Shop the Cool New Brand We Love—Paris 99

last updated 13 August 2019

(Image credit: Paris 99/Ondine Viñao)

I can confidently admit that I have never experienced love at first sight, nor do I believe in it. But the first time I laid eyes on Paris 99, I proved myself wrong. While scrolling through Instagram last night, an adorably checked and kitschy minidress caught my eye and overwhelmed my fashion-obsessed heart. As I quickly stalked this mysterious new brand and its now-exclusive retailer, Opening Ceremony, for as much insider information as possible, my love deepened.

Here's what I learned: Designed by Paris Starn, Paris 99 features an array of dresses all "inspired by the textiles of vintage-country-club and domestic apparel while incorporating silhouettes and cuts for the modern young woman," the brand tells us. "The dresses made of gingham fabric and rickrack trim harken back to 1950s clothing, but the large check and comically sized trim update their traditional conservative connotations. The details of bows and pearl buttons reinforce the vintage theme, while the interlacing of rickrack is influenced by the latticework of the pies Paris bakes. The silhouettes of the dresses were also inspired by Paris's time in the kitchen. As she would tie on her great grandmother's aprons, she always loved how they cinched at the waist, the low back, and the thin straps revealing décolletage," further explains the brand. I mean come on.

Within hours after the launch, fashion girls were fawning and re-posting on their own Instagram accounts like none other. Having been submerged in the fashion industry from a young age (working at V Magazine, Mel Ottenberg, and Opening Ceremony), Paris clearly knows a thing or two about eye-catching, "emotional" fashion. You know, the pieces that make you fall in love at first sight? Yeah, those kinds of pieces. Have I made my point?

Below, check out a selection of our personal favorite images from the Paris 99 lookbook, shot by Ondine Viñao. Plus, shop the exclusive selection available now at Opening Ceremony.

(Image credit: Paris 99/Ondine Vinao)

Shop the collection:

Paris 99

The Margaret Dress

Paris 99

The Odine Dress

Paris 99

The Briar Dress

Paris 99

The Sydney Dress

Paris 99

The Paige Dress

Paris 99

The Alexa Dress

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Lauren Eggertsen is currently the editorial director of Who What Wear and has worked at the company for over eight years, where she started as an associate editor and has since worked her way up. Lauren has over 10 years of experience in the fashion editorial space, starting her career with internships at Marc Jacobs, Marie Claire, and The Zoe Report, where she was later hired as their editorial assistant. Lauren has worked in the Los Angeles and New York Who What Wear offices but currently calls L.A. home. It is here where she leads and manages Who What Wear's fashion team and oversees all day-to-day editorial content and large tentpole moments. This includes all of the runway, trend, and shopping-driven content that ultimately helps to build a strong brand reputation within the industry. Lauren's role also includes helping to set the fashion direction for all original photo shoots and often styles many of the celebrity cover shoots, including big names like Kaia Gerber, Normani, and Kristen Stewart.

She has also attended multiple fashion weeks, including New York, London, Milan, and Paris, where her personal style has been featured on sites such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Elle. She prides herself on discovering and supporting small brands and on her knack for a good vintage shopping find. When she isn't working, she enjoys researching and dining at reputable restaurants around both her neighborhood and the globe.

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