Karl Lagerfeld and Paris Hilton with “From Paris with Love” Round 2
Karl and Paris take over Herald Square in NYC …
Source: Karl Lagerfeld
While "The Devil Wears Prada 2" was premiering uptown Monday evening, a different fashion statement was unfolding a bit more downtown. Karl Lagerfeld's Spring/Summer 2026 line launched in Herald Square in front of Macy's, with Paris Hilton as spokesperson/model in full force.
It was a tale of two cities, in a way.
Macy’s, until just recently the largest department store in the world, is a fashion destination of its own in the city. So while one fashion brand took over one venue, here’s another taking over a second. And while one captured the attention of the entire world, the other carved out its own niche.
"From Paris with Love,” is the Karl Lagerfeld line and it’s in Round 2 of the Paris Hilton partnership which began with the Fall/Winter line just this past season.
Source: Karl Lagerfeld
In the Square in front of the Macy’s store front with the store windows fully adorned, the brand installed a Paris-style cafe complete with a bus that doubled as a DJ booth. And there was Paris Hilton, spinning tracks from the top of it. The move was perfectly on-brand: Paris Hilton as singer, as DJ, as fashion muse. Paris, the city, as inspiration for the design of the brand offerings. All of the above, all at once, in a perfect little media live moment.
The Spring/Summer 2026 collection itself is creative and eclectic, which makes sense and is in keeping with both brands. Karl's design has always been bold and original. Paris brings that same energy, consistently sliving (that’s not a typo). Neither one is for everyone, but that's the whole point.
Targeting.
On a night when a massive film franchise was capturing all the fashion oxygen, Karl and Paris didn't try to outshout it. They created their own moment for their own people in a branded space. Different venue with a different vibe, cutting into its own slice of fashion culture.
Finding its lane and owning it, with lattes and fresh croissants. Now that’s a brand experience.
What's your experience? JIM