A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Fall/Winter 2025 Fashion Week, Through The Lens Of A Street Style Photographer

Published 1 week ago• 10 minute read

As the crisp autumn air swept through the streets during the fall/winter 2025 fashion weeks, it wasn’t just the runway shows that turned heads.

As with each season, the sidewalks outside the show venues are just as much a stage for some of the most compelling style moments. From oversized tailoring that defied convention to unexpected pops of colour and a random bride, the fashion crowd showed that there’s plenty of fashion magic to admire off the runway.

On the ground to capture all of these stylish moments is Myles Kalus, a Sydney-based street style photographer who has been snapping for about 13 years now.

“I got a camera as a Christmas present in 2012, intending to use it to take snapshots of my time going through my final semester of university at the time,” Kalus tells us of his start in the artform. “I was studying something entirely different from photography. As I started delving further into photography, I realised it might be for me. So after I finished my degree, I dived into photography.”

Paris London Milan Fashion Week fall winter 2025 street style Myles Kalus — The man behind the lens, Myles Kalus.
Photo: Courtesy of Myles Kalus

Kalus counts the likes of Trent Parke, Saul Leiter, Alex Webb, and Daido Moriyama as influences to his work, telling us that they are “master storytellers in their own way”.

In summing up this season, Kalus remarked that it come be simmered down into two words: “overwhelming” and “revitalising”.

“While London felt quieter, Milan and Paris were at the extreme opposite end,” he recounts. “The last time I shot fashion week was in February 2020, as Covid started ripping through Europe. It was already quite challenging to shoot back then with the crowds and chaos, but not to the degree that it is now—from the increased security and usage of barricades due to the significant number of fans camping to get a glimpse of their favourite celebrity, to the demise of decorum amongst photographers.

“The change was drastic. It was a lot to take in after my five-year hiatus. Initially, I did feel demotivated by all of this. But ultimately, I convinced myself to take it on as a challenge, to deal with this unfamiliar environment, forcing me to begin anew. So, I began shooting subject matter and moments that I would’ve otherwise overlooked in my previous outings at fashion week. I was looking again with a new set of “goggles”, and I found joy in this approach, like a child entering a new theme park.”

Ahead, take a closer look at the fashionable attendees who captured Kalus’ attention this season, alongside poignant commentary provided by the photographer on his subjects.

Location: In front of the Novello Theatre; before the Paul Costello show, which takes place next door at the Waldorf Hilton hotel.

“Quintessential London winter; people in trench coats, a theatre, and rainy weather.”

Location: Outside St. Paul’s Church, where Bora Aksu’s show was held.

“I’ve known the model Lily Nova for many years now, and she’s always been one to dress in her own unique way. I loved her look today, and it coincidentally matched the flowers blooming in the background. There’s a spring vibe in the last days of winter.”

Location: Outside Space House; before Roksanda’s show.

“This is a staff member keeping an eye out for VIPs as guests make their way in. I love it when brands dress staff in anything other than the stereotypical minimal, black outfit. Soon after, Dame Vanessa Redgrave arrived, clearly being the person she was on the lookout for.”

Location: Via Achille Miaocchi; during the Blumarine show.

“Here’s a driver waiting for his client as the Blumarine show happened. I noticed his tie matching the construction tape, and thought it would be an interesting contrast; a well-dressed man in a complete suited look, in contrast to the tape representing the incomplete construction occurring on the street.”

Location: Via Giovanni Batista Piranesi; before Max Mara.

“This scene is a common occurrence at every fashion week; as one influencer crosses, other influencers wait their turn, as it allows photographers to get a clean individual photo of each of them. This act often leads to a gridlock in traffic, as drivers would have to wait until all influencers have done their walk.”

Location: In front of an “Air Mail News” stand, around the block from the MM6 show location.

“Pictured here is the guy manning a newsstand that has a wide variety of fashion and lifestyle magazines, including magazine editions from other parts of the world. I was told by other photographers that he’s a grumpy fellow, but he was very warm and welcoming when I asked him for the photo. He takes pride in his newsstand, and what it has to offer.”

Location: In front of Museo dei Bambini Milano; before Sportmax.

