.Or how to cheat, lie and manipulate your readers on your way to the top
I never thought of myself as being a very intellectual person, au contraire, but what happens outside the shows at Paris Fashion Week is too superficial even for me.
I was aware about all this circus long before coming to it. I knew how things work, who is pretending, who’s a faker and who’s an authentic fashion icon. Cause you see, being a fashion icon implies much more than borrowing some weird clothes and giving your last money on this trip. However, it was important for me to come so that when I would talk about this I would have evidence to support my affirmations.
“There is a genuine difference between the stylish and the show-offs” Suzy Menkes was writing the other days about what happens outside of the shows. And you know something? She’s right!
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If you wanna be famous just for being famous and in real life you are a meaningless, self pitiful girl with a big ego, Paris Fashion Week is perfect for you!
Below, you can find some tips for instant success
- lose your sense of embarrassment (if you have such feelings), you’ll gonna end up begging the security people to let you in the tents (the places where they keep the real fashion shows)
- dress as weird as you can and borrow tons of clothes telling brands that you endorse them, however your name and credits will not appear in the magazines
- update your Instagram account with pictures of all the branded products that you encounter in your way and tell your followers that are yours
- live in a small/tiny apartment but check-in on your phone that you live in some luxurious hotel
- name your taxi driver “your private driver“ and tell that on Instagram, Facebook, etc
- tell everyone that you are wearing brands or full branded outfits when the only brand on you is your iphone case
- always pout when you’re asked about competition, nobody is as good, stylish or connected as you
- ask for freebies everywhere you go
- try to let all your friends pay for dinner
- froze your ass out at -3 degrees dressed like a peacock in mid summer and then complain on your blog or social media channels about how cold are you and how hard are you working
- if somehow it happens and you find an invitation without a name on it quickly write your name and post it on social media
- take a friend who has a camera with you, go in the middle of the crowd and put him/her take pictures of you. That and your shiny-rainbow outfit will make everybody come and take your picture, You’ll be featured everywhere, from Vogue to the lowest street style site
Now, you might tend to think that I am writing this because I was not photographed, these pictures and many others will prove you wrong. Yesterday I wore this new Molecule F t shirt and everybody was telling how cool this is. I paired it with my favorite traditional Romanian skirt by Andra Andreescu and it turned out very chic or at least I think so.
I would like to mention that this is the last show I came to this season (two in total, the first was to observe and this one to demonstrate that everybody can be photographed) and will not come to any other, except when I do have an invitation. I do not want to be associated with this kind of evolution in this industry.
So if you are sleek and can create a fake but aspirational reality around you, you will most surely succeed to be noticed at Paris Fashion Week. Of course, you have to wear tons of colors, prints, all your jewelry in the same time and some fancy hat, or two – at the same time.
Everybody can become a star at Fashion Week. I did, you can too. What makes the difference is to whom we look up too. If Carrie Bradshaw (sure, I loved her too, of course, 5 years ago) is your hero than by all means, Air France has the best deals when it comes to plane tickets and comfort, you’ll be in Paris in no time and you’ll be photographed. I assure you on that. You’ll make the internet speak about your clothes in no time.
This might sound as a personal attack but it’s not, it’s just some of my conclusions regarding this phenomenon. It may bring us all, the ones who came here, a certain recognition but hanging at doors and begging to let us in it’s not the way I wanna grow up in this fashion society. I am a Countess for Christ’s sake, I don’t beg or look needy outside any show (#joke, #irony)
Personally, I think it’s sad that the only mean one has for getting attention is hanging out in front of the fashion shows. If this is your existence landmark it’s kind of pitiful.
Getting pictured in front of a show because you dress weird is not revealing your level of professionalism, human quality and not even your style.
When you start dressing for attention and not for yourself things start to go in the wrong way very fast – Suzy Menkes
Note: I am gonna put some short links later, these French people have the worse internet connection (#bleah)
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Well done Ana, love that you wore that T-shirt
true,true
Darling, no matter how superficial things are there, I must tell you I am proud of you, especially because you were wearing that T-shirt. You look really great
Gorgeous, and smart! Well done!
Beautiful, dear, you couldn’t have chosen a better outfit :*
You never cease to amaze me 🙂 you looked amazing
really nice outfit, you are glowing, and love the t-shirt with that skirt and shoes.
oh my god, look at that! the best outfit to wear at Paris fashion week, you made the perfect choice 🙂 beautiful Ana
glamourous and romanian, perfect!
