Are the Men Okay?

Fashion People - Audacy | Puck

This episode explores Men's Fashion Week in Paris, focusing on heat challenges, cultural attitudes toward clothing, and shifts in fashion’s social dynamics. Mark Bogey of Lettiquette shares insights on comfort, sustainab

Key takeaways

• Heat made traditional attire impractical

Transcript preview

Hello and welcome to fashion people I'm Lauren Sherman writer of Puck's fashion and beauty memo line sheet and today with me on the show is Mark Bogey editor-in-chief of Lettiquette. We're talking Men's Fashion Week in Paris and plenty more. Happy Tuesday everyone hope you had a great weekend. This week on line sheet I've got an inside look at the biz of LeMere and also a look at the biz of le mare and also a look at the gray market for couture tickets. I don't even know if you consider it a gray market. I don't know. I'm just starting this investigation. I may never finish it because who really cares? But I guess people care. Anyway, Malik has a skims, diaspora scoop, and there's a lot more going on. You got to read line sheet to find out. I would say more, but this episode is long. So let's get going with Mark. Stay cool out there wherever you are. Boge, welcome to fashion people. Thank you, Lauren. I'm happy to see you. Yeah, same. Thanks a lot for having me on board. It's going to be fun. How was your week last week? It was busy, as you know, it was obviously fashion week, so it was busy, it was intense, it was hot, more importantly, very hot. I don't think we have ever experienced, the Stomperaches in France. So it was sweaty, difficult to dress in that weather. to do. Can I wear shorts to get to shows? That kind of important questions. It was difficult. It was difficult. The shorts thing did come up several times during the week, which it would not have been as much of an issue at the women shows because women can just wear dresses. I guess men can too, but it doesn't happen as much. What did you decide? Were you pro short for the shows? Did you wear shorts at night? How did you manage it? I'm usually more dressed in a classic way, a classic and elegant I up wear. But the Stompera shoes were so hard that I opted for wearing shorts a few times in the week. Shorts can be nice and elegant. There needs to be quite short. I prefer shorts with long sleeve tops, so shirts or long t-shirts rather than shorts and short sleeves. The thing that I find difficulties is difficult is, is, is When you're standing shorts are great. I mean it's good looking. It's nice The difficult thing with shorts is when you sit down for the leg takes small place the tie gets bigger on the seat and maybe you get some marks on the behind of the leg when you stand up so it's tricky to do shorts well, but I tried it and I saw a few people doing it very well But yeah, shorts were tolerated last week in Paris for shows. I don't think anyone had a choice. I mean one thing a friend of mine from New York who definitely wears a lot of shorts messaged me and said I don't understand how can it be worse than it is when it's hot here because New York is extremely humid. Yes. So when it is hot like it was last week in Paris it's also humid and it is a different sort of hell. Like I would say being outside in Paris last week, and I would say being outside in Paris last I did come to New York for something so I was only there until Thursday but being there at the peak heat being outside is more comfortable than New York but the difference and I explained to him is that very few places have air conditioning and the places that do do not have real air conditioning in the American sense. It doesn't work. Can you briefly explain why there is not a lot of air conditioning in France? that it used to not get this hot. Yeah, it's I think we have in Europe less air conditioning than any country. While we're supposed to be one of the living countries in terms of economic development etc. So I think there is there are structural explanations to it. Most of the buildings in the big cities are very old. We're not equipped right away obviously with air conditioning. It takes money, it takes money, it takes money, it takes money, it. people to agree altogether in the building to have it made. So I think about 15 persons only of the apartments in Paris have got air conditioning. So that's the historical cultural explanation, but it has gone to the point where the air conditioning think has become almost of a political debate. On the left wing you have got people saying that air conditioning. the right wing thing if there's something for rich people because technically when you get air conditioning in one apartment in a whole building the guy pays for it and is the only one in the apartment in the building to have it then it creates more warmth for the rest of the building you see people around him that don't have air conditioning are in the worst condition than before the guy at it. So it's it's. a debate subject, it's something. The right wing thing we should have it everywhere, the left wing says it doesn't solve the problems. We can have it maybe in the hospitals, the schools, etc. But if we have it in individual buildings, people will forget the situation we are in at the war, means we are in a bad situation, which is to change the way we live. So it's a very difficult topic. I myself, but fans, it doesn't work, but by fans it's to, it just you know mixes out air into out air so it