PARIS, FRANCE and MILAN, ITALY — With both Paris and Milan Fashion Week 2023 now in the books, and designers already planning and designing their next collections, the gap between American and European fashion culture became even more evident. Here are some of my thoughts from being in two amazing fashion cities of Paris and Milan.
1.) European fashion culture is DIFFERENT. Like WAY different.
Forever grateful for the opportunity to travel to and photograph fashion shows and events in the two storied fashion capitals such as Paris and Milan, my first impression is that the attitude and mindset of designers, models, photographers and media is so much more sophisticated and elevated than back in the States.
What I mean by that is, the mentality of how serious and passionate fashion is over here is more involved and sophisticated ahead than in the States.
For example, When I was down in Milan shooting the arrivals at the Giorgio Armani, there was literally a screaming bay of fans and media hoping just to get a glimpse of their fave A-lister such as Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, not only was the crowd cheering and screaming for her just to look their way in simple acknowledgment, but the sheer amount of excitement and respect shown to celebs is something that truly impressed me.
Having the chance to see where the Italian papparazzi in their element, and why and how they are who they are and their supposedly over-the-top actions, gave me a whole new level of respect for their style and ethics. Even the security guards they had outside the Armani Milan show were cut straight from GQ in black suit and tie, and looked like a gloried SAS/SWAT team right out of EuroLeague.
Bottom line: They do NOT play over in Europe, in terms of fashion, press and how photographers get their shot! While European paparazzi are aggressive and relentless in trying to get their shot, they do act and approach their subjects with a lot more class and respect. It is on another level!
2.) After traveling 12-plus hours via bus–and thru Geneva, Switzerland, and crossing the Alps back to France, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a higher and more elevated sense of street fashion than I have in Paris.
Whether on the very clean and efficent Paris RATP public transit system, or just walking in and around the working-class neighborhoods of La Defense, Saint Denis, and where my AirBNB was in the northern suburb of Colombes, or in downtown Paris, I’ve literally seen everyone looking like they are in a fashion show, going to one or just plain dressed up, like they are going out.
Again, I’ve travelled around quite a bit in the States, and just as the new bar/grill, I discovered down the street and around the corner from me, there was literally a slim African man, wearing a designer black leather jacket with a Louis Vuitton messenger bag sling around his shoulder.
Bottom line: Paris is a fashion show 24/7, and not just during Fashion Week.
3.) Parisiennes as a whole, take great pride in how they look on a daily basis. Whether it is going out for coffee, an afternoon stroll on the Seine, or dinner near The Iron Lady (The Eiffel Tower to tourists) Paris dresses up every day. With the 2024 Summer Olympics set to descend on this glorious city, many natives seem to see Fashion Week as a test run, for the millions that will descend upon their fair city for a fortnight next summer.
At Paris City Fashion Week, which was at the illustrous and storied Westin Paris – Vendome. Literally a stone’s throw away from the Louvre, and facing the Tuileres Garden, international and American designers such as Rafael Rivero, Le Premier Miami and Homespun Heart showcased their elevated and elegant haute-corture styles in evening dresses with wings and sharp-looking tailored suits in a stunning ballroom decked with golden chandeliers, helped show that American fashion is beginning to contend with their European counterparts.
Based on the looks and designs shown, it’s a start in the right direction.
Lastly, at HITECHMODA, over at Salon Des Mirroirs, emerging international designers from Indonesia and South Asia such as Mitch Desunia and Heritage Indian Fashion truly stole the show and slayed the runway with their own interpretation of haute cortute by leaning into more ethnic and exotic looks.
Translated into English, the term “haute couture” roughly means “high and elegant dressmaking”, that first came into the fashion lexicon back in the 16tg century. If American designers and fashionistas hope to get to the same level of knowledge and style as their contemporaries across the pond, the current-day American mindset of everyday culture needs to mature and expand.
French fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “la simplicité est la clé de l’élégance.” – simplicity is the key to elegance. Already gifted with their own brand if being different and never afraid of breaking the rules, American designers can burrow from the words of Mademoiselle Chanel herself in looking to the glorious and classic past of haute couture, so that they—and current-day American fashion culture—can evolve in the future and beyond.