Oh, how you make me smile. Love your attitude and style
i love your outfit, you look great!!! wow, is it that circus crazy? tragic or funny? …
Your post is so sooo funny, most of all because I think I know who you are talking about. You made an excellent point (they can’t all afford Hermes and private drivers, the parisian taxis are expensive enough, right?)and I totally support it. Congrats for “speaking out loud” about this phenomenon, which I’m getting sick of.
Bisous and enjoy your stay in Paris
You are so beautiful and a real MUSE! I am so glad you have the balls to speak out loud, we need that, especially here, in Ro, all you`ve said in this post is so very true! you look magnificent!
Oh, I guess that’s a message for the “fabulous” ones. Well said :).
Mira, no, it’s a message to a trend of girls. I am not pointing to anyone. 🙂
I concur! I find them needy and pathetic and they don’t make me feel proud to be a romanian.
I saw this phenomena and I totally agree with your point of view.
If you want my 5 cents, you should keep going to these events and “show them how it’s done!” like I’ve told you on instagram before.
Kisses!
I read Ms. Menkes’ article and Manrepeller’s one, and I believe that in the end is our each and one moral duty to filter all the information and drown our own conclusions.
Personally I don’t think much of those people photographed in front of the tents and sometimes inside :), there is nothing interesting for me there, I have nothing to gain from that, they are not helping me with anything.
For me fashion shows are still something sacred where magic happens,please stop “the peacocks” from ruining it for me :))
Long story short, I am proud of being your reader, and thank you for keeping the spirit of fashion at its purest!
Buna Ana,
optiunea de “like” pe facebook a post-ului nu o ai pe blog?
Multumesc ca nu ai cedat. 🙂 Stai pe pozitii ! 🙂
“I am a Countess for Christ’s sake, I don’t beg or look needy outside any show (#joke, #irony)”.
Dincolo de ironie, sta adevarul ca ar trebui ca lumea sa te observe pentru stilul tau, cum te imbraci in mod curent, in anumite ocazii, acel stil care iti reprezinta personalitatea.
Pe langa asta, one ought not to beg for attention. Este atat de nedemn si non-feminin.
Sunt fan fustele lungi bucovinene, cu motive geometrice.
Imi place f mult cum a interpretat Andra Andreescu. 🙂
p.s.: Swedish people have an even worse internet connection…
you go girl! make us proud! I really love your article, it’s about time someone bursts the bubble and tells the truth.
<3
miha
I just , love you! once again you showed everybody what the real deal is! when I’ve first discovered your blog and saw the love you have for belle epoque, aristocracy and all that charmed world, suddenly I felt happy that is someone there who I can relate with; and now once again I feel proud that you are there, telling to the world how talented romanian designers are!
Well done, Ana! I don’t like when people dress just for show off. I’ve seen some horrbile outfit pics of PFW street style. Your outfit is so stylish and clean. Love it! Enjoy your stay in Paris
Imi place combinatia abordata,mult mai de efect decat toate artificiile absurde adunate intr-un singur ouffit! Less is more!
*outfit that is 🙂
Daca pui si nume intr-o zi o sa fii idolul meu. Si inaintea ta a fost Madonna. 🙂 Glumesc, stiu ca o Contesa nu ar face niciodata asta. Orice ai face in viata, este trist sa recurgi la orice metoda pentru a atrage atentia.
You can lie to everyone, but if you lie to you…it’s such a pity, because that mean that you live someone else’s life!
We all know these girls, and they are appreciated only by the ones like them, not by the smart ones!
I’m just gonna throw a hug in here: >:D< I've just returned from Paris – where I did not attend any shows – and I saw the whole "peacocking" phenomenon in all of its glory. I don't know how you did this, but the first word in the captcha below is "superficial" 🙂
Deja faza cu personal driver a atins orice limita a ridicolului. :))))))))))))))))
I’ve always felt like there was a big elephant in the room when it came to this fashion week phenomenon- on one hand, as a true fashion lover, you still want to believe that not everything is so shallow and yet all the Instagram proof (INCREDIBLE list by the way- I have to admit I’ve noticed most of them in my feed) really makes you question what fashion week has become in these past few years. That’s exactly what I have expected to find for so long: a truthful insight, written with a dose of humour and irony.
Incredible outfit and photos, I love your approach and how you always stay true to yourself!
Have an amazing week,
Mary x
Amore , hai fatto centro !
Tutto vero. L’ho conferma una che lo sa come funziona meglio di tutti !
