I fell ill and missed Milan Fashion Week
So what?
It’s so ironic. I had diligently packed my suitcase on Tuesday night and I was meant to fly to Milan on Wednesday afternoon. Ironically, I was actually scheduled to fly out Tuesday evening to arrive in time for the Fendi show but I had to change my flight because an investor wanted to see me Wednesday at 10 am - you’ll soon figure out that money and strategy come before any kind of “fun”.
That Tuesday night, I got in the zone. I prepped for my investor meeting and I had an incredibly nice early night. I was good.
I woke Wednesday morning with the absolute impossibility to move my head. Not forward, backwards, nor left, or right. I felt trapped in my own skin, and panicked at the idea of messing up my investor meeting, missing my flight to Milan, the Gucci show and so on.
I put on a brave face whilst screaming in agony every time I moved.
I went to my meeting and pretended like I had pulled a neck muscle during my pilates lesson because let’s face it, no one wants to invest in a crippled human being.
The meeting (successfully) over, I crawled back home in tears and had a 20 minute layover before leaving to the airport - with a million dollar question: do I go to Milan or not?
My inner voice was saying : « what for ? »
And that’s the million dollar answer : what for ?
To be surrounded by people who make me feel insecure ?
To be surrounded by French journalists who spend more time judging you and talking about you rather than actually looking at the clothes ?
To bike around like a headless chicken around appointments instead of working with my team to grow the business ?
To be seen at the right show and be able to post about it on Instagram ?
To try and catch a show when you’re badly seated and can’t actually see the shoes?
Wait, and all of that without being able to move my neck ?
Nope. I don’t think so. Pass. A big, hard, pass.
I saw 3 different osteopaths, took a pair of Birkenstocks, Lululemon leggings and my Loulou Studio cashmere hoodie and I ran to take refuge in the countryside. I also escaped to a place where I could deal with the pain, work through it.
I watched every single show live on Instagram and I have to say, I really got to see the whole shows, with the music, the close ups, the models, the make up. It was good!
I saw Prada and Gucci up close. On that note, Gucci is growing on me. And Prada grew on me the second the look 1st came out.
I also thought Bottega Veneta was beautiful but looked like a winter collection.
Anyway, point is, I saw all of it.
But now the thing is that I’m actually debating if it’s worth going to Milan, London or New York fashion weeks at all?
I mean.. Tagwalk is a 7 figure company where we delve into the most fascinating B2B data, and it’s not because we’re « cool » - it’s because Tagwalk is a bloody good website that delivers results over and over on what the industry should be looking at.
I’m writing this on my train back to Paris, where my schedule for next week looks a little like hell:
Shows back to back, meetings with clients, team meetings, friends to keep up with before they banish me from their lives and so on.
For example, Hermès has their show next Saturday at 14.30 pm, but I had already accepted a lunch with a dear dear friend of mine and his daughter, both of whom I haven’t seen in a long time. What is my priority? It would have been the Hermès show a year ago, now it’s not anymore. Had it been at 15.30 pm, I would have gone. But I’m not pressing my friend and his cooking skills just so I can be packed like a sardine to watch a (beautiful) show. And they’ll survive without me, I’m sure of it!
I’m getting old, (34 to be precise) and only recently have I stopped getting this fomo of not being part of something (What a relief!) I saw this great sentence on Instagram and the principle is ‘Let Them’. Let them not invite you, Let Them not like you, Let Them exclude you. Just Let Them. No energy and time should be consumed on things like that.
What I do have is a passion for meeting people, designers, concepts and so on. It brings me so much energy to have one on one conversations - so maybe my fashion weeks should just be about doing what I love, and forgetting what people expect me to do.
What for?
My happy conscience.
ps: I’ve just recorded a podcast, it’s here if you want to listen to it!