Another bittersweet milestone in the last season of Fashion Week at Bryant Park was the final presentation of “The House of Paul,” a long-running "fashion show" put on by the backstage tech crew on W. 39th St.
These rarely seen teams behind the scenes are the unsung heroes of Fashion Week—the gents and ladies integral to making it all happen. It's only fitting they should have a lighthearted celebration of their Fashion Week triumphs.
Once a season the crew boss Paul (who does not like to share his last name) chooses a theme, and his team designs clothing from the materials at hand, which usually means lots of duct tape and cardboard. Although the presentation is viewable by anyone passing on the street, its existence is almost completely unknown by the fancy editors and celebrities attending the real Fashion Week just a block to the north.
This season had a cheeky pirate theme. About two dozen crew members came out in homemade designs, waving cutlasses and generally underdressed for the 30 degree weather and snow. The future of the House of Paul at Fashion Week’s new location, Lincoln Center, is uncertain. But no label ever had quite the send-off that this one did today.
