The City of Light is packed with chic watering holes, but where do the cool set hang out when Fashion Week comes around? From box-fresh new hotel bars to surreal concept drinking dens, we run the rule over one or two of the best Paris bars for Fashion Week.

W Lounge

4 rue Meyerbeer, 75009

W certainly took its time to come to Paris. Having flirted, first with a July 1 launch, then a January 12 launch and then a romantic Valentine’s Day launch, it’s finally set to open its doors on February 29th, just (just…) in time for Paris Fashion Week. And with that sense of anticipation and the slap-bang-in the-middle opening date, the W Lounge is a nailed down favourite Paris bar for Fashion Week.

Why? Because it’s housed in a stunning Haussmann building, it’s five minutes by cab from the Jardin des Tuileries, all of two minutes’ walk from Galeries Lafayette and another five, tops, from Le Printemps (even in skyscraper heels). An exclusive pre-opening party was thrown by Le Clique (the group of friends behind Le Baron et al), and Michelin-starred standard tapas and montaditos will be flying out of the kitchen of renowned Catalan chef Sergi Arola any day now.

Club Silencio

142, rue de Montmartre, 75002

Club Silencio opened in September last year, inspired by the creepy nightclub in David Lynch film Mulholland Drive and developed in collaboration with local electro club-land maestros, Social Club. Closed to all but members before midnight, and nigh-on impossible to get into after that, this surreal subterranean den has ‘after-party’ written all over it. Back in the autumn, had his post-show do here, and if it’s just a little longer in the tooth this time round, as one of the biggest things to hit the Paris bar scene in years, it’s certain to feature a big fash bash or two.

Le Carmen

34 Rue Duperré, 75009

David Lynch hasn’t limited his nocturnal activities to Silencio, though. Back in early February he oversaw a night with muse-cum-protégée, Chrysta Bell, at Le Carmen in Pigalle. This gorgeous old apartment full of grand columns, statues, gilded mirrors and a bird cage suspended from the cavernous ceiling deals in culture, cabaret and more than a dash of decadence. After-show parties for (March 1) and Pantheone (March 6) have already been confirmed, while there are whispers of and following suit…

Le Trianon

80, boulevard Rochechouart, 75008

This old music hall was lovingly restored by Julien Labrousse, the brains behind Canal St Martin hipster hangout, Hotel du Nord. Yves Saint Laurent, and APC have all hosted shows and parties here in recent years, while last season the JC/DC-Coca Cola party (where Dita Von Teese and designers Ora Ito and Christophe Guillarme were amongst the guests) was one of the hottest nights of the week. Expect more of the same.

La Gaite-Lyrique

3 bis, rue Papin, 75003

The spectacular second floor bar of La Gaite-Lyrique, an exhibition space dedicated to digital arts and music in a previously abandoned 19th-century theatre, is a fantastic place to start a night out in Paris – Fashion Week or no Fashion Week. It’s likely to be buzzing on Saturday night, particularly, being in the right neck of the woods for the Espace Commines (on rue Commines), Galerie LMD (on rue Charlot) and rue Saint Martin (where Jean Paul Gaultier is showing), as well as showrooms and displays aplenty at La Galerie Particuliere, the Galerie Karsten Greve, Galerie Vanessa Quang, Galerie Cent 8, the rue de Saintonge and the rue des Archives.

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Like our pick of the best Paris bars for Fashion Week? See our Paris guide or check out our pick of the best Paris Fashion Week hotels. To plan your next trip, meanwhile, browse our collection of places to stay in Paris.