Watches in the Wild: Paris

Editors’ Picks

Welcome to Watches in the Wild: Paris. I spent some time during men’s fashion week meeting up with friends (old and new), attending shows, visiting museums, and exploring vintage watch shops – all in the name of research (!) and to cement my theory of course: fashion and watches can, and do, intersect.

Paris has played a huge role in my life as a stylist and editor. It's been the backdrop to countless trips for photo shoots, fashion shows, and market appointments. I've lived and studied there, I've made lifelong friends with whom I've eaten countless meals at a countless number of brasseries. I've shopped at Colette (RIP), spotted John Galliano wandering through the Marais with his dogs, consumed red wine out of plastic cups along the banks of the Seine and the Canal Saint Martin, and smoked cigarettes outside (and inside) of nightclubs.

Scenic image of Gare de l'Est in Paris, France

Scenic image of a narrow street in Paris, France

A videographer shoots video of Malaika speaking to a man on the street. Malaika and the man are blurred and in the background while the videographer is in focus in the foreground

It might sound obvious, but Paris (among other cities like Milan, of course) is the epicenter of the fashion industry. It doesn't exactly fall under the traditional definition of "wild," but it's the perfect place for me to explore the intersection of fashion and watches. It's a place where I feel a genuine sense of community and belonging – a hub where professionals from every corner of the industry come together to view the shows, buy merchandise for the next season, and analyze and dissect new ideas for the coming months of editorial coverage. But, above all, it's about colliding and converging and keeping that sense of industry and community going.

Close up of a Cartier Crash (Paris Edition)

Cartier Baignoire with multi-colored jewels and a red leather strap

Today, fashion is a global industry. We can see next season's collections and show notes mere moments after the models have walked the runway. But being in Paris in person for the shows is about the buzz, the human connection and the real life encounters.

I felt a sense of pride meeting so many people who have a true appreciation for both watches and fashion. Being on the ground helped me to draw parallels that I wouldn't have otherwise considered – the use of black as a symbol of extreme modernity, and the similarities between Yves Saint Laurent and Gérald Genta, for example.

Wide shot of a variety of black and white clothing on mannequins on display

Both industries thrive on the consumer appetite for design, and appreciation of the work that goes into it. I hope me being here can shed at least some light on the way in which fashion and watches – and their respective creative communities – can co-exist and even inspire and elevate one another.