Black is the new black

Delays on the metro line 1 that ran right into the heart of the city, making stops at iconic Parisian destinations en route, left a strange feeling of anticipation in the air. On this day, the most iconic destination on the famous line was the Grand Palais.

I wasn't the only one fidgeting and peering down at my watch every 2 minutes as the disrupted journey to the "Big Palace" took longer than usual. Pushing through the dense canopy of umbrellas that blocked the entrance and past the security gate, I was in.

The Grand Palais is a large glass exhibition hall that was built for the great Paris Exhibition of 1900. And on day six of Paris fashion week, the Grand Palais was where the Chanel autumn-winter 09-'10 fashion show was to be held. Within the classical stone façade and Art Nouveau ironwork, people waited eagerly for one of the most anticipated unveiling ever to take place in the lofty exhibition space.

Dress code : strictly Chanel, and if you don't own any, just wear black. And that's what the majority of the audience wore. Black. No fun pop colours, no graphic prints, just black.

Now, I'm sure you can understand my sheer embarrassment when I had to stand up in the middle of my jam-packed section (with my hot pink cardigan, no less, peeking out from underneath my jacket) and shout above the noise to ask people to move along a bit. Thankfully, the show hadn't started at this point.

Black is the new black, as decided by the fashion masses at Paris Fashion Week. It fits really well with the mood of the current economic climate, and looks great with every other colour while giving you a more svelte silhouette.

Plus, the next time you have to stand up in a room full of people, take it from me, you'll be really glad you just wore black.