PARIS, Jul 4, 2006/ FW/ --- Last day of the Paris Menswear Spring 2007 season turned out to be more than a full day with both Givenchy and Dior Homme previewing their latest collections and Pierre Cardin made one of his rare appearances on the official calendar.

I was so engrossed with fashion that I completely forgot that today was the 4th of July, which in my eyes is a true sad state of affairs because for a long time, the U.S. Independence Day was not just another holiday for me, but something that is celebrated in the true sense of the word.

You see, in another life, I was a military wife moving every 2 years to wherever the U.S. Navy sent my husband. Living in military bases during those years, the 4th of July also symbolized the reason why my husband chose to serve.

Life moves on and after his military career, it was my turn to have one and I chose to be a fashion editor. That choice brought me to world’s fashion capital, which also meant that now, all my Fourths of July are spent away from home.

So, today, instead of watching a patriotic parade, I watched the parade on the catwalk. I have no regrets of where life had taken me. It’s just that today, reminiscing my former life seemed right.

There were neither fireworks nor a parade in Paris today (it will happen on Bastille Day for the French). But in my heart and in my mind’s eye, I can imagine the fireworks in Dallas. And somehow, I don’t feel so far away from home anymore.

You see, in an odd way, I view my husband’s military service as the reason why I can be in Paris for the Fourth of July, because during his watch, he kept America safe so that on the morrow, we can and still be free to choose wherever we want to be during the U.S. Independence Day.