In my early days while living in Paris, France, my roommate W and I made friends with the director of one of the most popular nightclubs in Paris that went by the name of Les Bains Douches which actually means "the bath house" which is what this prime night club was in its early days. This club director was an American who had been living in Paris for a number of years before we showed up in the city. Her name was Beverly and she became a really good friend of ours mainly because she was American and spoke English!
One day Beverly called my roommate and I and asked if we would like to escort her to a Vivienne Westwood dinner to celebrate Vivienne's new line of fashion for that season. I asked Beverly over the phone, "Who in the heck is Vivenne Westwood?" Beverly proceeded in telling me that Vivienne Westwood was one of the top fashion designers in the world and she had personally invited Beverly to an after fashion show dinner at a restaurant atop La Samaritaine Department Store located on the banks of the Seine here in Paris. She then told us that she was allowed to bring some friends.
I turned to W who was playing video golf on the t.v. monitor and asked,"Dude, it's Beverly and she wants to invite us to some fashion dinner, ya wanna go?"
W non-chalantly replied, "When is it?"
I ask, "Bev, when is this dinner?"
Beverly answers, "Day after tomorrow."
I repeat to W, "Day after tomorrow."
W responds without taking his eyes off his video golfer, "Are we working that day?"
I say, "Naw".
W answers, "Then let's go".
I agree and turn back to the phone and tell Beverly, "Yeah, we'll go."
Early in the evening on the night of this fashion dinner celebrating this famous Westwood fashion designer whom we had never heard of before in our lives, W and I were attempting to put together our fashion attire for the night.
It shouldn't be that difficult because we pretty much wore the same western outfits every time we went out on the town. That's pretty much how people knew us around town any way. If we didn't have our cowboy hats on, no one in Paris would recognize us but with our boots and cowboy hats on, we were known everywhere by everyone as "Le Cowboys". You couldn't miss us when the two of us were out on the town. We were always welcomed into the swankiest night spots in town because we soon learned how much the French adored cowboys. That night, I was going to wear a nice black western embroidered jacket. My only problem that night was that I couldn't find my damn western tie! I searched high and low for that neck hitch but couldn't locate it. I knew I had one but just couldn't locate it! I was just about ready to drop the idea of the western tie when I noticed a pair of women's black pantie hose left on my bedroom floor by a woman from the night before. A light bulb went off in my head and I got a pair of scissors from the "junk drawer" and cut one of the legs off the pair of hose at about the knee. I then wrapped the leg of the pantie hose around my neck and tied it up like a western tie! It ended up making the coolest western tie in Paris and who in France would know the difference anyway? How many western ties had a French person actually seen? It looked totally original and matched great with my outfit. I also chose to wear my favorite and most worn pair of cowboy boots on this special fashion night out. Beverly informed us earlier that Vivienne Westwood designed the wardrobe for Johnny Rotten and The Sex Pistols back in the day! She told us that Vivienne Westwood basically started the whole Punk Rock era by designing the wardrobe for Johnny Rotten and The Sex Pistols! I thought that was cool and I then knew this lady would probably appreciate the black duc-tape I had wrapped around my favorite old black cowboy boots in the attempt to keep them together. I used the duct-tape because they needed the support due to the fact that both sides of these old boots had bursted out of their sides, long ago. The black duct-tape kept these most comfortable boots together. As you can imagine, they were now pretty original, to say the least! W was pretty "westerned out" also with his black cowboy hat, black leather jacket and his shredded jeans. We were now ready to go! We were just walking distance from where we were to meet Beverly which was about a fifteen minute walk from where this party was to take place. Beverly was waiting patiently at the door as we greeted her outside La Samaritaine. We went to the top floor of this beautiful Art Nouveau building and entered this swanky restaurant. Beverly's head was flying back and forth attempting to locate Vivienne Westwood as we were seated at our table next to the women's powder room. I'm sure the maitre'd noticed how we were dressed and seated us away from the center of this social crowd and next to the restrooms. Beverly told us that Vivienne's group was pretty far away on the opposite end of the restaurant. I told Bev to not worry because we actually had the best seats in the house because Vivienne would have to pee at some point so, she'll have to walk right by our table to go to the Ladies Room and that's when we would meet her! W and I didn't really give a darn about this top notch British fashion designer because we were too busy thinking about eating free French food and drinkin' free beer!
