The most exciting part of watching real Fashion Weeks unfold online prior to the pandemic was the digital scavenger hunt of putting together the various perspectives of a show from the people who were there: a more 360-degree picture compiled from critics’ reviews, influencers’ social media posts, young journalists’ Twitter feeds, photographer’s backstage and street-style images, and snaps from models, stylists, hair and makeup artists—plus everything you hear in the back of a taxi (or in a group chat) between shows with friends, colleagues, and strangers. Having all these voices together, sharing their own views of a live event, made Fashion Week interesting. Zoom may be the big hit of lockdown, but it quickly became clear to me that it’s a poor substitute for a real-life studio visit. The fuzzy display is fairly useless for showcasing detail. As I sat through a month’s worth of video previews, I had to marvel at how designers managed to build their collections virtually this season.
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