When said out loud, "Fashion Week" has a double meaning — and for anyone who's ever been a part of all the action, feeling weak is not only par for the course, it's often the reason we love fashion to begin with. So, in honor of the moments of chaos, beauty, and excitement that made us feel weak, we present My Fashion Week-ness: a compilation of accounts from some of the industry's biggest players. They're spilling their most memorable stories from Fashion Weeks gone by, and the ones that keep them coming back for more.
If you don't know who Mickey Boardman is, that's okay. The Paper editorial director is a fixture within the fashion industry, and chatting with the charismatic front row regular is always fascinating. And who better to ask about a memorable moment from his over two decades of going to New York Fashion Week than the inimitable Boardman? And, yes, we mean even better than the high priestess Herself. Boardman's career has spun a treasure trove of unforgettable moments, and the fashion veteran has become one of New York's most photographed faces, a published author in just about every major glossy, and still managed to find time to give back to the community through charities like Doctors Without Borders, his own Mr. Mickey's Sidewalk Sale, and Citta, a charity that builds schools. Below, he recants a trip to a Marc Jacobs show from the '90s, and if you close your eyes after reading, we promise it's as almost if you're there. "In my nearly 25 years of going to fashion shows I’ve had some pretty sublime moments. Every McQueen show when he was alive, many Chanel shows, lots of Isaac Mizrahi, and Todd Oldham shows, most Marc Jacobs shows, not to mention the Marc for Vuitton extravaganzas have been true exercises in magic and fantasy. Still, for a variety of reasons, one of Marc Jacobs' shows from the '90s always sticks in my mind as the most magical. "The music was 'Bittersweet Symphony' by The Verve, played on loop. The clothes weren’t very theatrical: sweaters, pleated skirts, flat shoes. The seats were all on one level, not on steps; so, being in row five, I had to stand up every now and again to see the full look. The casting was amazing. Kate Moss, Shalom [Harlow], and Amber [Valetta]. There was just something about the whole thing being perfectly in sync. You know how sometimes on TV shows they show a fashion show and you always think, 'That doesn’t look anything like a fashion show?' This was the opposite. It was totally fashion at an amazing moment in fashion. It was magical."
If you don't know who Mickey Boardman is, that's okay. The Paper editorial director is a fixture within the fashion industry, and chatting with the charismatic front row regular is always fascinating. And who better to ask about a memorable moment from his over two decades of going to New York Fashion Week than the inimitable Boardman? And, yes, we mean even better than the high priestess Herself. Boardman's career has spun a treasure trove of unforgettable moments, and the fashion veteran has become one of New York's most photographed faces, a published author in just about every major glossy, and still managed to find time to give back to the community through charities like Doctors Without Borders, his own Mr. Mickey's Sidewalk Sale, and Citta, a charity that builds schools. Below, he recants a trip to a Marc Jacobs show from the '90s, and if you close your eyes after reading, we promise it's as almost if you're there. "In my nearly 25 years of going to fashion shows I’ve had some pretty sublime moments. Every McQueen show when he was alive, many Chanel shows, lots of Isaac Mizrahi, and Todd Oldham shows, most Marc Jacobs shows, not to mention the Marc for Vuitton extravaganzas have been true exercises in magic and fantasy. Still, for a variety of reasons, one of Marc Jacobs' shows from the '90s always sticks in my mind as the most magical. "The music was 'Bittersweet Symphony' by The Verve, played on loop. The clothes weren’t very theatrical: sweaters, pleated skirts, flat shoes. The seats were all on one level, not on steps; so, being in row five, I had to stand up every now and again to see the full look. The casting was amazing. Kate Moss, Shalom [Harlow], and Amber [Valetta]. There was just something about the whole thing being perfectly in sync. You know how sometimes on TV shows they show a fashion show and you always think, 'That doesn’t look anything like a fashion show?' This was the opposite. It was totally fashion at an amazing moment in fashion. It was magical."