The evolution of the first row: To give the best places in fashion weeks
It so happened that celebrities were the most important visitors to fashion weeks. Despite the most important creative value of the event itself, namely famous actresses, musicians and bloggers provide mentions in the press for the brand and the show, and therefore, in theory, can affect potential sales. We tell who was the most welcome guest in the past fashion weeks.
If the king makes retinue, then a fashion show - the first row. It is amazing how much attention Richard Quinn received, on the show to which, on February 21, Elizabeth II herself looked in. The newcomer received a mention even in the newspapers, having never written about fashion weeks. Of course, partly, the exclusivity factor worked here: the queen is not Alex Chang, after all, you cannot call her a typical guest. For the royal personage, who next month will celebrate the 90th birthday, last London Fashion Week is basically the first in the biography. It is unlikely that Elizabeth will visit Quinn again next year (in this she came to support the designer as the winner of the British Design Award named for Her Highness), but journalists will come by anyway: who knows, maybe the queen will send Megan Markl or the Prince of Kent instead of herself.
Although with the attendance of London this time and without Elizabeth was lucky. Being the shortest of fashionable weeks (in the calendar, only five days are reserved for it - against eight in Paris and nine in New York) and, however offensive it may sound, the most ignored (part of the editorial and model staff prefers to fly from New York straight to Milan), this time she managed to gather crème de la crème. Not least because it was in the thick of other events: right on the LFW dates came the awards ceremony of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. This meant that actresses also came to London, including Kate Mara and Emma Roberts. Traveling to Hamburg for the Goldene Kamera award, including Naomi Watts.
London fashion week eagerly attracts local celebrities to the first row: actors, musicians, models (now that Kate and Naomi are officially working for the British Vogue, it’s all the more difficult to imagine the first row without them), it girls, people from aristocratic families Favor of Princess Diana Kitty Spencer's niece and number thirty-six in line for the British throne Amelia Windsor).
Most Italian brands continue to deify the millennials - Luke Sabbath, Sarah Snyder and Karolina Daur, whose total number of subscribers is close to four million.
St Martin's and London College of Fashion students, as always, showed up at the traditional parties of fashion weeks, some of which are co-sponsored with niche publications - be it Wonderland or Glass Magazine. “Closing” of the week was charged by Love magazine and not at all by the British brand Miu Miu, which decided to embed in the London schedule the premiere of the next issue of Women's Tales. At the party, Dakota Fanning, her sister El, and other friends of the brand appeared in the role of director, which only added to the London Fashion Week mentions in the press.
Milan Fashion Week this time it would be strange not to take advantage of the pleasant geographical proximity to Berlin (only one hour of summer), where the international film festival just ended. What they did in Prada, getting into the first row of a powerful company consisting of director Wes Anderson and his collaborators - Roman Coppola, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. At the Berlinale quartet drove the animated film "Dog Island", which eventually received the "Silver Lion".
However, the vast majority of Italian brands, it seems, still does not believe in the power of cinema. But he continues to deify the millenial instagram bloggers - Luke Sabbath, Sarah Snyder and Karolina Daur, whose total number of subscribers is close to four million - a standard set of guests by the standards of the February Milan Fashion Week.
The winner is the one who managed to find a middle ground. At the Gucci show, acclaimed musician Nick Cave, a young activist with not yet high-profile acting career Rowan Blanchard, actress Chloe Sevigny and Japanese twins from Amiaya duet met at the Gucci show. By the way, celebrities of Asian origin in Milan were especially numerous this time: the desire to charm or simply to keep delicious Eastern markets that increase margins is still alive in European brands.
If Milan cinematographic neighborhood in the calendar helped, then Paris, by contrast, caused problems. The beginning of March coincided with the end of the movie season and the Oscars, traditionally held in Los Angeles, which is an eight-hour time difference and an eleven-hour flight. Difficult to cope with titled fashion houses in different ways. Some drew attention to the young Hollywood shoots: a new collection of Valentino from the first row was admired by Catherine Newton, who played in two Oscar-nominated tapes at once - “Three billboards on the border of Ebbing, Missouri” and “Lady Bird”, but apparently not invited to the ceremony itself. Others eagerly attracted the European echelon to cooperation: Jane Birkin with daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg and Catherine Deneuve were spotted in the front row by Saint Laurent, Isabelle Huppert - by Stella McCartney. But those who converted to the glory of likes, do not really like the Parisian shows; Exception - bloggers of the first wave: Suzy Lau and Brianboy.
But in the New World is not so rosy. Another couple of years - and someone will certainly write a dissertation on how New York Fashion Week has gone down. The facts are as follows: Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and Altuzarra moved to Paris; Rag & Bone and Monse, in principle, have ceased to organize a show, like Vera Wang, and for several seasons, Opening Ceremony prefers the Los Angeles Big Apple. Finally, in January, the headliner, Alexander Wang, announced his exit from the schedule. And even with such tangible losses, it would be possible to hold back a relatively good mine if it were not for that same “but”: famous guests.
"Empty" chairs in New York week tried to fill with bloggers and instagram celebrities. But there were times when it was there that Beyonce and Rihanna could be met - and sometimes even in an embrace
The truly remarkable ones are the units (for example, Whoopi Golberg, who suddenly looked at the light to three brands at once - Christian Siriano, Prabal Gurung and Jason Wu); the feeling that not only designers but all were cool towards New York. Part of the blame should be placed on large brands that monopolize any bright celebrities: bound hand and foot by financial arrangements, they can no longer go to the shows for "love." Even the barely lit star Rachel Brosnahan from the TV series "The Amazing Mrs. Meisel" has already recruited Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, leaving no smaller chance for the actress to get. And even though the young but promising Brock Collection brand is not without pleasure, Emma Stone, Margot Robbie and Jennifer Lawrence: in the first row none of this big Hollywood trio can appear - each has a multi-million contract with a French fashion house.
New York weekly “empty” chairs were attempted to be filled with bloggers and instagram celebrities, but not at all because of the change in marketing concept. But there were times when it was there that Beyonce and Rihanna could be met - and sometimes even in an embrace. Will there be such an honor to the New York week? As if not.
Cover:Getty images
