Zoolander at Valentino: PR Coup or Distraction?

PARIS, France — As I was rushing out of the Tuileries tents after the Valentino show, I overheard the the usually demure and reserved Sarah Lerfel of Colette excitedly recounting the story of the surprise appearance of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson at the conclusion of the Valentino show to a companion on the phone. She turned to me, asking: "Do you know why they were there? You should know!"

Ms. Lerfel was not alone in her excitement and curiosity. The Zoolander moment delighted the usually unflappable, jaded fashion crowd with a perfectly executed surprise appearance that has travelled far and wide, and become the most talked about moment during fashion week, inside and outside of fashion, online and off. Our Instagram video from the show alone received more than 300,000 views on Facebook in less than 48 hours. Multiply that by hundreds of participants sharing it online, add to the mix carefully staged content featuring Anna Wintour, a French Vine star and Snapchat, and you have a recipe for viral success.

For years, fashion has leveraged Hollywood films, events and celebrities to create brand buzz. But this time the tables were completely turned, and it was Hollywood's turn to co-opt the fashion runway to promote a movie. While it undoubtedly provided some comic relief in an otherwise sombre fashion season, and planted the upcoming Zoolander sequel into the global conversation online, it did make me wonder about how the Valentino brand did — or did not — benefit from the buzz.

On the one hand, I had friends from outside fashion who excitedly wrote to me asking whether I had been there for the Zoolander moment, excited that I was able to be a part of it. Some of them seemed to know it happened at Valentino, others cared only about Ben Stiller and Zoolander — not the show surrounding them. The moment could have just as easily happened on any other runway, in any other city, at any other fashion week. That it took place at Valentino because the upcoming movie is set in Rome, where Valentino is based, seemed to be lost on most people watching from afar. So while there's no doubt the stunt got people talking, they weren't really talking about the Valentino brand or its collection — and that goes for fashion people too.

It's nice to see the fashion industry not taking itself so seriously, but I leave you with one question to ponder. What does it say about the state of fashion today, that the only moment that brought the fashion flock to their feet this season was a clever PR stunt to promote a movie that will no doubt make a farce of the fashion industry? Maybe the joke is on us.

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