A Homage to the City of Light

We were all deeply shocked by the awful news last Friday. Bombs and suicide gunmen in Paris, an explosion in Lebanon and various other terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Afghanistan and Syria which have left hundreds dead. It was unexpected, upsetting and frightening, not only for those living in bomb hit areas but for the rest of the world too who rallied together to support these countries at this difficult time.

But for us, as westerners, the real shock was Paris, a city which is just across the channel from us with innocent people who had done nothing to receive such horrific actions. This is the second time this year that Paris has been targeted, first with the Charlie Hebdo shooting in January and now these absurd, horrible attacks which left 129 dead at an international football match, a concert hall and in a a busy cafe. Nobody could have expected such a disaster to hit Paris on that Friday evening, which just so happened to be the unlucky Friday 13th, and the terrible impact it would have on all of us.

I don't want to dwell on the political inclinations or wade into the ongoing debate of what governments are going to now do to stop IS, but I just felt that it was right to share my sympathies on theFASHIONbox, in tribute to those who were wrongly and tragically murdered. Paris is one of my favourite cities in the world, and one which is iconic for its priceless art, delicious cuisine, rich history, beautiful architecture and of course, its fashion.

I have found this stunning and rather powerful photo-shoot from Christian Dior fall 2013 which I felt represented the mood at this sad and mournful time. The beautiful photography by Willy Vandeperre featuring supermodels Daria Strokous, Marie Piovesan, Anastasia Ivanova and Iselin Steiro sets the scene of Paris wonderfully, as a city which holds such charming elegance and grace. The photo-shoot, titled "Opera" is staged in a Paris opera house, and shows the intricate architecture as well as the rich, opulent culture Paris embodies. The clothes are amazing, all designed by Raf Simmons while he was at Dior, and shows us once again why Paris and France are such leaders when it comes to fashion and style.

We are all praying for Paris.