What could be more glamorous than attending a star-studded Paris Fashion Week event or two? Celebrities, models, top fashion designers, glossy magazine editors: you’ll see them on the runway and in the audiences. And, of course, you’ll get up to speed on the hottest fashion trends.
The upcoming Spring/Summer 2025 Women’s Fashion Week is set to take place at the Palais de Tokyo from September 25th to October 1st 2024. It’s the place to be if you consider yourself an authority on style or are eager to see the latest trends before they hit the shelves. This guide gives you the lowdown on how to travel for Paris Fashion Week in style and what to check out as part of your trip.
Getting into Paris Fashion Week
Can anyone attend Paris Fashion Week?
Paris Fashion Week is a renowned celebration of style and culture, with something chic and extravagant for everyone to enjoy. But don’t be surprised if you can’t attend the upscale marketing events where top designers vie for press attention amidst a hubbub of camera flashes. Attendance is by invitation only.
You needn’t feel left out, even if you aren’t invited to the top shows. Many fashion editors have described the main events as rather chaotic – which isn’t usually on the agenda for a luxury trip to Paris! All the same, we’ll look at how you might gain access. There will still be plenty of shows you can attend even if you don’t land an invitation to the biggest ones, and they’ll likely be more up your street in terms of comfort and enjoyment.
The best parts of Paris Fashion Week, it seems, are tucked ever so slightly away from the spotlight. We’ll show you how to become part of the glitz and glamour and enjoy the best Paris Fashion Week has to offer. You may find that your experience is way more luxurious than that of the jostling celebrity crowds elbowing their way into the most high-profile events.
How to See Paris Fashion Week Shows
Pitch for an Invitation
If you’re hoping to attend some of the main events, you’ll have to think strategically to win invitations. As you’d expect, top industry insiders and large-scale buyers get preferential treatment. But, if you’re an influencer with a large following or just a prominent supporter of a brand, you might still be in luck.
Begin by viewing the schedule and try approaching the brands you support. Give reasons why you should be invited. For example, you might present your influencer credentials or a portfolio of your work as a fashion writer or photographer. Invitations often come through very close to the date (fashionably late one might say) so keep your hopes up even if you don’t hear anything right away.
Can You Buy Tickets for Paris Fashion Week?
Despite your best efforts, the biggest and most influential brands’ shows may be beyond your reach, but you can still experience high fashion at its best. There are plenty of prestigious “off-calendar” fashion shows that are open to people who are willing to buy tickets.
Once again, competition to attend is fierce; the venues are chic; the attendees elite and the fashion cutting-edge. Various websites offer you a chance to buy tickets and secure a place ahead of your trip, but some people are lucky enough to get last-minute tickets. Either way, these “open to the public” events are often far more exclusive than they sound and will deliver a memorable Paris Fashion Week experience.
Beyond the Runway: Enjoy Fashion Week Elegance
The impact of Paris Fashion Week reverberates throughout the city, so you can find an ambience of culture and excitement at city hotspots of every description. Famous name boutiques and designer brand outlets around Paris are good places to start. They will be poised for action, and fashion week is the ideal time to visit them or even commission your own haute couture clothing if you’re feeling particularly extravagant!
Paris’s luxury hotels, chic eateries, clubs, and wine bars will be at their best and brightest, attracting crowds of attendees dressed in their finest designer clothes. This is your opportunity to mingle, people-watch, show off your sense of style and soak up the unforgettable atmosphere.
A fine dining and luxury shopping experience with a few fashion shows thrown into the mix truly is the best approach to Paris Fashion Week for discerning travellers. You can be sure that all the fashion elite are just waiting for a chance to relax and unwind with a little retail therapy and cuisine after attending a round of events with standing-room only. Furthermore, if you’re eager to do some celebrity spotting, this could be your best opportunity. Start with our list of locations favoured by fashion week attendees:
Paris Fashion Week Hotspots
Top Restaurants and Cafes
During Paris Fashion Week, restaurants will be ready for an influx of luxury travellers. If you’re hoping to see and be seen, it might be wise to make reservations well in advance. Top celebrity choices include The Hotel de l’Abbaye, L’Avenue, Le Fouquet’s, Bœuf sur le Toit and Le Pershing Hall.
