Taking Fashion Week Personally

The conclusion of Paris fashion week earlier this week really means the end of fashion month, as hundreds of fashion shows from New York, to London, to Milan, and finally Paris, are now over.

the front row

the front row

Nearly every single one of these fashion shows is available to look at online, with style.com putting some collections up instantly. If that isn’t enough, models and, in some cases, designers themselves take to instagram to show off backstage antics and to give a closer look at the collection.

I love this unprecedented, and frankly surprising, access to the fashion world (after all, it is an industry that prides itself on exclusivity). But after spending a whole month looking through hundreds of collections, part of me wonders how useful all this instantaneous accessibility is.

I just spent countless hours poring over collections that I will never be able to see in real life. I did it because I enjoy looking at the clothes, but is there anything beyond the enjoyment? It’s not as though I can afford to actually buy one of the new Fendi fur coats, as I suspect the majority of people browsing through the fashion slideshows on style.com can’t.

The world of high fashion has always been aspirational. It’s always been about the fantasy, and the fantasy element definitely plays a role in fashion week. But I don’t think it’s all fantasy, there’s some usefulness, and something very personal there as well. It’s become apparent to me that looking through the flood of fashion week snapshots and instagrams is about sorting through various looks and taking inspiration for your own personal style.

Whether it’s about doing a makeup look used in one of the shows, experimenting with a new color combination (pink paired with red was a big theme of Paris fashion week) or trying a new hairstyle spotted on the runway, it’s about transferring a piece of high fashion to every day life. It’s not about buying an outfit wholesale from the runway, it’s about expanding and cultivating your own personal style. (I think this is the reason street style photography has risen to become just as important as the actual fashion shows.)

For me, I may actually try the pink/red combination! It could be a fun look done with accessories, such as a red bag and a pink scarf. That way it’s not overpowering and might not read so Valentine-y.

Is fashion week important to you? Did any looks or shows catch your eye?

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