From the Front Row to your front room: I'm missing the buzz as fashion week goes digital

Ralph & Russo showed their pieces modelled on an avatar named Hauli, who was digitally transplanted to the Seven Wonders of the World

Meadhbh McGrath

In the ‘before’ times, many of us watched Paris Couture Week from afar, admiring Celine Dion’s outrageous street style and the no-holds-barred catwalk spectacles from French fashion houses including Christian Dior, Valentino and Chanel. In the pandemic era, however, fashion week has moved online, which means we all get a front-row seat, even if it’s only crouched over our laptops.

It is, understandably, a bit of a comedown: I’m just sitting at my desk — no make-up, no bra — compared to my experience at the London shows, trying not to sweat through my dress as I push through the street-style circus outside some crumbling theatre or warehouse space in the city. There’s no pre-show chatter, no sitting around on an uncomfortable bench for a show that’s 45 minutes late, no celebrity spotting and, most significantly, no rush at seeing the first model emerge on the catwalk. Instead, it mostly takes place on YouTube, but at least all the shows start on time.