Kanye West Presents 'Dw' womenswear collection at Paris Fashion Week on October 1, 2011.
Photo: Getty Images
God. I wonder what Kanye West is feeling right now given that I am deeeeepleted that weeks of wild speculation and rune casting and Google alerting and Twitter/Tumblr stalking has finally come to an end with the unveiling of his first womenswear collection at Paris Fashion Week. He probably feels pretty great. The thing about this show is that opinions will diverge and reviews will run the gamut from effusive to scathing because there is no way to sequester the entire world from the Internet and this man's megafame. Dicey territory from which to judge a show. Plus, nevermind the crazy levels of clout in his front row that draws even more attention.
According to this Associated Press report from the scene, Kanye was nervous, repeating, "I'm so scared," after which he stated that he just wanted to end the "celebrity designer" qualifier.
In attendance were a number of notable bold names--Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Azzedine Alaia, Olivier Theyskens, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Lindsay Lohan, Terry Richardson, Jared Leto. Ciara, who sat front row and wore a fox fur stole (solidarity?), also told MTV News how much she empathized with the level of scrutiny Kanye was under. "It was definitely one of the most talked-about events [of Paris Fashion Week]," she said. "This doesn't happen every day, and to see someone like Kanye, who aspires to succeed in fashion, to get so much respect and cross over like this, it was monumental. It was an historic moment."
Jeremy Scott who was also prominantly placed mentioned how the collection echoed Kanye's impeccable taste as a student and genuine fan of design.
Kanye West Presents 'Dw' womenswear collection at Paris Fashion Week on October 1, 2011.
Photo: Getty Images
To wit: there are definitely echoes of influence throughout. Granted, this was overall, a collection of American sportswear. Clean. Marketable (though we'll know more once we see the pricepoint). And sexy. But there were whispers of Issey Miyake in the delicate pleats (both amorphous and sculpted), hints of Helmut Lang in the stark simplicity and palette but there was nothing that displayed too much of a barrier to entry in terms of silhouettes. We are not talking 1,800 bolts of shantung and 4,300 fish scales for a hat with a veil here.
Kanye West Presents 'Dw' womenswear collection at Paris Fashion Week on October 1, 2011.
Photo: Getty Images
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Tags Celebrity Designers, Fashion Week, Kanye West, Paris Fashion Week, Yeezi