Can A No Phones Fashion Week Still Exist?

In an effort to spend less time on my phone this year, I got a second phone. My primary iPhone has one screen of utilitarian apps (Gmail, iMessage, maps, weather) while my second phone is home to all my mobile vices (social media, food delivery, shopping apps). Most of my day is spent with my good phone while my vice phone stays in a drawer.

Being offline is increasingly becoming the ultimate luxury even in industries dependent on digital world building. Earlier this year, Emily Dawn Long threw a no-phones fashion week party to much fanfare. A few seasons before that, The Row famously requested no phones at its Paris show, instead equipping attendees with Midori notepads and pencils.

For many attending fashion week, a phone is a non-negotiable to capture, post, and rewatch the new season’s collection. While many lament for a time before runways were observed with a sea of phones, I wondered if a no-phone fashion week was still possible. I headed into this season, knowing that a full detox wouldn’t be possible, but for 24 hours it was worth a try.

The idea of a no phones fashion week was intriguing to me because it introduces an additional element of friction to a week already fraught with excitement and anxieties. The biggest shift was the preparation required for replacing all the things my phone is used for.

To cover the basics, I needed a way to capture content (I opted for my Contax + 2 rolls of film) and a way to measure time (my Tag Heuer Carrera). Second, I had to find a way to get around (which required memorized directions and a credit card). On my way out, I grabbed a notepad for good measure.

7:30 PM MIU MIU CLUB: Equipped with my memory and notepad, I set out for my first stop of the night: Miu Miu Club. Immediately, I ran into my first problem: not being able to text my friends that I was running a few minutes late.

Luckily, I had been to the Miu Miu store a few months ago, so finding the party was no problem. Within my first five steps, I ran into Luis but couldn’t find my friend Vivian anywhere. As all fashion parties go, we got swept into conversations and new introductions, and before I knew it, I was already running late to dinner. I left Miu Miu in such a whirlwind that I had forgotten the location of my next stop. Panicked and with no idea where to go, I pulled up my phone (a digression!) for the first time in the night. My screen lit up to a few “where are you” texts, as I searched my inbox for the invite and found myself on Google Maps staring at a dizzying 40-minute commute back downtown. I sent an effusive apology, packed my phone back into my bag, and dashed towards the train.

8:16 PM CULTURED DINNER: Flushed from running the 4 blocks from the train, I arrived as the cocktails were flowing at dinner hosted by Gemma Chan, CULTURED and Bloomingdale’s. Luckily, I ran into Isiah right at the door, so I slipped right into end-of-summer conversations.

As the hosts shepherded us into the dining room, I ran into another snag: my film camera wouldn’t shoot. Panicked at the prospect of a night completely devoid of images, I toggled every button on my Contax until finally the film roll shuttered into place. Shooting on film requires patience, a steady head, and time. With none of those things on my side, I snapped a few pictures and prayed that they weren’t too blurry before finding my seat.

As all good dinner parties go, the night ended late with my table doing rounds of confessions and hot takes. While my phone stayed in my bag, I did regret not having more photos to share from the dinner.

10:30 AM DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY PREVIEW: After a late night, I woke up at 9 AM and flung myself out of bed to get ready for the Dolce&Gabbana Beauty preview. They were kind enough to offer an Uber code, and in a moment of weakness, I pulled out my phone to call a car. Not the best start to the day, but there was no time to fret, so I stashed away my essentials, and set out for the day.

Knowing I had a tight schedule, I made my rounds through the new perfumes and eye shadows and settled for the cold refreshments in the back. Rummaging through my bag I glanced at the time and realized I was already running late to my next show.

11:08 AM VETTESE SHOW: Luckily, I arrived at the Vettese show, held at 100Feast, while the banquet hall was still filling up. I could smell the dim sum wafting up from the first floor and realized I hadn’t eaten anything or had any coffee all day. I nervously fretted with my tiny notebook, and realized the friend I was supposed to meet at the show was nowhere to be found. I decided it was better to keep a friendship than to stick to my no-phones diet, so I pulled out my phone to send a quick check-in text.

This was the event I was most nervous for as runway shows are notoriously short, and I wasn’t sure how well movement would translate on camera. As the models slinked out, I alternated between focusing my camera and feverishly jotting down show notes. While I didn’t have my phone to distract me, the compulsion to capture every moment was still alive and well. If anything, it made me more anxious not knowing if I had anything salvageable from either my brain or my film roll.

I left the Vettese show in a daze and treated myself to a final Uber home, ready to digest (and recover) from my 24 hours without a phone. For a day of fashion week, having 3 slips (and mostly due to logistics) was not terrible all things considered. Perhaps the worst part of the experience was being unreachable during a week where everything hinges on the right timing and flexibility. It didn't fully dawn on me until I was in it how much not having a phone would inconvenience everyone else. This meant annoying the friends I was meeting up with, bothering strangers for the time, and begging my local film labs for rush processing.

Truthfully, I’m not sure being without my phone inherently made me more present. Fashion week is ephemeral: you only have a split second between seeing something that catches your attention and reacting. The modern instinct to seeing something beautiful is to capture it. If anything, it made me more anxious not knowing if I was upholding my end of the unspoken agreement in being invited to these events. 

The thing with “offline as the new luxury” is that not everyone can afford it – as someone whose online identity is tied to my phone, I wasn’t sure if being off my phone was something I could spare. I left multiple events feeling guilty that I had nothing to show (at least immediately) after being graciously hosted.

While a fashion week sans phone may not be in my future, I still yearn for a life where I can be completely untethered. Earlier in the week, I walked by Lynn Yaeger at the Coach show, a tiny notebook and pen in her lap, and not a phone in sight. In an industry built on capturing everything on a screen, the ultimate luxury is being able to see it with both eyes.