What it’s like to attend a luxury fashion show (behind the gate)

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to attend a luxury fashion show? Every year cities like Milan, Paris, New York, and London host exclusive fashion weeks in September. This year I was in Paris during Paris fashion week, and I was not going to waste the opportunity to get a glimpse of the shows. And when I say “get a glimpse”, I mean I stood outside the gate with the rest of the wannabes. The first show I went to was Dior. It was right near Jardin de Tuileries next to the Louvre. It was a big pop-up building with the famous Dior logo branded on the front. Influencers, bloggers, and other fashion figures arrived in the front and walked through the crowd of people to get to the entrance where patrons and photographers were fighting to get a photo of them. There are gates to block of the entrance and hold people back. In the back is where the more high-profile celebs arrive. Anna Wintour, Jisoo, and Natalie Portman are some of the big names that arrived in the back by black car. We tried to scout out the best spot to get a glimpse of the attendees. Although it was hard, we managed to see from a far. After everyone went inside, we live streamed the show right outside. We could hear the music from the outside with a slight lag on the video. The show took about 20 minutes before the celebs were back out heading to their next show.

The next show I went to later that night was Yves Saint Laurent. It was right in front of the Eiffel Tour at the Trocadero. It started at 8 which meant the Eiffel Tour was perfectly illuminated. The show was outside where the models walked around the fountain. In contrary to the Dior show, I could see the models walking since it was outside. There were hundreds of people pressed up against a gate just dying to get a look inside. I managed to get close to the front and saw some of the models and designs on the runway. It was just a magical moment for me because I have always dreamed of attending a fashion show and although I wasn’t in the stands, I was closer than my phone screen. Before the show ended, my friend and I booked it to the exit where the celebs and models were leaving. I once again pushed myself to the front see them up close. I saw Anna Wintour (twice in one day now), Hailey Bieber (behind a very dark car window), Kate Moss, Cindy Wolfie, and Charlotte Lawrence.

So, there was my first fashion week experience. I have to say it was a surreal experience for me to see the fashion world up close and personal. Hopefully one day I won’t be watching from behind a gate.