When it was announced that fashion month was going ahead as scheduled this season, despite just six months ago shows being cancelled left, right and center as COVID broke out in Italy during Milan Fashion Week and then followed on to Paris, the move seemed optimistic, to say the least. But the industry quickly adapted to, dare I say it, ‘the new norm,’ holding socially distanced events and live-streaming to millions of viewers worldwide. In fact, if the stats are anything to go by – Dior’s Paris Fashion Week show alone was viewed live by 95 million people – this virtual system seems to be working even better than the usual fashion week format.
Adapting, too, are the celebrities who you’d usually see sitting pretty in the front row. Instead, they’re enlisting their stylists, makeup artists and hairstylists to get them ready at home where they’re watching the shows virtually, just like the rest of us.
From The End of the F*cking World actress Jessy Barden’s DIY garden party dinner for the Chanel show to Beanie Feldstein’s Blair Waldorf moment for Miu Miu, brand muses and Hollywood’s A-list have taken to Instagram to share what would have been their front row looks, giving an entirely new meaning to the phrase ‘all dressed up with nowhere to go’.
Despite most people opting out of attending live shows due to the pandemic, a fair few famous faces still made the trip to support designers, masks in tow: Margot Robbie and Kristen Stewart attended Chanel, Maisie Williams made an appearance at Dior and Alicia Vikander was at Louis Vuitton.
When the comfort of your couch can sub in for the front row, it’s anyone’s guess as to how fashion month will look in another six month’s time.
