As a fashion journalist, it's hard not to get a little jaded when it comes to catwalk shows. Ridiculous footwear, sharp elbows and an ability to look perpetually unimpressed are mandatory, and the end result is a bit of a scrum - albeit a rather chic scrum.
So when the invite to Elie Saab's couture show dropped into the MyDaily letter box, I was intrigued. I have been to more catwalk shows than I care to remember, but never couture. While the ready-to-wear shows in February and March will invite around 1000 fashion industry types, couture is notoriously exclusive, seating just a handful of their fabulously wealthy clients.
Couture offers a peek at how fashion's other half lives, where £50,000 will get you a relatively simple cocktail dress - not that anyone would be vulgar enough to discuss money.
In recent years, couture has experienced an image overhaul. Once fashion's unwieldy dinosaur, it's hip again, thanks to unlikely champions like Lady Gaga. But my experience showed that the eccentric aristocrats and international royalty are still very much a part of this elite scene. Click on the gallery below to see what it's really like to be in the couture club.
MyDaily at couture
Arrive (un)fashionably early at Paris' Trocadéro metro for the 12.30pm scheduled start in time, camera at the ready to take a few street shots of the other couture guests.
Mon dieu it's raining! Not very couture. Duck the rain to minimise the risk of looking like a drowned rate and have a quick coffee (my first of many). I get a good look at the venue: the Théâtre National de Chaillot.
Perhaps more impressive than the Théâtre itself is the view it commands. Not bad at all...
The fur laden couture guests start to arrive. Everyone has a man following them with an umbrella. I don't even have an umbrella.
The first person I speak to is a princess. No joke. This lovely lady's full title is Princess Sophie de Württemberg. She tells me that she was also the creative director at Nina Ricci. I fight the urge to curtsey...
Get inside the venue, inexplicably get papped. I think they've got me confused for Elie's grandma or something.
Please excuse the rain bedraggled hair, I don't have a man with an umbrella...
This image just about sums up the difference between the average couture guest, and the average ready-to-wear guest. By my count, this photo includes one Balmain jacket, a Hermès Birkin, a pair of YSL Tributes, a pair of Louboutins, a Chanel tote, a Dior couture jacket and jewellery that (probably) exceeds the price of the average house. Still, if you've got it, you might as well flaunt it...
Couture or ready-to-wear, there are some things that just don't change in the world of fashion, and one of them is a blatant disregard for starting on time. Still, 45 minutes later isn't too shabby... This is one of my favourite looks. Just need to get the Oscars Vanity Fair party invite through the letterbox and I'm all set.
The finale for all couture shows are their bridal looks, and as a bride-to-be, I paid special attention. Not sure I could pull off the veil, but would certainly love to wear this impossibly elaborate concoction down the aisle...
For anyone who thinks a model's job is easy, spare a thought for their feet.