The Paris Fashion Week Men's Diaries
As I arrived at the Rick Owens show, I pulled up to a sea of Rick fans dressed in dystopian headpieces waiting outside. In that moment, I saw more Kiss boots than I think I will in my entire life. I ran into my friend Kyle who owns Middleman Store, a fantastic LA-based company specializing in vintage designer and rare archival pieces, often worn by rappers like Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi. We chatted for a second until the girl next to him started asking me repeatedly to airdrop her my invite, to which I explained I needed it to get in myself. After minutes of bartering she took a photo of my phone and followed me in. I've snuck into many things in my life, but it takes a differently level of bravery enough to do that at the Rick Owens show, and for that I applauded her. The front row was nothing if not star-studded — featuring a red haired Usher, J Balvin and the Beckhams. Then Tyrone Dylan came down the runway. As a huge fan of Rick and his team this was major for me. Afterwards, peering over at the Eiffel Tower by the side of the venue I ran into my friends from New York — one of whom, Finley, had just finished walking the show.
Rick Owens show, Kevin Abstract and Pilot
My first PFW party was later that evening and was hosted by Amiri at Maxim’s, probably the most beautiful venue I had ever seen. It was three floors, and everything appeared to be covered in red velvet and gold. I brought my friend Luke who was in town from NYC to walk for Egonlab and Givenchy. From the smoking room, we watched DJ Premier perform along with a crowd of partygoers and friends, while neverending trays of champagne were passed.
Harley and Finn, Lisa Rinna and Ashley Hood
The next day I attended Junya Watanabe and CDG Homme Plus. Both shows were extremely artistic, and it was great to see so many people wearing head to toe Junya looks. After saying hello to Lucan, who had walked the show, I headed out to meet the fabulous Luna Blaise while she got ready for Kenzo. We talked about life in downtown NYC, her love for Kenzo and her experience in Paris so far. We made our way to the Kenzo show and ran through a herd of paparazzi and screaming fans waiting for attendees to arrive. We entered the building with Lil Baby right behind us. After leaving Luna, the show began, models marching to an orchestra that played a mashup of songs by The Beatles.
The afterparty followed directly after, in the ballroom attatched to the venue. While we watched Lil Baby's performance, I looked to my left and saw Lisa Rinna from Real Housewives dancing harder than anyone else in the room. I would’ve never guessed she was a Lil Baby fan. I ended up chatting with her for a moment and she was just as amazing as I assumed, wearing the cutest head to toe Kenzo outfit.
Hermes, Thursday at Amiri
My last day of FW began at the Hermes show, which was my favorite by far. I never managed to learn the Parisian Metro system so I was a bit late, but a wonderful PR girl saw me and escorted me along with a police officer to the inside of the venue which was confusing to not only me but everyone outside. The show was chic and everything you’d expect Hermes to be. At the end, they came around with trays of champagne, fresh juice, madelines and other hors d’oeuvres.
Kidsuper, June Ambrose
After enjoying the atmosphere and saying bye to some new friends I had been seeing at the shows, I was off to the Kidsuper show. There was a sea of people outside, pushing and fighting to get in, eager to see his collection and be a part of such a special show. Fortunately, I’ve gone to many concerts in my life and by weaving and pushing I made my way inside Casino De Paris quickly. I ran into another good NYC friend of mine, Keith Herron owner and creative director of Advisry, a NYC based menswear brand. Coincidentally, he began interning for Kidsuper in the beginning of fashion week and was telling me about the show and the work that went into it. Much to my surprise, the show was actually a comedy show, hosted by Tyra Banks. I love "fashion", but it was so interesting to see a show done in a new format and it seemed like everyone was enjoying having fun and being able to relax.
The morning after was my final show at Sacai. I snapped a picture of June Ambrose in her all-leopard look and sat down to enjoy my final moments of PFW. At night I joined my friends Tasha and Juliette at the Loewe afterpary, many thanks to Pilot and Ian for getting us in.
