Seeing Singtank as part of FarFetch.com/The Playlist in Paris

Some press trips are rather filled with trepidation as there are expectations on both sides and no one really quite knows one another. From the get go, this one was engaging with the team at FarFetch.com meeting us at the departures area of Eurostar where we (Girl A La Mode, Alex Loves and myself) were made to feel completely at ease and welcome. The train journey to Paris was equally as entertaining as we scoffed breakfast and discussed trashy magazines and fashion in general before arriving at Gare du Nord and being ushered into our plush Mercedes people carrier which would be with us all day.

Arriving at the fabulously located boutique Hotel General in 3e, we were given time to unpack before meeting to be whisked to one of FarFetch.com’s amazing partner stores, L’Eclaireur womenswear in Le Marais’ Rue de Sevigne. L’Eclaireur’s brand of art meets fashion that surmises FarFetch’s point of difference was mind blowing – from the range of designers including Celine, Peter Pilotto, Dries van Noten, Haider Ackerman, Ann Demeulemeester and Miu Miu to its vast square footage with over 130 TV screens that play concept video art, its car spray painted plastic form interior, its installation pieces and furniture including those by Zaha Hadid and the fact that in certain areas, the walls lift to reveal the clothing hidden behind – this is experiential fashion art.

From L’Eclaireur, we headed to The Ritz in the Mercedes for tea and talk but no pictures – we were informed such an exclusive establishment doesn’t allow photography, even for such snap happy bloggers. We got around this slightly by heading to the ornate loos and snapping there – desperate measures indeedy.

From The Ritz, we headed back to Hotel General and changed for the evening ahead. This was the key point of the trip, where we were to interview Singtank (the brother and sister duo Alexandre and Josephine de la Baume) and also attend their exclusive gig at another of FarFetch.com’s partner stores, the new RA boutique in Rue de la Corderie, another art/fashion concept store that has its original trail blazing store in Antwerp. The gig was attended by a tres fashion crowd interspersed with young louche aristo types who frequent Le Baron, all drinking the copious amounts of vodka, gin and absinthe and whooping it up to Singtank, who performed a storming set* (*more details & interview to follow in separate blogpost).

Following the gig, ‘les trios bloggers’ (as our French colleagues called us) and the FarFetch.com team headed to a secret cocktail bar, packed with a hip crowd and DJ, that was hidden behind a Taco Bar where you had to give a secret knock or be guest listed to gain entry. There, we downed cocktails that tasted of cough syrup (a suitable post drink following absinthe) before headed off for a very late night bite to eat, forgoing drinks with the band at a local bar and heading back to the hotel.

We crammed a lot into the 24 hour Far Fetch.com/The Playlist Paris stint. The only regret was not staying longer.

Read about FarFetch.com/The Playlist and why we were in Paris HERE.