Lipstick, Laptops, and Last-Minute Invites: Covering Paris Fashion Week as a New Editor
Mehri Bridal Showcased at La Galerie Bourbon. Photo Credit: Daria Orth
After finding your footing in the fashion landscape while you kickstart your career as a creative, opportunities to build your name will naturally start to arise. Fashion journalism, the literacy-dependent side of the industry, is a highly competitive field of work. Therefore, when a media agency like Paris Runway Official personally offers you a seat at a show in Paris, you take it.
It’s moments like these that will give you the invaluable chances to network and build your portfolio, especially as a newbie fashion editor. But while flying to a big city to cover fashion week is exciting beyond reason, it’s also a little bit scary. It’s a good kind of scary that opens doors and leaves you speechless with so many cool memories you get to carry with you on your journey.
Fashion Week Network hosted an incredible runway of many talented designers at La Galerie Bourbon. I was completely mesmerized watching designs by Negafa Fils D’or, Enoka Fonseka, Mehri Bridal, and Maechouww all which brought different vibes to Fashion Week. Seeing a fashion show anywhere is always a captivating and magical experience, but attending Paris Fashion Week is a whole other feeling entirely. La Galerie Bourbon makes a beautiful venue with rooms of crystal chandeliers, marble accents, and zenithal ceiling frescos that really give the place a very royal feel.
I also had the privilege of seeing another show held at the gallery featuring the Chinese luxury brand ZOUXIN. With PR produced and managed by The Riviere Agency, ZOUXIN’s collection “Earth’s Memory — Manifested Silhouettes” showcased centuries-old, traditional Chinese craftsmanship with a modern twist.
ZOUXIN Showcased at La Galerie Bourbon. Photo Credit: Daria Orth
My advice for writers covering Fashion Week: wake up early and give yourself lots of time to get ready for the event—you will need it. Getting ready for the show is half of the experience, and if you’re like me, who needs hours to perfect anything from hair to makeup, an early start to the morning is worth it.
The detailing and intricate designs of the many couture collections being presented are not something you want to show up to feeling anything less than fabulous. Being in the presence of such art for fashion week in Paris is a privilege and one of the best perks of working in the industry. Still, covering Paris Fashion Week for the first time ever is one of those surreal memories that remind us of why working hard and networking is so important.
So to all of the baby fashion editors and journalists, keep building that portfolio and don’t be afraid to connect with new people. Oftentimes, and especially in this digital age, the opportunities that present themselves don’t exclusively come from what you know, but who.
Author: Daria Orth
