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I remember when the Style Network launched. It was the fall of 1998 and I was a freshman in high school with a nascent interest in fashion. Soon, the channel became my go-to for Saturday morning viewing, where I would watch Fashion File with Tim Blanks, Video Fashion with Jeanne Becker, and then Behind the Velvet Ropes with Lauren Ezersky.
All three shows had similar formats, but with different hosts and slightly different vibes. Fashion File was the slickest of the bunch and Video Fashion felt similarly serious, though Becker was perhaps a bit warmer than Blanks. Then there was Behind the Velvet Ropes, which was significantly less polished, perhaps owing at least in part tot the fact that is started out as a cable access show in the 1980s, long before Ezersky took over. It also felt like a less rigid than the other two shows. Ezersky didn’t limit herself to going to shows and talking about collections; she hung out with designers, went to events, and gave viewers a real sense of the breadth and depth of the larger fashion ecosystem beyond the runway. She was also a total hoot.
Lauren Ezersky (Behind the Velvet Ropes, WOW Presents Plus)
A native New Yorker (Yonkers), Ezersky spoke with a thick accent and no fear. I was often shocked by the brashness of her interview style and what struck me at the time as her madcap and rather tacky personal style. She was so audacious and unsophisticated — especially compared to Blanks and Becker — that I often wondered how she managed to get the access that she did. Sheer force of will, I guess. And man, did she get access. She talked to everyone from Donatella Versace to Karl Lagerfeld to Alexander McQueen. And she didn’t seem remotely intimidated by any of them. It was fascinating and, at times, a little cringe. But wonderfully so. And I missed it when I went off to college and stopped watching TV altogether.
I’ve often looked back on that time in my life and lamented that shows like that don’t exist anymore and that old episodes are nowhere to be found these days. Especially considering Gen Z’s fascination with Y2K fashion and the fashion industry of the ’90s and 2000s.
So it was a wonderful surprise when I opened up WOW Presents Plus the other day and saw that Behind the Velvet Ropes had been added to the streamer’s library. For those unfamiliar with WOW Presents Plus, it’s Ru Paul’s streaming platform where you can watch all the international editions of Drag Race (and the American ones too, if you use a VPN). It’s also got a bunch of original, low-budget programs starring Drag Race winners and favorites like Trixie Mattel, Katya Zamolodchikova, Jimbo, Lawrence Chaney, Pangina Heels, and many more, as well as a small, but growing collection of old non-drag shows, including, now, Behind the Velvet Ropes.
I streamed the first four episodes immediately and the show was as good and as weird as I remembered. In episode 1, Lauren gets her hair done, visits the set of a Nicole Miller photo shoot, picks out a dress at Badgley Mischka, and then goes to a Visionaire party where she interviews a young Stephen Gan, James Kaliardos, and Ceclia Dean. In episode 2, Ezersky attends the Fashion Group Intrernational’s “Night of Stars” where the group has chosen to honor men for the first time ever and is presenting awards to Yohji Yamamoto, Karl Lagerfeld, and Peter Marino.
Peter Marino Lauren Ezersky (Behind the Velvet Ropes, WOW Presents Plus)
This was in 1997, back when Karl Lagerfled was still fat and fanning himself and when Peter Marino wore normal clothes instead of the all-leather Tom of Finland fetish costumes that have since become his signature. Seeing fat Karl again was a joy. And seeing Marino in a regular, non-leather suit (not to mention hatless and clean shaven) felt like seeing your 3rd grade teacher on the weekend — wrong, but deliciously so.
In a later episode, Ezersky gets into bed with Alexander McQueen for an interview and talks with a young a young Tom Ford at yet another Visonaire party. It’s wild. There’s even a great little crossover moment in episode 9 when she interviews Becker.
Lee Alexander McQueen and Lauren Ezersky (Behind the Velvet Ropes, WOW Presents Plus)
It’s so crazy seeing all these people from fashion’s past — many of them no longer with us, including McQueen, Oscar de la Renta, Sonia Rykiel, Kate Spade, and more — in such a sort of low-fi and unrefined format. Because Behind the Velvet Ropes is not slick. Far from it! The camera work is shaky, very handheld, and everything is sort of frenetic. But wonderfully so. It’s a throwback to a time when fashion wasn’t nearly so guarded and carefully surated. And its the perfect comfort watch for anyone who was alive back then or is just interested in getting a truer sense of what the industry used to be like.
Tom Ford and Lauren Ezersky (Behind the Velvet Ropes, WOW Presents Plus)
So do yourself a favor and sign up for a WOW Presents Plus membership now. It’s only like $5.99 per month and you’ll also get to watch all the international season’s of Drag Race, which are sometimes even better than the original show. Maybe if enough people stream Behind the Velvet Ropes, WOW will add Fashion File and Video Fashion to their library next. Wouldn’t that be fabulous!
You can view the original article HERE.
