First Day As A Working Girl In Paris

Never in a million years did I think I would be working in fashion, better yet, in the world's most extensive fashion capital: Paris. 

I received an internship with Leclaireur concept store in Paris without any company background. I had no idea they worked with the top brands in fashion: Dior, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, Oscar de la Renta, and a million more. I was unaware they were located in one of the most famous parts of Paris: Concorde. 

I walked in the first day, blinded by the fashion I was amongst. I would have laughed if you had told me I would be touching the newest collections from Comme des Garçons or trying on a ten-thousand-dollar leather jacket. I couldn't believe how much history would be made in that room and it was all around me.

My first day on the job will be remembered forever. It was my first interaction with some of the most Parisian fashion sellers and I was alone. Leclaireur has three locations. I was sent to an exclusive store you must buzz to get into. But of course, I didn't know that......

I waited outside the windowless building, not knowing what to do. They told me 10am and it was 10:15am. So, wanting to be an authentic Parisian, I went to the closest corner to get an espresso from a cafe. I used my best French to order and talk to the waiter and returned to the store at 11am. Classy. 10 minutes later, I finally realized there was a button. So I pressed it and boom, the door opened. I was panicked. They were going to fire me on the first day. 

But apparently, Parisians take their time on everything. I apologized I was late and my manager was like, "ALAINAAAAAAA" ( kissed me on both cheeks) "you are not late. I just got here; we don't open the store till 11am, so it doesn't matter when you get here" I was out of the clear. 

Immediately, I met the other French intern, Chloè, who taught me the ropes and some French. Unfortunately, she didn't know English very well and as I said, I didn't know French, so Google translate was used a lot that day. Chloè and I became friends instantly; I even met her "lover" on the first day. ( The French are very open about that). But Chloè taught me everything about the French and showed me the entire city of Paris. I miss that girl so much. 

Anyway, that first day was the day I discovered the fashion world. I mean first hand. I witnessed brands bought that I had never even heard of, going for over five thousand dollars for shoes. My mind was blown, but it had to become my reality fast because I needed to know over 100 brands by heart by the end of the week. 

An average working day in Paris is 10am to 6pm. It seems late, but people don't eat till around 8pm and their lunch lasts 1 to 2 hours. Chloè took me out the first day to lunch with her lover for an hour and she made me get a Parisian special: duck. What????? But let me tell you, by far, one of the best dishes I had in Paris. 

Wrapped up the first day as an American Intern in Paris. 

And from then on, I knew I would fall in love with it. 

Bisous Bisous <3