Just about any cafe near the scene of the action or close to top Paris boutiques will be bustling too. Combine your shopping expeditions with relaxation. Savour your coffee, indulge in something from the patisserie and look out for those fashion week notables.
The Most Stylish Street in Paris
Need we say it? Just about anywhere on the Champs-Élysées is a hotspot – even when Paris Fashion Week isn’t in progress. Shop iconic brands like Hermès, Swarovski, Celine, Gucci, and Chanel, or relax at a cafe and watch the passing scene on one of the world’s most exquisite shopping streets.
Bars and Clubs
Top clubs and bars will be overflowing with fashion week revellers and you may be able to join in the fun. The most exclusive venues like The Bisou à La Caserne nightclub can be very selective about who they allow in, so be sure to put your best foot forward.
Other bars and clubs favoured during fashion week include La Perle bar, Pamela, Silencio, and La Casbah. The truth is, if it’s high-end and well-situated, you can count on almost any establishment to reflect fashion week joie de vivre.
The Best Luxury Hotels for Paris Fashion Week
Top Paris hotels, especially hotels situated near Paris Fashion Week events, will be fully booked well before the event opens. Secure your reservations early. Top choices include:
Le Bristol Paris
A masterclass in design with lavish features and furnishings that artfully combine grandeur and luxurious comfort. Enjoy meals at the Michelin-starred in-house restaurant, the Epicure, and expect nothing but the most attentive service throughout your stay.
- Distance from airport: 33 km
- Approximate price per night: $1,850 – $2,440
Hôtel de Crillon
Settle into an old-world building where every detail speaks of luxury and personalisation. All the rooms are beautiful, but in particular, the suites designed by Karl Lagerfeld are the pinnacle of style.
- Distance from airport: 12.32 km
- Approximate price per night: $1,822 – $2,780 (standard rooms)
Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s
The Champs-Élysées is the beating heart of France’s capital and this hotel is conveniently located just a short distance away. As an added temptation, it’s home to Foquet’s, one of Paris’s most acclaimed brasseries.
- Distance from airport: 35 km
- Approximate price per night: $1,028 – $1,613 (standard rooms)
Things to Do During Paris Fashion Week
Of course, you’ll go shopping. Naturally, you will attend fashion shows and events. And Paris and fine dining go hand in hand. But, when you tire of watching the passing parade, there’s much more to do in Paris than just seeing mainstream attractions like the Eiffel Tower.
Ideas with a difference include cruising the River Seine while enjoying a gourmet dinner or booking a guided day trip to Mont St Michel. You’ll get inside access to the world-famous abbey itself, so it’s definitely a cut above the regular tourist experience.
Perhaps Paris will inspire you to try your hand at fashion design yourself. From creating your own hat or jewellery to customising a denim jacket, there are plenty of fashion workshops and activities to enjoy, especially during fashion week.
Finally, don’t forget to explore some of the less-known thoroughfares of Paris and look out for interesting antique and vintage stores and intimate cafes and restaurants. Not all of the city’s treasures are to be found on its famous shopping streets. Don’t miss the Rue de Commerce: it’s home to several gorgeous little boutiques. Go treasure hunting at the Paris Flea Market (St Ouen). It’s much loved by locals and antique hunters with an eye for a bargain. Or indulge your inner artist side with a stroll down Rue Denoyez among art collectives and acclaimed street art.
Paris Fashion Week: Arrive in Style with AirX
Ready to set off to Paris? Fly with AirX to set the tone with the ultimate in bespoke travel arrangements. Set out from an airport near you, gliding through its halls towards a VIP boarding area. Once there, you’re escorted to your private jet where you stretch out in comfort while attendants ensure every member of your exclusive travel party is settled in comfortably.
In the air, you sip champagne before being served a gourmet dinner of your choice in the select company of friends or family members. At any time during the flight, you know you can stretch out to rest ensconced in luxury. But will you want to? It’s a flight to be savoured. Your arrival is no less stately and untroubled and you’re whisked away into the heart of Paris for a fashion week of unalloyed enjoyment and unparalleled luxury. Elegance lies in the details. The journey is as important as the destination. Get there with AirX.
