In what world is supermodel Naomi Campbell sitting front row while Dame Helen Mirren struts on the catwalk?
Cue to today’s L’Oreal super-mega-fashion-show-spectacular staged against the scenic Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile.
Looks from Balmain, Sonia Rykiel, Isabel Marant and Off-White — to name a few — along with jewels from Chopard were sent down the raised runway in the the beauty brand’s first-ever Paris Fashion Week show. The show included runway regulars Adriana Lima and Winnie Harlow in addition to actresses Jane Fonda and dame Helen Mirren.
The front row was overflowing with VIPs: fashion designers Olivier Theyskens and Balmain’s Olivier Rouesting, to Rita Ora and The Aforementioned Naomi Campbell — who was coolly escorted to her front seat despite rolling up nearly ten minutes after the show started. (An insider tip for the uninitiated: that never happens.)
Against a soundtrack ranging from Outkast to Madonna’s classic “Vogue,” it was Mirren’s moment: clad in a chic dark coat, pleated pant and accessorized with a cane — which she used to playfully spin and point at attendees, much like a magic wand — the rowdy crowd literally clamored towards the runway to capture the iconic moment on their iPhones.
Fonda followed up in a head-to-ankle zippered tiger print bodycon gown topped with a multi-strand diamond choker that looked straight out of Mariah Carey’s bling-tastic playbook.
If it all sounds like a surreal scene from “Zoolander”, that’s because Paris Fashion Week hasn’t seen anything this playful and light for a good long time. A healthy reminder that fashion — at its core — can be a whole lotta fun.