doesn't work. Yeah, so it's supposed to get even worse in a week in Paris and from the week starting of the 6th of July. I don't know if you are coming back. Yeah, it will last longer. I am. I am. I am. 45 degrees. Yeah 45. Oh my God. We will go from wearing sneakers in public maybe at that point. I'm getting an air conditioner. Yeah. We resisted and we rented a hotel room for three nights at a very bad hotel that smelled bad. But was fresh. And we actually switched off my husband and I like one night I stayed there. because we were like it's gonna be too hot in this room for three people but like it's just the moment another person is in the room it gets way worse but I cannot do it again what I this is the thing I will say this is the most for sure this is the most political that fashion people ever will get exactly exactly and then also I had a funny experience that was a sort of precursor to this we got there in March in a temporary place March 3rd July and in April it was quite cold still at night and my son we were making him like makeshift heating hot water bottles for his bed because the heater wasn't on and my husband texted the landlord and said hey is it possible to turn the heater back on we don't know how and the radiators and it's really cold at night you know we're coming from California where it's very temperate and she said oh no the building voted to shut the heat off for the year. Welcome to France Lauren. That kind of things get decided by everyone so. Thank you for the preview I am supposed to be there for Qatar that's supposed to be our last week there before we go away for the summer so I think we will buy an air conditioner too. I am supposed to be there for Qatar that's supposed to be our last week there before we go away for the summer so I think we will buy an air condition so I think we will buy an air conditioner to and keep them in our in our storage unit for for but you know it's it's interesting I lived in the UK 20 years ago and now going there you pretty much in in people's houses they still don't always have them but like schools and things and the only the metro still is the metro in Paris some of them are air conditioned not in 25 thousand of the metro line of it the nine I think sometimes just a strange situation where I said to my husband I was like why didn't we just buy them like why didn't we do it and he's like I don't know I thought it wasn't gonna be that bad and I think that happens to a lot of people that you just don't you think it's gonna be okay with shutting because there's these metal shutters on the windows so it's if you keep them down all day and then you have a fan and you open the window for a couple hours at night it's okay it's okay but then once you have like two people in a room it's just um anyway we could talk about this forever. A friend of mine said and I want to talk about Let to get a bit and and how you got there because we talk about it quite a bit in line sheet and also on the podcast so we'd love to hear more about that but really quickly on the men's shows last from maybe we'll do the men shows and then we can talk more about let to get and how you got to be to be there because it's interesting. But I had dinner with a friend on Thursday night who's like very in the menswear world, but he lives in a different place and he sees all his menswear friends at the fashion shows in Paris in particular and he said, you know, everybody was kind of miserable and stressed and seemed, he said, do you think the scene is sort of over? And I said, well, I think a lot of of it is the heat and that was part of it but I'm curious I haven't cover I don't cover men's where super super closely but I've dipped in and out of the men's where it shows over the years and I've always enjoyed them because it does feel like everybody's friends and part of it is very social whereas women's is people are friends but it's not like no one's going there for fun. Whereas there are a lot of people who I think come in for the men's shows in Paris in particular to hang out and see people and do meetings but it's like a fun a fun time but I think that going to Milan and Paris this season the sort of fallout of wholesale globally and the fact that there just aren't as many stores for people to sell to I feel like that's really starting to affect the men's wear market and there are there's still a lot of brands but there may be fewer and how they sell is more narrow and it did feel like a bit of a change to me in terms of like what are these shows for and it felt to me it was much more about the social element and less about about the shows themselves there are a couple of exceptions but I'm curious what you think. I thought Milan to start with it started in Milan was was very quiet for very few shows you would have two to three a day's max. and Prada was impressive and we'll probably talk about it. But apart from that, nothing striking, nothing able to open a conversation. I mean, it's nice, it's not nice, you like it or you don't like it, but nothing that makes you wonder what fashion is about or what time do we live in, or nothing that tells you something about the world. I think obviously it's played a huge part in the way people in. and people look miserable or not. But it's, I mean, the looking miserable is part of the charm of working in fashion. You cannot show that you enjoy it truly, otherwise you are not cool enough. But it's, I mean, it has