Last week’s Brandon Maxwell fashion show was an exciting, inspiring, whirlwind experience. I’ve already talked about the gorgeous black dress I had the opportunity to wear in my last post. Now I’ll share what it was like to attend his Spring Summer 2024 show with my pal Berit Francis. This year’s show was exclusive and special. We felt very lucky to be able to attend.
The two main things I came away with from the experience are 1) a runway show is the one of the few places a designer can present their creative vision exactly as they want and 2) this is serious business, people. But let’s start with the crowd.
The people watching was A+. There were definitely celebrities there, but hard to distinguish, because everybody looked so glam. I wouldn’t know the TikTok influencers, but I definitely recognized Camila Alves McConaughey, model and wife of actor Mathew McConaughey. She looked gorgeous with flowing hair and a chic tan Brandon Maxwell suit. But plenty of other women dazzled with star quality—was the stunning redhead the actress Julianne Moore? And who was the mysterious blonde in sunglasses? It all went by so quickly, I couldn’t be sure. Help me out if you recognize them below.
In our designer duds, Berit and I felt like we kinda belonged with the stylish crowd—and were excited to be interviewed by this lovely New York Fashion Week street reporter, Hannah La Rae.
Alas, my cool was blown when Hannah asked about the details of my outfit. “It’s Brandon Maxwell!” I said proudly. “And your bag?” she asked. Ummm. Suddenly, I couldn’t remember the brand of the studded bag I’d purchased the day before. “Come back to me,” I mumbled. “It’s Zadig & Voltaire,” Berit supplied sweetly. I don’t think you’ll be seeing my botched interview anywhere on the internet, but it was fun to be asked.
Plenty of women our age were there. The models are very young, but the show itself was a grown-up event. We spied the eminent Fern Mallis, a longtime fashion and design consultant and the actual founder of New York Fashion Week (who Berit had the opportunity to chat with last year) and Linda Fargo, the fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman. Other than a few friends and important customers, the attendees were all in the fashion business—buyers, influencers, press. We sat next to a very interesting sixty-ish woman who was the buyer for an upscale boutique in Nashville and had a good chat. The milling about and chatting with your seat mates is a big part of a fashion show and I loved it. The time to enter and wait for the show to begin lasts much longer than the show itself, so you might as well mingle!
Here’s me, vamping down the alley before the show. We later realized Fern Mallis was in the shot!
This year’s Brandon Maxwell show was unique. It felt private and exclusive from the start. The venue, an art gallery converted into a minimalist dreamy white haze, was compact. And the crowd was small, maybe only 100 people. We were excited to have front row seats, then realized there was only one row. The invitations were very specific about no photography being allowed, including professional photographers. We learned the models and designs had been photographed at a separate run-through conducted earlier that morning. We took some selfies and crowd shots, but put our phones away as the show began. What a concept, observing a creative event with only our senses, completely undistracted! Obviously, this was the designer’s intention, that the show be experienced in an authentic, in-the-moment way.
The fashion was spectacular. I couldn’t take my own photos, so I’m sharing some images from Brandon Maxwell’s Instagram account. I loved the airy, elegant draped designs—the models seemed to float down the runway.
I was happy to see many pieces that would be appropriate for women our age. “Everyone is going to want that one,” I whispered to my new buyer friend of a gorgeous frayed hem black dress.
The serene, dreamlike procession of models was over in ten minutes, but left a lasting impression. I will only wear my jeans with a train from now on. These are some of my favorite looks:
The vibe after the show was buzzy and busy. Professionals working at fashion week may see 6-8 shows a day, which is exhausting. Brandon Maxwell and his team had only a couple hours to celebrate their successful production and then had get back to work setting up their showroom for the buyers who would come to inspect the designs up close over the next few days. But Berit and I took our time leaving, congratulating a gracious Brandon, checking in with Berit’s daughter Crosbie who had worked backstage, and soaking up the atmosphere. A very special experience!
Here’s a fun “reel” (short video) I created on Instagram that sums up our experience.
I hope this provides a good behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to attend a show at New York Fashion Week! Thank you Berit! Thank you Brandon and team!
And now, back to my sweatpants.
Fully Fabulous 
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