The Paris Fashion Week Men’s Diaries: Did You Get In?
You can prepare for fashion week all you want, plan your outfits, book your meetings, and even color code your schedule, but I can guarantee that the chaos will still somehow sweep you under. I kicked off PFW on its first day with a party at Pamela, a red-lit club in a stone cave with stripper poles adorning the dance floor and disco ball chandeliers. Obviously an amazing time. The first day of the week is the rarest because everyone is still excited and hasn’t had a 4 am night yet, that being said I made a Cinderella exit to get some rest for the Issey Miyake show the next morning.
I arrived at Musee Des Arts Decoratifs early in the morning and walked through an incredible garden to reach the entrance despite the rain. The show was beautiful and like nothing I have ever experienced — something about Issey Miyake reminds me of joy and happiness. The first few looks were wrapped in pleated cloth, cut open by hand, and put on the models in front of us. This wasn’t only a show but an incredible performance. Following Issey, I headed to Amiri, by subway of course. No one tells you this but the city during fashion week is so busy that it is nearly impossible to get an Uber unless you are blessed with a miracle. Upon Arriving at Amiri I was greeted by not only an usher but a waiter with a tray of Aperol Spritz and was led to my seat while songs that could only be described as the soundtrack of summer played. It was overcast but I still felt like I was in the south of France on vacation. The runway surrounded a garden bar with barstools and cafe tables as seats for important guests.
Afternoon hit and I had to practically run to Yohji Yamamoto. I was excited about this show not only because I am a huge fan but because they sent me a huge envelope with a tailored burlap bag that had the show details printed onto it with a ceramic yohji tile inside. I had high expectations for this show based on the invite alone. As I arrived, each PR person had difficulty finding my name as the entrance was being swarmed with guests invited or not, yet they still had it under control. Without PR teams fashion week would be impossible in my mind, and for these men and women, I am extremely grateful. I was led into the room, hot and dark with people sitting in their seats. I had time to kill and peeked at the phone screen next to me.
The person next to me was right, we were in the very back, something you’ll clearly be able to see from the picture I took of Yohji below, but this still made me laugh so hard I had to sneak a photo. I was fortunate enough to see my friend Finlay Mangan walk the show and asked him what he considered the best and worst part of fashion week. He said, “The best is the moment you make eye contact with a friend from another country that you haven’t seen since the season prior, and the worst, holding in pee for 2 hours because you don’t have a single second between call times.”
My last show of the day was Dries Van Noten and I had 30 minutes to get across town in traffic, I was saved by my taxi driver who weaved in between fashion week shuttles and Mercedes trucks filled with celebrities. The invite strictly stated “To access the show space, guests will need to walk up a few levels of inclined ramps and stairs. Please keep this in mind for footwear as heels might be difficult.” Fortunately, I LOVE a challenge especially if it's in the name of fashion. I quickly strutted up the stairs of what seemed to be an abandoned building in my Miu Miu kitten heels and found my seat with two minutes to spare. All I can say about this show is wow. I would’ve climbed up a million more flights to see this show if I had to. It was in the most unexpectedly beautiful venue with looks that took the words out of my mouth. Truly a favorite of the season.
The last day of fashion week crept up on me fast with only two more things to do, Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus and one of the ten parties happening that night. I rested and attended the show in the early afternoon which was actually located in a parking garage pending demolition. It was hot but thankfully the air conditioning was blasting which is another fashion week miracle. Personally, the CDG and Junya crowds have always had my favorite looks and afterward, I was lucky enough to take some photos of the attendees before I prepared for my fashion week finale.
I sat down at Cafe Charlot with my friend Tinbete Daniel, an amazing LA-based stylist, and Keith Herron, creative director of Advisry. I have known them both since we were all young kids with dreams of doing this work someday and seeing them in Paris was a bit monumental. Back to Charlot, this place was truly the NYC downtown meeting point in Paris. I made the joke that it felt like Instagram in real life and there must be a creative director at every table to which my friend showed me a meme that said “Y’all got Paris looking like Pianos this month.”
Keith and I finally decided to go to the Donovan’s Yard x Vans party after two hours of contemplating. We arrived and I was ready to face the fact that I was absolutely not on any list, but at that moment a friend of his grabbed us and put VIP wristbands on us. We walked into the club and they were playing Los Angeles rap music that I hadn’t heard since high school so I was obviously having the time of my life. I ran into Ally Bo, NYC legend and airbrush artist who told me it was his first time at Paris fashion week. I asked him the same thing I asked Finley, the best part and worst part of fashion week. He took a minute to think as Sweet Lady by 03 Greedo came on and the entire party started singing. He finally said “Best part: partying. Worst part: partying.”
