Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen planned a lavish fashion show and party at a breathtaking château during Paris Fashion Week — but French fashion authorities ruined their big reveal by warning top editors to stay away from the American sisters’ fab fête and to focus on French brands.
The Olsen twins mysteriously canceled their New York Fashion Week show for their line The Row on short notice last month and moved it to Paris to appeal to international buyers. They found a chic venue, the 17th-century Château de Courances, about an hour out of town.
But, sources exclusively tell Page Six, their plan hit a snag when their château show and party scheduled for Wednesday conflicted with two French labels showing in Paris — Vionnet and Rochas. “People would’ve missed seeing those brands’ shows to go see The Row an hour away,” said a fashion pro. “Most people would rather see The Row than those two shows.”
Enter the intimidatingly named Chambre Syndicale du Prêt à Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode — the French version of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.Our source said the organization “privately objected” to the Olsens’ show suddenly relocating from the US and stealing thunder and editorial eyeballs from French threads — and openly warned top fashion editors of its position.
The Olsens, meanwhile, set up a separate presentation for press in Paris on Tuesday. The New York Times reported, “Because the château is an hour outside the city, [the Olsens said] they had been ‘advised by a lot of people’ that they should limit the event to . . . special friends and clients, and not drag the press along.”
But there was no mention of the Chambre. A Chambre rep told us: “We do not comment [on] rumors.” Reps for the Olsens and The Row didn’t get back to us.
Meanwhile, American designer Rick Owens caused Paris fashion week’s biggest stir so far on Thursday by sending models down the runway with “human knapsacks” strapped on their bodies. In January, his Paris show featured menswear with peepholes for male models’ privates.
