Fear and Face Masks on the Front Row

PARIS — Uniformed men greeted guests at the Dries Van Noten show on Wednesday to offer disposable face masks — if anyone so desired — and big tubs of hand sanitizer (ditto). The coronavirus has its own accessories. Some attendees took advantage, even though everyone had just come from Kenzo, a show held in a sealed plastic tube. It was hard not to think that the protective measures were too little, too late. We’ve all been breathing the same stale air for awhile now. Been in the same enclosed buses and cars and ornate rooms.

But no one in fashion knows quite what to do at the moment (maybe no one out of fashion does either). The LVMH Prize cocktail party — the glitzy unveiling of the 20 semifinalists for the most lucrative award for young designers in the industry — was canceled, though none of the shows by LVMH fashion brands were. The Net-a-Porter karaoke evening was also off, but not the gala reopening of the fashion galleries at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, along with its new exhibition: “Harper’s Bazaar. First in Fashion.” There’s no logic to the choices.

Some people still do the traditional two-cheek kiss hello; some give new meaning to the concept “air kiss,” waving their heads vaguely in each other’s direction, but not coming close to touching; some elbow rub. Some wave from afar. Some joke about it; some frown and don’t want to discuss it.

Sitting beside the runway, waiting for the shows to start, the whispers pass down the line: “These editors have been told not to come back into their office for two weeks” or “those editors drove from Milan instead of flying.” Rumor had it Miu Miu, scheduled for next Tuesday, wasn’t happening (the company couldn’t get the team out of Italy). No — wait: It was still on. Maybe?