The three of us were sitting at our table and having the best time laughing about our adventures in this new country and drinkin' beer! I'm talking, laughing and looking at Beverly as her face freezes and without moving her eyes off what she is looking at, she whispers out loud, "Vivienne is coming to the bathroom... I mean... Vivienne is going to the bathroom... I mean... Vivienne... needs to pee!" I turn my head to the left and see a woman approaching our table on her way to the Ladies Room. I'm looking at what this woman is wearing more than I'm looking at the woman herself. She was wearing one of the dresses she had designed for that season. That year, Vivienne brought back the metal corset. You know... the big poofy dresses with the wired metal butts visible through the material of the dress?! I looked up from where I was seated and with my best Texas drawl said out loud as Vivienne passed our table, "Excuse me there, ma'am. Is that there a wired butt you're a wearin'?" All conversation around us ceased to exist which included the three or four tables in direct proximity of our table. Vivienne stopped her walk, turned to me and with the most grace replied, "Why, yes it is."
I look at her and said, "We'll, I'll be! I ain't never seen one of them before." Beverly froze and couldn't move as that infamous cat snatched her tongue and ran! I remained locked on Vivienne's eyes and continued, "Well, ma'am, we'd be honored if after you're finished there in that there Ladies Room, that you would join our table and tell us about that there wired butt of yours!"
Vivienne smiled and turned and entered the ladies room and Beverly was like... "I can't believe you just talked to Vivienne Westwood like it was nothing and you invited her to sit at our little table to talk about a wired butt?!!!" Beverly was happier than a beaver in water. Once W and I calmed her down, we entered round two because Vivienne had just exited the ladies room. When I saw her walk out the restroom door, I stood and grabbed a chair and placed it next to me. Vivienne was watching me preparing the chair for her as she walked to our table, stopped and said that she'd be right back. I guess she needed to tell her business folk goodnight. She said her goodbyes at her table at the other end of the restaurant and turned around and started back to our table as Beverly was giving W and I step by step commentary as to whether Vivienne Westwood was going to return to our table or not. I could feel she would return after our little conversation. She did and within 15 or 20 minutes later her husband, Andreas joined our now growing table. You know... our small table next to the bathroom? Andreas, the husband has to be one of the kindest men on this planet, period. He is also the main designer under Vivienne for the Vivienne Westwood design label. Vivienne, Andreas, Beverly, W and of course, myself were all getting along fabulously as we were laughing and having an all around great time while drinking free beer. We must have laughed for a good hour or more! Andreas and I had the most intriguing conversation that night and when he commented favorably on the embroidered western jacket I was wearing, I stood, took my jacket off and told him to try it on. The jacket fit him well and I said, "It's yours, Andreas!" He quickly picked up his kick-ass knee-length peach-colored personally designed Vivienne Westwood jacket and handed it to me and said, "And this is for you, my friend!" Wow! Andreas was just the kind of guy you would do anything for if he asked you. He's one of those pure at heart types. W and I became good friends with Vivienne and her husband, Andreas on that night and for over the next two years. They would invite us to all their shows and after show parties in Paris during fashion week each year. They even invited us into their designing domain when we were in London to visit them. I think they just thought we were interesting because of the way we dressed in public with our shredded jeans and cowboy hats. These two well-known fashion designers would invite us to their fashion shows which were held in the most posh surroundings in Paris. The Vivienne Westwood Hoite Coiture shows might be held in the French Stock Exchange building one season and the Louvre, the next. Each season's location was spectacular! In one of her many shows at the Lourve, W and I were invited backstage for the show. This is where all the top models of the world put on their clothes and took OFF their clothes! See how you would feel if you had the most beautiful women in the world taking their clothes off all around you while you stood and tried not to watch! It's strange!
Right before one of these show times at a Hoite Coiture fashion show in the Lourve, W walks up to me to tell me that he has some "kill bud". We go behind a curtain backstage at the Lourve and fire it up. We're standing there smoking pot and comptemplating on how we were smoking a joint in the Louve in Paris, France! Wow! It doesn't really hit me hard until a few days later when yes, I did actually smoke a spliff in the Lourve in Paris, France! As a non-smoker today, that one still blows me away when I think about it!
