As Paris Fashion Week is streamed, critics look to future

  coronavirus pandemic has instilled extra unpredictability into alrey fickle Paris Fashion Week. After first canceling July shows for menswear and Haute Couture, French fashion federation has w organized an unprecedented schedule of digital-only events inste.

Top houses such as Chanel, Dior and Hermes are set to show ir new Fall-Winter couture collections or ir Spring-Summer menswear collections online this week — but with celebrity guests, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and ne of usual frenzied media circus.

one from public will be allowed to see clos in person at all, in fact, during this on-screen-only version of fashion week that starts Monday. Some shows will be live-streamed, and ors may be pre-recorded.

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federation decided this spring that because of social distancing guidelines, Paris Fashion Week — famed for its 25-centimeter (9-inches)-a-bottom seating allowances — would skip in-person shows for a season, and return to rmal, or, at least a new rmal, in September, barring a second wave.

“It’s uncharted waters this season, a whole new ball game,” ODDA Magazine Editor-at-Large Jessica Michault said.

Chanel is live-streaming its couture show Tuesday after piloting such an approach in its Cruise collection in June. Hermes is presenting its show as a digital “experience” on two separate days, one streamed live and second time as a video replay.

Dior Men’s has promised a sumptuous immersive experience — without explaining what that means — and Dior Couture is revealing a “surprise” to editors, who will mire and review glimmering silk chiffons and diaphaus taffetas from comfort of ir couches.

Valenti, meanwhile, is going “rogue” this season by unveiling an online sneak-preview during its allotted couture slot Wednesday of what it promises to be a live performance in Rome for later in month. It says that later event will “bring toger human and digital touch, creating a dialogue where neir of m will take le.” It hasn’t said wher that means actual members of public will be allowed to attend, or given details.

new digital Paris Fashion Week calendar isn’t b for everyone. rmally, re is one official show per hour, allowing gas-guzzling cars to crisscross Paris transporting editors to and from venues. But because re’s need for travel this season — apart from to kitchen to living room and back to top up on mineral water and coffee — shows have been d out by only 30 minutes, effectively doubling amount of on-calendar shows. new gaps have been populated by smaller houses that wouldn’t rmally get a look-in, and menswear newbies such as Ernest W Baker, Alled-Martinez, Cool TM and Egonlab.

“This season will definitely have changed fashion industry moving forward, especially for smaller brands, as digital avenue can get m bigger visibility, by being on-calendar,” Michault said. This season calendar boasts a record 68 men’s shows over five days.

It’s too early to tell wher this will sound death knell for tritional fashion show, but for Haute Couture, many fashion critics warn that this approach cant do justice to art of high luxury fashion and it just won’t catch on.

“Paris is where designers show ideas, and ideas can’t come through unless shows are presented to breathing witnesses, who can testify with emotion to live clos and staging,” said Long Nguyen, a freelance critic who has spent deces observing fashion from front rows.

“It’s like physically going to Tibet or viewing it online — it’s t same experience. For commercial clos digital streaming is fine, but couture and high fashion is different,” he ded.

Paris Fashion Week has said that next season, in September’s women’s rey-to-wear, re will be a return to “rmal” style of physical shows, but given persistent threat of resurgence of virus, houses will likely have to change way y showcase ir clos. Paris houses may have to rent out bigger s to here to social distancing rules, or reduce audience sizes.

“Eir brands will go large at giant venues like Louis Vuitton or go small and cull guest list with fewer guests. Or go digital. thing beats being at a fashion show, sitting on front row and seeing clos up close, but something’s going to have to give,” Michault said.

Milan menswear — which begins July 14, just as Paris season wraps up, and runs four days — has also anunced a mostly digital calendar, with just Dolce&Gabbana and Etro staging live runway shows, a month later than usual.

coronavirus epidemic was confirmed in Italy during Milan’s February shows, prompting Giorgio Armani to hold his show on Feb. 23 behind closed doors, while fashion world watched live over streaming. Many complained at time that online format simply did t work as a platform to view and appreciate designs.

Neverless, virus looks like it may be catalyst for change in whole high-fashion sector.

Saint Laurent and Gucci have used coronavirus scare to rethink pace of fashion industry, anuncing y will leave four-times-a-year rhythm of fashion calendar behind, with its shuttling of fashionistas between global capitals where y squeeze shoulder-to-shoulder around runways for 15 breathless minutes.

Last week, storied Parisian house Mugler also said it would consolidate all its annual output into two shows from four “to respect a stey growth plan and creative pace of Paris atelier.”