Paris Fashion Week – The Time The Circus Came to Town
After my second Paris Fashion Week attending the shows I felt I had to share this short film that I found last night because it really did touch on so many moments I lived and so many questions I’ve been asking myself as I have been trying to find the words to describe the overwhelming excitement that filled the streets of Paris over the last 9 days.
“The street photographer phenomenon is absolutely leaking…
Watching the hysteria of all these people swarming
I just thought someone is going to get run over, someone is going to get trampledThere is this funny thing…
Do these people crave to be part of this phenomenon? Is there some kind of use for the material that they are creating? Is there something I don’t know that’s going on?
Everyone is involved now … The number of photographers has outstripped the number of people…
You see the most BANAL people getting photographed”
— Tim Blanks, Fashion Photographer
(excerpt from the film clip)
“When we set out to make this short, our intention simply was to observe the phenomenon of fashion bloggers and street style stars. As we started to review the footage, two salient trends became apparent: fashion editors frustrated by the ensuing commotion outside of shows, and the rise of “peacocking” street style stars as a result of the proliferation of blogs. This film examines these themes from both perspectives.”
— GARAGE Magazine
All food for thought ?
“Prendre Ma Photo, Prendre Ma Photo, Prendre Ma Photo”
(Take My Photograph, Take My Photograph, Take My Photograph)
Those words rang true as I stepped out into the small sea of photographers/bloggers after the first show I attended at Paris Fashion Week. The “orator”, a “fashion blogger”, who is newer to the scene than I and he evidently exudes more confidence than I. So here it all began to unfold in a way I had not quite expected. A week I had planned to spend going from invited show to another, keeping a low profile and perhaps meeting some friendly faces along the way.
Looking back on it, at that moment I would say I was naive, even innocent in my approach. As the week unfolded I became caught up in the chaos outside the shows. It all happened so naturally as my curiosity grew and my excitement to catch a glimpse of the outfits, accessories, hair styles, bloggers, photographers, models, the banal and the beautiful grew I began taking photographs simply with my iPhone, (3GS no less) like a pro, which I then went on to share obsessively (some have said) on instagram. I then went on to take even more photographs with an old analogue camera, which I am looking forward to sharing with you after the development process.
So, when the circus did come to town, I too (without planning it) became one of these amateur photographers who was rushing after every colourful (but tasteful) outfit, in hope of a long lasting memory.
