At La Watch Party, It’s a Chanel Show for the Fashion People

This September marked, for those who follow fashion, something of a once-in-a-lifetime, universe-realigning season: several of Europe’s major design houses, including Dior, Balenciaga, Gucci, and Chanel, all had new creative directors. Medini, who gained a following for his humorous and blunt fashion criticism, was as excited as anyone to see the style shift unfold. So for Jonathan Anderson’s Dior show, he decided to host a party at a bar in Paris, inviting anyone and everyone to come watch it with him, just as if it were a championship sports game. Because for the fashion fans…it was.

Almost 300 people showed up. “I realized that, Oh—those people need a community,” Medini told Vanity Fair. “They need to leave social media for once and meet in real life and share that passion together.” Just like that, La Watch Party was born.

And on Tuesday, December 2, it went stateside. While celebrities, glossy-magazine editors, and various Chanel VICs who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars with the brand each year wore high heels and full makeup to see the show at a Bowery subway station, those who likely actually use public transportation stood in the grungy Chelsea concert hall. They cheered when Alex Consani appeared onscreen, strutting down the subway platform turned runway in a pinstripe suit and a fedora, and when Anok Yai, fresh off winning model of the year at the Fashion Awards, sashayed in a voluminous skirt. A pair of red leather boots got an “oooh.”