Not long there after, Vivienne and Andreas invited W and I to a Louie Vuitton celebration party in Paris which was brought together to celebrate some of the world's top fashion designers. These designers were to design a piece of luggage for the Louis Vuitton line incorporating the well-known LV logo on each piece created. It was a tribute to the great fashion designers of today along with being a good marketing ploy by LMVH, the corporate owner of Louis Vuitton. After W and I had agreed to go to this high brow shin-dig, we were called and told by Vivienne's assistant in London that Vivienne was sending us Westwood tuxedos and shoes directly from London for us to wear to this gala event. The clothes arrived the following day and we were set to go to a Louis Vuitton fashion celebration at the Tracedero located there in Paris. The assistant also told us that we would be picked up by a limo and taken to the George V hotel to meet up with Vivienne and Andreas before going to this event. W and I both felt like male Cinderellas as we were driven to the George V hotel. Have you ever been inside the George V hotel in Paris, France? Wow! It's like a small modern day Versailles! We met Vivienne and Andreas down in the lobby of the hotel and walked out the door to a black stretch limo for just the four of us to cross town to the Tracedero. I remember reflecting to myself in the limo ride over to this event. I didn't want to sound like a "redneck" from Texas so, I never really asked anyone who in the heck was this Louis Vuitton guy that's having this big soiree?! I decided not to ask Vivienne and Andreas who were eloquently dressed in Westwood attire and sitting across from us in the limo on our drive over. W wasn't going to ask. He'll just play like he knows and doesn't... like me! He was from Texas, too and we just never needed that kind of information before... until now! I remember when I was on the phone with Vivienne's assistant earlier and had no idea who this French guy, Louis Vuitton was... and I couldn't even pronounce his name to W when I told him about the invitation. I just told him that Andreas and Vivienne had invited us to some Parisian fashion party... or something like that. We never really knew exactly what we were getting into until we arrived at most of these high society social events. People would invite us quite often to places and events in broken English, "Would you and your other cowboy friend want to go to, "Blah blah blah for the blah blah blah?"
"Uhhh... o.k." and we'd go! It was as simple as that! This party wasn't much different except we're dressed in Vivienne Westwood tuxedos and shoes being driven to some fashion event with the fashion icon, Vivienne Westwood and her husband who's sitting across from us in a black limo drinking champagne.
"This here ain't Kansas, Toto!"
We pulled up to this incredible architectural structure with limos everywhere! Vivienne Westwood was one of the fashion icons being honored this night and my roommate, W and I got to hang out at another event which we knew nothing about but looked like we did! We were all soon greeted by a short gentleman as we exited the limo. I just thought this guy was Louis Viutton because by the time I made my way out of the limo and to the other side, the introductions, I guess were already made. So, I never really knew who this short little man was. I asked Andreas a little later and he told me the gentleman's name was Azzedine Alaya. W and I knew that name like we knew Japanese. It wasn't until a few years later that I personally crossed paths again with this incredible fashion designer, Azzedine Alaya at his design studio which was about four blocks from where W and I lived at the time in the center of Paris. Andreas did later that night fill us in that Louis Vuitton was the name of the luggage company that was honoring these fashion designers of the time and that the man himself died in the 1890's. Fair enough!
Our group entered this superbly lit building on this well-weathered evening. Cameras and lights were flashing from paparazzi everywhere. W and I knew that this event was important to fashion people for some good reason and here we were dressed like well cared Penguins in shiny shoes! I want my hat and boots, I remember thinking to myself. I felt like my security blanket was taken away from me when I couldn't wear my cowboy hat and boots in public!
Vivienne was one of the honorees at this event and her table was readied with name cards to help everyone know where they were to sit!
I'm looking at W and he's looking at me and I'm like, "Dude, where are YOU seated?"
W's like... "I'm over here! Where are you?"
I pointed to my name tag sitting on my plate, shrugged my shoulders and seated myself. W was across the table between two pretty nice looking women and I'm sitting between two empty chairs. I check out the names on the two name plates on my left and right. On my left was some lady named, "Blah blah blah something Lacroix". Never heard of her. To my right was, Sybil Buck. Sybil what? Don't know her! Cool, I'm in the middle of two women I don't know and who aren't here! W's having a great time talking and laughing with his two new beautiful female fashion friends. I wanted to go sit over there but we had to be in our seats for dinner and for a show of some sort afterwards. Not much later, the no-show on my left showed and I stood and pulled out her chair and being polite as possible, I started conversation with my introduction,
"Good evening, ma'am, my name is Robin."