Bacio
Alla prossima.
Non mi picchiare che ti ho scritto in Italiano.
Te Imbratisez tare
Esti geniala, ce sa mai?
Si eu visez la Paris, la fashion week, la street/style dar nu in conditiile enumerate de tine.
Vreau pentru ca o sa si fac ceva dupa, pentru ca nu exista fashionist/a care sa nu fie macar o data in viata la un show la PFW, insa… nu calcandu-mi in picioare principiile, crezurile si multe altele.
Ma inclin inca o data contesa!
😀
Fashion WEAK, dear…
i always wondered why you didnt make it to Paris FW. Im sure you get invited and have the resources to go, but then i always, always thought that you would hate the superficial circus that happens at the entrances. I swear, i laughed when i saw this post. lol Ive been following your blog for years now, i love it, i dont think i commented a post before though
In sfarsit cineva care spune cum stau lucrurile intr-adevar. M-am saturat sa le vad pe “fabuloase” cum sunt ele “vanate” de fotografi!
Initial cand am vazut ca si tu te-ai dus la PFW mi-am zis: “alta care se vrea fashion icon” dar vad ca a fost contrariul.
Acum ai inca un om care te apreciaza.
Esti o fata inteligenta!
Supermegatare articol!
Vaiii Ana de azi Te Iubesc si mai mult <3
Inca rad 😀 ahhhh ….
Superrr articolul !!!!!
Pupici :*:*
Love your outfit! Very, very chic! And I really enjoyed your point of view (as usual), very refreshing!
Esti GENIALA! Si stii de ce ? Pentru ca esti cine esti si nu ti-e rusine sa arati! Pe mine m-ai castigat pentru totdeauna!
Mi-a placut ultima citata a lui suzi:)
so true…
Ok, am înţeles pledoaria. E bine să vedem şi acestă faţetă a lumii înconjurătoare.
Ideea ta este pe cat de corecta pe atat de gresita!
Singurul lucru ‘real’ din toata povestioara ta este defapt ca, intr-adevar este foarte simplu sa fii fotografiat la fashion weeks
Insa:
1. Numeri pe degetele de la..doua maini blogurile/siteurile de ‘street fashion’ care conteaza (thesartorialist, jakandjil, streetfsn, streetpeeper, guerreisms, tommyton.tumblr, si sectiunile de street fashion din style.com, vogue si gq – care sunt fotografiate de bloggerii mai sus mentionati)
2. Daca ai fi urmarit blogurile astea in ultimii 4-5 ani, zilnic/saptamanal ai fi observat ca sunt in total vreo 20-30 de ‘fete’ care apar contsant (giovanna battaglia, anna dello russo, susie bubble etc etc si la fel si in cazul sexului opus: lino ieluzzi, justin doss, josh perskowitz, sam lambert, nick wooster, milan vukmirovic )
Ai fi observat ca sunt si singurele/ii ale caror nume se mentioneaza sub poze, care in viata de zi cu zi chiar se imbrac astfel, care chiar activeaza in domeniu (in mare parte fashion editori pe ici pe colo) si care cu siguranta sunt satuli de aparatele foto!
Cred ca mai aveam vreo 2-3 puncte pe care voiam sa le mentionez dar m-am pierdut in detalii.
Oricum, ideea e simpla..ce se intampla in jurul catwalkurilor la paris,milano,new york, londra, florenza-pitti uomo a devenit la fel de important, poate mai important decat colectiile in sine. 90% dintre oamenii de acolo nu se duc sa ‘show off’ asa cum spuneai tu, ci o fac din pasiune..pentru ‘moda de strada’ (care din punctul meu de vedere a devenit o arta-si tu ar trebui sa fii de acord cu asta). Sunt convis ca sunt si zeci de autointitulati ‘bloggeri’ si ‘fashion icons’, care insa..nu conteaza!
Asa ca, e gresit sa denigrezi toate lucrurile frumoase care se intampla acolo. Iar categoria mentionata de tine ar trebui pur si simplu ignorata 🙂 cui ii pasa de instagram, facebook si cele 100 de milioane de ‘fashion bloguri’, cand putem doar sa ne bucuram de toate tinutele astea superbe de cateva ori pe an.
Blogul tau e destul de tare, in general.
All the best!
Imi cer scuze anticipat pt orice greseala de redactare, dar sunt pe fuga!
A,
Sunt de acord cu absolut to ce ai scris. De fapt, ai punctat in mai multe cuvinte ceea ce am spus si eu.
