No Phones At Fashion Week!

Ultra luxury brand The Row didn’t allow social media capturing of their show in Paris

In the ultimate experience of ephemerality, “quiet luxury” brand The Row didn’t allow any members of the audience at their Fall/Winter 2024 runway show to film the experience and I have thoughts.

First of all, in even speaking about this, I feel like I’m an 8th grade older sister showing her 5th grade sister how to be “cool” before she starts middle school. These dynamics of social status seem so obvious to me, especially in the context of high fashion shows. Everything is about posturing, expressions of discipline, performance and status. Fashion, believe it or not, is not real.

Attending a runway show is a performance in itself. As an audience member, you are an extension of the theatrics in some part. You have the potential to enhance or distract people from the show. A rising digital fashion commentator (who will remain nameless) told me in Milan that it’s actually strategic to respond to looks with dramatic facial expressions because