The lady returned the greeting and introduced herself as Francoise Lacroix.
"I'm the fashion designer's wife?" Oh... like that meant anything to me. A few moments later, Vivienne introduces me to the gentleman who was seated next to her who went by the name of Christian Lacouix. I'm thinking... "O.k., now that's THIS lady's husband. Got it! At that time, I still didn't know who in the heck Christian Lacouix was or his wife except that they were sitting at our table! I didn't know that he was one of the fashion designing icons being honored this night and where in the heck is this Sybil Buck chick? I could sense Vivienne well enough at this point to know that you can never really know what to expect being around Vivienne Westwood! At our table, there were two chicks seated on either side of W, then there was Andreas and Vivienne and Christian and his wife, some aristocratic artist, me and Sybil's empty seat. I'm talking to Christian's wife and realize the seat next to me is no longer vacant. I turn my head to see... Sybil Buck! Wow! This chick had to be a top model! I thought that Vivienne seated me in between two old fashion bitties. Wrong! I wasn't expecting a top fashion model to be sitting next to me for dinner while we gazed out a huge plate glass window to view a beautifully lit Eiffel Tower. Come on! This had to be a very special event or the French just knew how to live the good life! I guess if W and I were actually privy to the reality of the events we were being invited too, we'd probably be too intimidated to even show up! I think that pretty much saved our "goat" when we went to events of this nature and we did go to quite a few of them through the people we were honored to meet over the years we lived in Paris. We would walk around these incredible events like... we attended these types of soirees all the time! We would always see people we knew from Parisian nightlife or past social events and some of those people would subsequently invite us to their events just because they saw us at this or that special event. These social climbers who would invite us to these special events didn't know that W and I were just two small town Texas boys living in Paris working at The Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show located at DisneyLand Paris! If they knew, they would be reacting like you are right now and saying, "no way!"
The dinner went off very nicely and I ended up speaking with Sybil Buck pretty much all night about her kitty cat, Kikki. I knew about cats because I had an eleven year-old black cat back at our apartment which I brought over from L.A. a couple of years back so, Sybil and I seemed to get along well.
After dinner, there was a fashion show of sorts but this fashion show was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard about. Of course, there were the super models gracing the runway but they were not alone when they strutted their stuff! Each model walked side by side an exotic animal of some sort. Yes! There were cheetahs, baboons, tigers, zebras and even a giraffe! The most famous fashion models of the day were walking these, I supposed well-trained wild animals up and down the runway in front of that hugh pane glass window which over-looked a superbly lit Eiffel Tower! This particular moment was past the point of something you would see in a movie! It was surreal times two! I'm just looking around this place in complete disbelief! The top fashion designers in the world, the super models, the wild animals, the rich, the famous and then... me and W? What? It was just one of those unbelievable moments in my life I will never be able to forget and see no reason what-so-ever to want to! It was one of those moments where you could look to the heavens and ask, "Can this be topped?!" These types of experiences continued year after year as W and I would continuously be shaking our heads at one another in disbelief at what we had the honor to experience in this foreign land. It didn't seem to matter where we turned or who we hooked up with, the experiences continued for us both as two small town Texas boys were livin' dreams we didn't even know we had.
I'd like to say that I hope Vivienne never reads this piece. With her high level of literacy, she'd probably stop reading it after the first sentence or two because of my writing style. Just to speak with this woman, you'd have to bring along your dictionary so you can make sure you pronounced your words properly but I think that's why Vivienne was attracted to me and W in the first place. We weren't exactly English majors, ya know? Vivienne had one of those photographic memories and one thing for sure, she'd remember everything I just wrote about. W and I had tremendous respect for this lady and even more so after we had the honor to meet the man she chose as her mate. Here's to Vivienne and Andreas! They're the best! I can't say it any better cuz there just ain't werds fer it! The stories continued with every encounter W and I were honored to experience with Vivienne and Andreas. What a pair there!
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