Fashion Journalist Covering Paris, France

Fashion journalist Sabine Holland shared her exciting career with FIDM students. "You have to live it to be good at writing about it!"
-Sabine Holland

Imagine the thrill of covering couture fashion shows every season by designers like Alexander McQueen and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Envision living and working right at the heart of fashion's pulse--Paris--and having the whole of Europe as your research territory and playground. Sabine Holland truly lives the fashion journalist's dream everyday in her exciting career. Her work is regularly published in an impressive list of major European publications. She writes for Textil Mitteilungen, one of the most important professional trade publications in Germany; Tages Anzeiger, the biggest daily paper in Switzerland; Magazine 2029, an international art and design publication; and Die Zeit, the most intellectual weekly paper in Germany. Fashion design students were treated to a visit by Sabine who came to FIDM to share her experiences as a fashion journalist in Europe.

Sabine set the mood for her captivating lecture when she described the events of her favorite haute couture show. "I could just make out the abandoned factory building...the pounding of bass became louder with each step. At the entrance, there was a ramp lit by the eerie glow of candles...Everyone enters this mysterious world of shadows and fire and finds their seats. The air is thick with smoke from burning wood. An enormous wooden cross hangs over the runway. With the music pounding, the show begins with a rush of models in flamboyant costumes. Fire erupts from the runway floor; a model in a red-sequined dress rises up and is engulfed with flame..." It sounds more like an adventure ride at a theme park than a Parisian haute couture show! The show she so vividly described was Alexander McQueen's collection in the theme of Joan of Arc. Sabine has experienced the excitement of many huge haute couture productions; she's been to some of the best in Paris. She brought some elaborate couture show invitations to illustrate how designers build up anticipation for their productions: an engraved metal plate announcing a Paco Rabanne show; a tattered, aged parchment dripping with handwritten ink for an Alexander McQueen show; and a Yohji Yamamoto invite with barely discernable letters in glossy print over a solid black background.

Sabine studied fashion design in Hanover, Germany. She moved to Paris with hopes of finding her niche in the fashion world. She was assertive and enthusiastic with everyone she met when she arrived. Her persistence paid off and she became a photographer's assistant. The job was doubly beneficial for her; she gained valuable experience and was able to get in to see major couture shows by holding the photographer's seat while he photographed!

What does Sabine love most about her job? "Working with very talented and creative people from different fields, travelling lots, and being surrounded by beauty all the time." When students asked for advice, she told them to never stop learning. "Most important--a vast knowledge of all parts of our lifestyles and cultures...not only fashion, but also music, theater, dance, ballet, movies, and art exhibits. Get as much knowledge as possible. You have to live it to be good at writing about it!"