Inside Kim Cattrall’s First Paris Fashion Week (Yes, Really!)
Can you believe Kim Cattrall marked her first Paris Fashion Week this season? Despite being a bonafide red carpet star, and playing extremely glamorous characters on screen—Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones and Glamorous’s Madelyn Addison come to mind—the actor traveled to the City of Light to attend her very first French fashion show yesterday, taking in Balmain’s spring 2024 collection. “I’ve been invited in the past but I’ve always been unavailable, so to be invited by Olivier [Rousteing, Balmain’s creative director] was incredibly special to me,” Cattrall tells Vogue. “I’m such a big fan of the house.”
Of course, it was not the star’s first time in Paris. “I love the history of it,” says Cattrall. “I’m a history buff, so the whole evolution of literature, fashion, and art [here] really draws me to it.” The city also holds sentimental value to the star: She began her career there, with her first starting role in 1975’s Rosebud. “I was 17, and it’s how I met my friend Isabelle Huppert,” says Cattrall. “I felt so welcomed by everyone in the cast and crew, and whenever I’ve worked here since, it’s always been the same.” Still, being new to the Paris Fashion Week circuit, the star says the starry Balmain show was everything she hoped it would be. “It was the most incredible people-watching. As a known actor, you often don’t get a chance to observe others, but there were so many wonderful faces and people wearing incredibly creative things,” she says. “It was also my partner Russ’s first fashion show!”
The duo certainly picked a big show to start with. As Cattrall took in Rousteing’s new assortment of sharp suits and structured dresses, she was drawn to the sprightly collection’s prints and hues. “I loved the color of it, and the Van Gogh flowers,” she says. “It was psychedelic, but there was also femininity and beauty in it.” From her front row seat, Cattrall also served up her own statement look. She wore a custom Balmain skirt-suit in black leather (it was very Samantha Jones). “Olivier sent a sketch to me, and I thought it was fantastic,” says Cattrall. “The style and the shoulders spoke to the strength of a woman, but also the sexiness. He’s not frightened of that, and that’s what I love about him; It’s something we both have in common.”
She loved the look the minute she slipped it on—it only took one fitting. “It fit like a glove and we just did a tiny little bit of a tuck,” says Cattrall. “Russ’s fitting took longer than mine did.”
While playing dress up for the front row was a fun experience for Cattrall, she admits her day-to-day style looks a little bit different. Compared to her power skirt-suit moment at Balmain, the actor’s fall wardrobe includes easier dresses and skirts. “I love skirts—long, medium, maxis,” she says. Cattrall has also been enjoying experimenting with pieces from up-and-coming designers. “In New York, Pat Field has introduced me to a lot of new designers, and I’ve been wearing them,” she says. “Some of them don’t even have reps other than showing in Pat’s fashion and art studio downtown—I love to support the younger generation that’s coming up. They have some really wonderful ideas.” One such investment she recently made? “I bought a pair of pants from Pat’s the other day—they’re covered in flowers and eyes and all kinds of things,” she laughs. “I brought them home and I was like, wow. They just spoke to me!”
