PARIS–In the car on the way past the Luxembourg gardens towards the Pantheon near where Kanye West held his debut womenswear collection on the fourth floor of the Lycée Henri IV, I thought about all those times that I had gone to the Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons show where clearly entertainment and not fashion was the main attraction. It was the era when bling triumphed over substance. Somehow I was hoping that this would not be the case for Kanye West. In fact, I was ardently hoping this would not be the case. Yet, I know that fashion is a roll of dice and in many cases one does not get double sixes, once or ever.

I remembered back in May 2007 when we shot Mr. West for Flaunt’s September 2007 fashion issue, he told me of his interest in someday doing a fashion line. Over the years, at the shows in Paris and New York, he has been a constant presence, sometimes an unwelcome one. But attending these shows was like being enrolled in fashion school. Seeing how other designers present their collections is like learning on the job. At the very least, one cannot fault his commitment and his enthusiasm for fashion which lead to last night’s show.

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