There was a lot working against Vogue’s street-style photographer, Phil Oh, this season, from the coronavirus outbreak (which resulted in fewer people attending the shows) to the torrential rain in Paris. You’d never know things were so gloomy by the looks of his photos, though. Even in a downpour, he managed to get smiles and laughs from his subjects, and in spite of the quarantines and city shut-downs, his slideshows are filled with the lively, energetic photos we’ve come to expect from him. Chalk it up to Oh’s intrepid spirit and curiosity; he’s always looking for the next new face or unpredictable run-in on the street.
So after nearly a full month on the ground, asking him to choose his favorites of the season is no small task, especially because his picks rarely have to do with the clothes. He looks for odd or uncanny moments, and while you’ll see a few familiar faces here—A$AP Rocky, Michelle Elie, Kourtney Kardashian—he’s usually more fascinated by the people we can’t identify or rarely see, like Eva Losada or Patrick Mason. Oh’s shot of Mason outside the Maison Margiela show—shirtless and wearing a leather balaclava—became one of the season’s more arresting images. “I think Margiela does it best [with their guest list], because they invite people who make sense for the brand. It isn’t just about how many followers they have on Instagram,” Oh explains. “I like to see the LVMH Prize finalists, too, since they’re usually showing for the first time and invite their friends. That’s how I found out about Marine Serre.”
You’ll notice a lot of models made his list, too, including Maggie Maurer, Theresa Hayes, and Nicole Atieno. “Models are so much more stylish than they used to be,” Oh says. “You can tell there are a few girls who really enjoy it. I think Nicole was my favorite of the whole month—she dresses really well.”
Here, Oh is sharing 40 of his very favorite photos; scroll through them all, then revisit his snaps from the whole season (and stay tuned for his coverage of the Spring 2021 menswear shows later this year).
