My friends in the States are always so impressed when I tell them that many fashion shows happen at the Louvre. But really, it’s down in the bowels of the museum, where there’s a mall rather than artwork. Sephora and Virgin Records are right next door. Trust me, it’s not atmospheric. Even if, like the Bryant Park tents in New York, it has its convenience.

As a venue, I like the Carreau du Temple. It’s a space in the northern Marais that I can walk to from where I live. (I have even found a good spot nearby where I can change my shoes!) What I like about the Carreau du Temple is that it looks a little industrial, but in a pretty way, and if you go by on a non-fashion week day, you’ll see kids playing basketball.

The Givenchy show was held there this evening, and it was very interesting. Less romantic and gothic than normal, I would compare it more to the spirit of Stella McCartney or Balmain: clothes for cool girls to party in. Did it meet the standards we have for Riccardo Tisci? Maybe not. There was definitely more stuff to wear (from a shopper’s perspective) than to shoot (from an editor’s perspective). And maybe that’s a good approach to take right now.

Western details on tight leather pants stood out, as well as rocker-chic denim. Lots of metallic and transparency, too. Not your typical Givenchy show.

I was sitting next to Chicago‘s fashion director Stacey Jones and some of her Chicago buddies before the Christian Lacroix show started this afternoon. The show was running an hour late and the tent was very, very hot. (I know, I know, poor us.) I kept thinking we were being held up for the last minute arrival of a big celeb. But no. There has been a real paucity of celebs so far this week. Then I noticed Tinsley Mortimer sitting to my right. With very good posture, she sat watching the show, looking a little, well, out of her element.

Remember when you were in middle school and went to a neighboring town and finally realized that the popular kids, the ones around whom your whole galaxy turned, were unknown to others? That is what it’s like seeing a New York socialite like Tinsley in Paris.

What stood out in the show was a sort of looseness that you don’t usually see in a Lacroix frock. This was a show where you really didn’t want to miss the back of the models—many of the dresses had bustles, or some sort of ruffled or bow detail on the derriere. To put bows on one’s backside makes me think of the old poltical tactic of hanging a lantern on your problem. It may be an idea that doesn’t translate to the sartorial realm. But for the confident lady who doesn’t mind shaking her tailfeather when she walks, these dresses were knockouts.