To be perched on a spindly chair behind Gwyneth Paltrow at a fashion show—elevated just slightly above her pretty blonde head, knees nearly touching her back—is about as close as one can get to being able to view the world, or at least the world of couture, through her eyes. From what I can tell, this is what she sees: the constant hovering presence of her nimble bodyguard, Terry; chic looky-loos across the aisle trying to pretend not to check her out; mouthed hellos, girly waves, and air kisses from people she barely knows; aggressive fashion-television reporters with thrusting microphones; and, naturally, a couple dozen photographers seething about three feet from her face, yelling her name and popping flashes fourteen times a second. From this perspective, Paltrow would appear to be unflappable amid the circus that her presence can inspire.

"Gwyneth Takes Paris!" by Jonathan Van Meter has been edited for Style.com; the complete story appears in the October 2005 issue of Vogue.

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