only writer who can weave these themes together in a meaningful, funny, and touching way. Thank you. XO

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  12. That first pill of disappointment as a young adult is truly bitter to swallow...I remember. But you were right. "La vie a toujours raison" or life is always right. I actually did go to NYU for my BFA so it was interesting to read of Gracie's initial wish and seeing that she ended up in a place that is far more amazing for this time of her life. She has so much going for her right now that it makes my head spin and these experiences most likely would have been...very different...and how one would have to behave to make similar things happen in NYC at that age? Again, just, different. NYC, although it is constantly changing at a dizzying pace, will also always be there too. It is the Big Apple Conundrum. ;) I am grateful that she has your honesty and guidance backing her up.

    We have been prepping our little garden plot so I haven't been online much in the past few days. I need to get caught up! But from the looks that you have shown here, this is my favorite Chanel show in forever...

    Sending much Love,
    Heather

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  13. Love Chanel, love your blog. Always, thanks.xob

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  14. you're the real deal. xo

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  15. You really are such a stud!

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  16. Ellie,
    Thank you for the lesson on how to live with wisdom and grace. You have a lot to give.

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  17. I needed to hear this today, especially the last paragraph, which rings with truth. Thank you.

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  18. Ohh, la, la...Yes, attitude..a good cry, and off and running again we go.... not being cavalier here, it's true, it happens to all of us....sure can be tiring though, you are correcto Ellie, choice. And it doesn't hurt by having support too! xo

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  19. You are so right about the lessons in life and what path we choose to take with them.
    Obviously, you and Gracie are on the positive and forward path. Your post today was
    truly inspirational, and I thank you for sharing the story.
    Perhaps Anna Wintour should read the post, it just might put a smile on her sour face.
    Notice how lovely and positive Ines de la Fressange always looks. Clearly, whatever is on the inside, manifests in the way we present ourselves to the world!

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  20. Where to begin here...........WHAT A POST!
    First off KARL and the SET.........WOW WOW WOW.PLUs, another WOW cause I have been there!You sent me there for that ANTIQUE SHOW!
    Second.................you are so right about being a " SUPERMOM" and making it all better!I remember saying to the BOYS 'IT's JUST SCHOOL"not your LIFE!People and places and travel make the person.NOT the SCHOOL.I love what you said to GRACIE........."you still wish you had gone to NYU."NOT ONCE BUT TWICE in one day!!!!!!!A Beautiful story...............YOU have made my day!THANK YOU for this and now I will go get another cup of coffee and WATCH the CHANEL SHOW............XOXOX

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  21. Amazing would be an understatement. What do you mean "The End?" When do I get my Ellie fix next? Every post brightens my life and remind me of all of the blessings that arise daily. Yes, I'm a bit of a Polly Anna. But Is there any other way? Blessing to you and Gracie and David for today. Mary

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  22. Beautiful, Beautiful... Ellie you have such a lovely soul!

    Linda xo

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  23. You have such grace Ellie...
    I met a friend yesterday who is also having serious health issues and my heart broke when i sae her. She is devastated as she has lost all her hair, has psoriasis and crippling arthritis and she has put on a huge amount of weight. She feels so low and she looks and sounds like she has given up...I wish I could help her and reading your blog today I think I will send her the link. Your words are so wise and inspiring...

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  24. You are amazing that much I know LOL I wish one day I could meet you, it will be so nice to talk with you and go and have a beer at some french brasserie in Paris or maybe you could come to Quebec city which is European, kind of! You are just a wonderful person, you have the worse illness you could have and you decided to be happy, anyway, WOW, I don't think I will be complaining today, you are an inspiration! Excuse my English!

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  25. I would say you are showing us how it is done, Ellie. It is vitally important to look beyond what can be seen with our eyes . . . there is something more in play than we will ever know, can understand while in this dimension.

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  26. I love you Ellie! Your column has corrected my attitude so many times - and i don't have ALS.
    I say "Ellie's not bitching, she is making the best of life so shut up". I have told many friends about your inspiring, honest, funny amazing blog.

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  27. The lines and fabrics of the Chanel garments are so beautiful...for me, another dimension better than the designs presented by any other house you have showed us for F/W 2015. And the show's premise allowed the models to show some life and maybe even have some fun!

    Helping our children learn how to cope with disappointment, with what they may perceive as a "failure" or rejection, is one of the most important lessons we can provide. IMHO, you did a great job with Gracie's encounter with NYU. (And it's NYU's loss!)

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  28. I'll admit all the Paris Fashion Week stuff honestly makes me think of The Emperor's New Clothes, and I'm pretty sure I've seen the doppelganger of one of those Chanel models panhandling in the subway in Boston. But I am in awe of you Ellie and your amazing outlook. My life is much richer for having discovered your blog; thanks for sharing yourself with us!
    - Karen

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  29. In total agreement with you on this post Elie. This is the secret to living the best life one can

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  30. Lets see..Paris or NY ? No brainer > Paris..it seems everything did work out for the best :) my dear ol departed dad graduated from NYU with a degree in criminal justice...:) xo

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  31. Its heartbreaking when a dream is shattered but the best things really do come from those experiences. When what you've imagined falls apart, there is opportunity for things you never imagined to grow! Which is so much better because you are free from the pressure of things living up to what you thought they would be. Gracie has such a full life and that's a credit to you. Clearly she's equipped to deal with things as they come. Thinking about G at 19-20 reminds me what a disaster I was at that age. Thank god cell phone camera quality was so bad then. I managed to escape with very little proof. Although my MySpace page is still out there! I had to leave one relic. But I did scrub it of all the slutty pictures in 2007. So glad you're enjoying Fashion Week so much!

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