Naked Ambition

Who really cares about what socialites flew across the pond to make it to Valentino? Let's talk about the two naked PETA protestors who were taken down mid-thigh! One of course was taken down ever so gently (NOT!) right on top of Glamour editor in chief Cindi Leive. With her prim white ruffled blouse and black pencil skirted outfit I wasn't sure if she was going to leave her front row seat and head to the hills...or at the very least the top of the stairs and out the exit of the Carrousel du Louvre! After the ruckus and everyone probably missing about the next ten looks, ANOTHER PROTESTOR jumped up STARK NAKED about to descend onto the runway when she was nabbed by an audience member, and further detained by the "gardes." Oh la la!!! It was a lot of excitement in three minutes time so early in the day! We were all waiting for the final THIRD attempt and almost half hoping she would actually make her way onto the actual runway. In the years I've covered fashion shows I don't remember naked protestors. These protestors were completely nude, with writing on their bodies in addition to their white banners condemning fur. Only in France, oui?

But the excitement...and naked theme didn't end there. While the Valentino show continued on without a hitch, there was much more to follow...at the Dries Van Noten show.

Walking into Dries there was a divided runway with a "scrim" running the length of the space. On one side sat the spectators: editors, retailers and the like. What we all faced in the bleacher-like seating was ostensibly "the backstage." All the models, dressers, hair and makeup, etc. were all in front of us slightly masked by the scrim (a mesh screen) so we were all voyeurs into the whole backstage process of a show about to begin. It was again theatre at its best. When the show started we watched as every model stood in line for their turn to walk down the length of the runway only to turn and be on the other side of the scrim and walk back towards their station where they would be changed into their next exit. Yes. You guessed it. Barely legal-aged models stripping down to their skivvies for all of us to see as they were put into new clothes. And I don't care what people say about body mass index. It's all crap I tell you! These girls WERE scrawny! Bones sticking out for all of us to witness. Thighs that are the size of most people's upper arms. Skeletal backs and sunken in chests. And the lack of privacy for all of us to watch.

Then at Christian Lacroix, with the wide cobalt carpet runway and blue backdrop, the models came out in embellished black coats and dresses with fur trims here and there and......BAM! A NAKED PETA PROTESTOR ON THE RUNWAY! At last, success for our PETA people. Don't they always say third time's the charm?

With V&R giving us a show where no one watched the clothes because of dangerously insensitive rigging of the models...

AND Valentino being upstaged by not one, but TWO naked PETA protestors who made it hard to concentrate on the clothes for the rest of the show...

AND Dries staging a show where the clothes seemed like a backdrop to the actual show that was going on "behind the screen" therefore forcing most of us to not pay attention to the intended show (or was the fact that the clothes were not so glorious as usual on purpose so that we WOULD pay more heed to the voyeuristic element and that in fact, THAT WAS THE SHOW?)...

TO finally at Lacroix a naked PETA protestor made it on stage to be snapped by photographers all across the world at a show where you could say that in terms of the clothing LESS could have been MORE (as the PETA protestor was duly dressed?).....

I just hope that the PETA people remember that our girl Stella doesn't use animal products and that they don't make a scene at her show in the morning. Then again, look what they did at Miuccia's show in Milan. Damn fools! But nicely toned.