paris menswear fashion week: Solid Homme
It’s taken me some time since getting back from Paris to collect my thoughts. It was such a whirlwind trip and I made so many great memories. Like so many creatives before and so many to come, Paris is truly a place to be inspired. It’s not the history or even the shows that I attended which were divine, of course, but it’s the people. The energy, the vibrations, everything is so elevated. You’re surrounded by all of these individuals and for some it’s apparent why they are there but for many its not but it doesn’t really matter. I noticed that the frequency of everyone’s vibrations was so electric. No one there is thinking small and you can’t help but be influenced by that in some way. I went to Paris coming down from a manic episode and you can read more about that in the mental health tab but already by energy was up, up and up. It was not only that but nerves for a new chapter and experience and I felt really unhinged and like I was being thrown, literally, into a new timeline of my life. I felt like finally I am surrounded by those who are thinking big, or at least bigger and I haven’t found that here in San Francisco. Before I left I was confused and questioning and repeating unhealthy patterns and ready to slip into another cycle that I didn’t want to be in. It would be dramatic to say that Paris saved me from that but in a way that’s how it looks when I reflect back on it.
When I first arrived in Paris it didn’t really dawn on me that I was actually fulfilling a manifestation I set into motion months prior. Actually, if we’re being honest it was probably several years ago that I manifested, before I knew what manifestation was, that I would attend Paris Fashion Week. Of course back then I didn’t know how or when or in what capacity but I would fantasized and romanticize what that would look like. While I was in Paris I was working for/shadowing this insanely talented and knowledgeable Florence Julienne. Florence is a journalist and the short amount of time I spent with her, I learned so much. She really showed me what it’s like to be a writer and how to be brave and put myself out there. I felt comfortable with her. I could tell her when I felt anxious and I explained to her the journalist I want to be. I truly look up to her and hope to learn more from her the next time. Something that I picked up on from Florence that she didn’t explicitly state was how she was able to navigate different personalities and situations but she was always herself. She’s kind and warm but she seemed so fearless to me and it’s something I want to embody from here on out. Florence gave me the opportunity to go to so many shows and presentations and help her with her research for a project she was working on.
My first show was the Solid Homme show. I went to every show as “press” and collected images and footage for both Florence and myself. You know to be honest I wasn’t sure what to wear. I planned out all these looks before I left and of course when I showed up nothing felt right so I just put on what I felt most confident in and had to be on my way. The energy of entering the Palais de Tokyo is exciting. There’s no other word for it. It feels like it does when you’re a kid and you’re getting in line for a ride at an amusement park. It’s palpable but more so because I’ve imagined it a million times and it was even better in real life than in my head. Everyone is dressed to the nines, so unique in their own way. I feel like my own style elevated just from observing what others were wearing. It’s a different arena than here in the Bay Area; here we think that the most fashionable “it” people have ‘style’ but then you get to these shows and there’s no competition. I could tell that there’s no skepticism among this group. There’s no competition or insecurity if they’re wearing what’s coolest. Showing up in a vintage moto jacket, bralette and boyfriend denim with Adidas Sambas was probably the outfit that stuck with me the most and it was the most understated because it’s not really about the clothes but it’s about the intention.
Needless to say the show was cool. C’etais chouette. Attendees sat on white square pillows on the concrete ground and just before the first model came out fog flooded the venue and there I was with my phone in one hand and camera in the other. It reminded me of that scene in Anna Karenina when they’re waiting for the horse races to commence and just as they leave the gates, everyone’s binoculars are raised in perfect synchronicity. It’s like that but with iPhones and vlogging cameras. The collection was very understated with technicolor hues mainly consisting of oranges, blues and the Pantone color of the year Ultra Violet - or at least a nod to it. Lots of lightweight jackets and thigh high shorts just in time for summer but arm bands and belts cinched at the waist gave the overall airy collecting shape in a chic way. Watching the collection felt like watching a sunset, the color blending and dyeing was spectacular and the contrast of oversized vs. fitted was executed subtly but the impression was conspicuous. Below are some images that I took and if the vlog isn’t already uploaded it will be by the end of this week (8/5).
See more coverage of the Solid Homme show on my vlog here.