Nu sunt de acord cu faptul ca ce se intampla afara a devenit la fel de important cu ce se intampla inauntru.Poate pentru ochi neavizati. Mi se pare ca punem pe acelasi palier o industrie care presupune creativitate,munca titanica, stres, excelenta si dedicatie, cu noi, cele care ne facem outfit uri dimineata in oglinda si ne pozam.
Cei pe care i-ai mentionat tu se intampla sa fie si oameni care LUCREAZA in aceasta industrie, care creeaza valoare si care sunt mentionati tocmai pentru ca in spatele outfiturilor lor se afla si o anumita valoare! Evident, nu ei erau cei targetati in articolul meu 🙂
All the best to you too!
🙂
Si in graba diminetii am uitat sa mentionez: fusta e absolut superba, tricoul ma face foarte mandru, iar tinuta e..de fotografiat! 🙂
OMG..your skirt is amazing!! Love love love it..
Ana, you`re looking fabulous! <3
Articolul asta e printre preferate, admir faptul ca ai purtat creatii romanesti, mai dam si noi un plus undeva prin ceva ca oricum Romania nu e privita tocmai cu ochi buni in strainatate. Keep up the good work!
That’s been my favorite post lately, because your creativity at the Fashion Week made me realize that it’s not important only to be dressed according to an event, but the outfit you wear should represent who you are. After all, style is our personal trademark and we should not let fashion transform us in fake, shallow people. Congrats, you are gorgeus!
Bravo, ce n-a vazut Parisul! Romania are fete sic, sic, sic!
This is the one i liked better. It’s sharp and well written an the photos are amazing, plus I just love the skirt and just started to find one.
All the best!
Iubesc outfit-ul, post-ul este genial. One of the best 🙂 Imi place cum ai descris exact ceea ce se intampla la PFW, intr-un mod chic caracteristic tie.
Super outfit!
Imi place fusta, are ceva special. 🙂
i love this post!
proud to be romanian!
I love the skirt and the shoes!
The skirt is simply amazing!!!
So.. to win The ITem Giveaway I have to comment on one of your 5 last posts, and tell why I loved it more than the others.. Now that was kinda hard, I love all of your posts, already read them before , but this particular one really caught my attention because of the skirt.. it’s absolutely fabulous , and your T-shirt really makes me proud to be romanian 🙂 Thank’s again.
Ana, respect. Pe mine fenomenul ma distreaza copios sincer, este un circ in general cu cateva exceptii. Nu as purta niciodata la Fashion Week ceea ce nu as purta in viata de zi cu zi, cand ai depasit deja limita aceasta esti acolo ca sa impresionezi nu ca sa te bucuri de show.
Dar eu tot vreau sa merg si eu in viata asta la Paris sa vad cu ochii mei forfota de acolo! :)) Si nu m-as imbraca ca un paun intr-adevar, ci ca ceea ce sunt eu si nu de dragul de a atrage privirile. Dar intr-o masura sunt de acord cuc e scrii tu aici 😉
Si sigur, tricoul este genial! 😀 Chiar ai facut un statement cu tinuta asta acolo;)
Tin sa reconfirm tot ce ai scris: http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/street-chic/2013/london-fashion-week-aw13/gallery/22
If this is fashion, I don’t wanna be a part of it!
O idee serioasa + formulare funny(si coerenta)+ outfit impecabil + atitudine = post-ul perfect.
Respect!
I think the only “Circus” now is every one seems to have an opinion on this matter, to a point that its one massive circus now. Bottom line is if people minded their own business everyone will be happy. Peacocks Crows, whatever label you wanna give them neither affects the other, its just one part seems to think they are entitled to judgement of the other, when in reality all of them are in the same circus. Fashion people act like they are trying to find the cure for Cancer. Just because you are sitting front row inside a show, or in standing or outside doesn’t really make you better then the other person. so people need to wake up from this pathetic WET DREAM of self entitlement. By the way this does not make you a journalist either, it only escalates the self entitlement that bloggers/peacocks/crows think they have……a true revelation of FASHION.
I think I read this article 3 times, I just love it, love your honesty and I am so glad you shared with us your opinion on these phenomenon.
About the outfit, it’s simply amazing!
dementiala!!!!!
O atitudine puternica! Imi place!
Cea mai buna postare ever!!! Te iubesc, atat cat te”cunosc”, insa cu cele scrise mai sus, m-ai cucerire iremediabil. Te imbratisez cu mare drag!