been like that forever, basically. But yeah, I felt it a bit this season. And going on to Paris. I mean for a personal point of view I don't do every one of them so I do the big ones I think maybe strangely I mean the shows can be good or bad but I get frustrated by it as you don't properly see clothes you don't properly see the fabric you know I love Rises I think Rises can be much more interesting in a way is that shows or at least complementary I mean you need to see both of them to understand the collection. That's what I thought when I saw Prada, Joe also, you need to get to touch the clothes to get a proper idea of what is going on. And so I love the reasons. I also find that presentations or showrooms or smaller brands, and people places where we can talk, where we can not just see. and take a few pictures of on our fun but close talk to the designers much more you know fulfilling and pleasing than the big ones where everyone is in a hurry you get you to sit down you don't talk much and you rush out of it I mean it's probably has been going out like that forever but it's a big circus you you use the car is waiting for you and you have got to write something maybe everyone does one thing where you text you do you take one picture and then you put it in a story with the name of the brand what it's why does it to show that you were there it's a sign on to you your editor-in-chief or to the author journalist I don't know if everybody does that kind of think where it just you are there because you have to be there but you don't really say anything about the shows. So yeah I do enjoy it but I do enjoy sometimes keeping shows I mean was supposed to go to Sakai, but I mean after Selina just went home sometimes it's good to just not go and you can watch it and then obviously the social and look at the images but yeah it's not the most friendly of places of course. It's funny because to me the men's are so relaxed and friendly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's so different from women's because women's is like really tight. and oh yeah I mean I think my week was cut short because I had to do this trip to New York and so and I didn't on Thursday I was in dealing with shit all day so I missed I basically the last show I went to was Dior I think I went to Dior and then I went to Marrowge and then was there anything on Wednesday afternoon that because I wasn't going to go to that money anyway but I like Rick I was going to go to Rick and Dries and Icy on Thursday. Like I missed everything sadly but I think when I have done men's before and in Milan obviously I only did four shows. The thing to me that's different is like everyone at the men shows are friends or they there are clicks of guys that doesn't exist in the women's shows. I mean there is a click of guys. you have got Jacob, Samuel, Aine, Mathieu from Lezéco, I from times two times. I mean so I would have... And they're just like loving each other up constantly, yes. Indeed, indeed. That does not exist in limits. You don't have it? No, I mean it's like you have your friends, but I think... I don't know this might... That does not exist in limits. No, I mean it's like you have your friends. kids quite a bit with the women's that does not exist in the men's to be honest. Like it just isn't it isn't the narrative of like whereas everyone's kind of like, uh, uh, and there's just more, I don't know, Jacob and I have talked about it because he's covered the women's quite a bit now that he works at the times and he feels the difference. Like everybody's just really, really tense and also the magazines and also the magazines. there are way more people who come. So like you're kind of with your people who are from your magazine. I'm not like that because I no matter where I've worked I've sort of been like on my own. Even at BOF like I was kind of with them but I would get seated with the Americans a lot. So I would I tended the way I became friends with Becky Malinsky and Jacob to an extent was because like I was seated with the Wall Street Journal a lot and we would go around together a lot. It's definitely a lot more camaraderie and a lot more like oh my God let's have fun together this is so fun We do we give each other eggs. It's true a lot of hugs a lot of hugs That does not happen in the way I mean it's very friendly. It's almost like a football team in a way Yeah, there is a camaraderie. It's true. It's true. A small clicks? Yeah. We do love this History That Doesn't Suck is a legit hard-hitting American history podcast told through entertaining stories. As we approach America's 250th anniversary, now might be the time to go back and learn how we got here. With more than 200 episodes, you can binge your way, decade by decade, defining event to defining event from the founding into the 20th century. Join me, Professor Greg Jackson for History That Doesn't Suck, an Odyssey podcast, available on Apple podcast, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, or Spotify or Spotify, or Spotify, or Spotify, or Spotify you get your podcasts. So what did you see? I was sad to Miss Sakai because those Birkenstocks looked amazing and I want that. I was like oh those are the sandals I needed this summer. They were really good and it's like one of those. It was an example of a shoe that is twisted or whatever on a classic that it actually felt intent like useful, not even useful. but it looked right. Like sometimes