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Inside Mrs. Doubtfire's Paris Fashion Week Debut at Balenciaga
by Kenna McCafferty
07 March 2022
At Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show over the weekend, Mrs. Doubtfire stopped by to say, “Helloooo!” While her face might not have been covered with frosting like in Robin Williams' 1993 classic, it was caked by plenty of prosthetics, makeup and a bit of anxious sweat from brushes with fashion royalty.
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The brain beneath the illusion, Alexis Stone (real name: Elliot Joseph Rentz) has become a Balenciaga icon during Demna Gvasalia's era. On the heels of their collaborative campaign and documentary in 2021, it was only natural that Mrs. Doubtfire make a real-life cameo this season.
"This was my first major brand's attendance, with a brand I had just an ongoing working with," Stone tells PAPER, having previously attended a Nats Getty show pre-COVID. "I was like if I'm gonna do it, it's gonna be Balenciaga, so it was a really nice cherry popping."
A monumental moment for Stone, as well as the larger fashion community, Balenciaga's Fall 2022 show struck awe and spurred emotions for many, drawing from Gvasalia's Georgian heritage and the global landscape in light of Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine.
"The only way I could describe it is 'emotional,'" Stone says. "You walked in were met with the Ukraine flag. Demna put his message out very shortly before the show about his experience. There was a real sense of emotion and awareness."
Meanwhile, "I’m there dressed as Mrs. Fucking Doubtfire," she continues, acknowledging the juxtaposition. "It isn't the most appropriate thing, but that also comes at a time that we, as artists, have to try and not distract, but use that little bit of magic to make people smile."
And Mrs. Doubtfire did just that, hob-knobbing with the front row. “Kim [Kardashian] had a little giggle when she brushed past me and had a little double-take," Stone says of fellow Balenciaga super-fan, who wrapped her entire body in branded yellow caution tape.
Related | Mrs. Doubtfire Is a Balenciaga Girl
Dressed in head-to-toe Balenciaga, Mrs. Doubtfire also turned a look. "Nothing screams Mrs. Doubtfire more than Balenciaga florals and we had it with a really iconic pair of chrome silver boots," Stone says. "In Demna’s own words, Doubtfire and Balenciaga need no further explanation. Simply iconic."
Photos courtesy of Liam Heeley