paris menswear fashion week: Steven Passaro

The final show I attended was at the Palais de Tokyo. It was the end of fashion week and I expected to simply sit back and observe with the intent of reporting, and not really experiencing. However, I was quickly corrected and redirected to a different experience with Steven Passaro’s presentation. A few models and a couple dancers assembled under the low ceilings one floor level underground made a much bigger impact than expected. Are You Fully Living is the name of this collection and it challenges the person experiencing this collection to think about feelings. Inspired by the book The Body Keeps Score, Steven Passaro illustrates a multitude of emotions through modern interpretive dancers wearing his designs. Watching this I can only speak for myself, but a lot came up watching someone else’s interpretations of emotion. As they flow through the performers, they flowed through me and coupled with my interpretation of the performance and my capacity to feel (which I felt after this was limited in a way) I left feeling forgiving of myself and realizing that just as the dancers exhibited the progression of emotions, that’s what emotions are: progressions. I left feeling that this was a designer who was not just sensitive but inquisitive about something much more than fashion design but the human design. For me, that’s what I love about fashion, about creativity; it’s the examination and expression of the human condition in a way that connects with a multitude of people, as Steven Passaro’s presentation did with me. I felt connected to him and I had never met him or spoken with him but I left better because of him. After the fact, I felt it was a full circle moment, and how genius was it to present a collection encouraging us to face our emotions. Something traditionally men feel unempowered to do yet here it was at menswear fashion week. It was a great way to end my first fashion week and an even better preview at what’s to come in fashion for menswear.

See more coverage of Steven Passaro’s show on my vlog here.