“A row of staff in identical uniforms, waiting for guests. I found this funny as they had security personnel standing behind them; usually, security would be standing either beside or in front of them. It felt as if staff were protecting security instead.”

Location: Across the street from Museo dei Bambini Milano; before Sportmax.

“The woman in red here is fashion content creator, Violet Grace. As the locations for shows during Milan Fashion Week are often publicly accessible, you often get everyday people or tourists wanting to see the spectacle. Not everyone is here voluntarily, as evident with the child, also in a red ensemble, being very visibly unenthused.”

Location: Via Palestro; after Tod’s.

“Shooting fashion week demands varying levels of physicality from photographers and videographers, depending on their role. Photographers—like the man running in the foreground—documenting street style are often running to position themselves to get a shot, preferring more lightweight equipment. On the other hand, videographers—like the guy on the phone in the background—focus on filming the runway, and therefore have the luxury of a stool to sit on while shooting, with the trade-off being significantly heavier gear.”

Location: Via Privata Giovanni Ventura; before Moschino.

“Having addresses made available to the public means you will see non-attendees also present outside the shows, and attempting to be photographed for their own respective reasons. That being said, it’s usually easy to differentiate guests from them as they’re not dressed on theme; the influencer Saffron Sharpe (in white) was a guest, and the lady with the dog wasn’t.”

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Location: Via Perin del Vaga; before Ferragamo.

“This is the calm before the storm. A pop of red worn by a guest facing the muted tones worn by photographers. When a guest arrives early to a show, there’s a greater sense of order where photographers watch for the commands of security. All of that respect towards the rules and the commands will be discarded as soon as more guests start to arrive, and photographers are scrambling to photograph as many people as possible. It can be quite chaotic on the streets.”

Location: Outside of Dolce&Gabbana.

“Here’s Heart Evangelista surrounded by a sea of professional cameras and smartphones. With the rise of TikTok, you can’t really tell who’s a passerby or a working photographer during fashion week. Many moons ago, you’d know who was a working photographer based on what device they’re using to photograph or record. With the advent of TikTok, the phone has become an essential tool for documenting street style at fashion week, so the lines between photographers and avid fans have blurred a little.”

Location: In front of Osteria Fiorentina, a block of away from the Giorgio Armani show.

“A model having a toastie and Coke after walking in the Giorgio Armani show. There’s often the cliché that jokes about how models don’t eat, avoid carbs, and so on. I found it funny juxtaposing the model and her meal with the “No Entry” sign, as if to say to what she was eating was “not permitted”, according to the clichéd saying.”

Location: Via Lodovico Montegani; outside the AVAVAV show.

“As a photographer documenting street style, you only have two opportunities to photograph guests: before or after a show. That said, not every guest is photographed. Often, a photographer’s own biases determine who or what gets snapped regardless of the brief they are assigned (if they have one). Here, two of my fellow photographers (the man and woman behind the attendee) are in contemplation regarding this guest’s look. Their expressions are quite telling.”

Location: Rue de Paradis, outside the Marie Adam-Leenaerdt show.

“She has big dreams (as her jacket says) and the graffiti behind her seems to allude to how her dreams are so big, that they can’t be contained.”

Location: Outside Givenchy.

“As traffic halts to standstill due to the chaos of fashion week, the iconic Parisian cobblestone roads become an opportune space for people to be photographed. A passerby on a bicycle acts as an interesting contrast to the subject being photographed; static vs. moving, red top vs. the black clothing favoured by the Parisians.”

Location: Rue de l’Universite; before Giambattista Valli.

“While the environment outside of shows is often high octane for us photographers, staff of the fashion brands are often nonchalant about the bustle, as long as it does not disrupt the work at hand.”

Location: Outside Garde Republicaine; after the Hermès show.

“As the photographers snap away, the French national police—with their stern demeanour—keep an eye out; they are often present at shows for the major fashion houses. Their presence offers a sharp contrast to that of the models—such as Luiza Perote and Sascha Rajasalu here.”

Location: Outside Grand Palais; before Chanel’s show.

“I do admire the tenacity of some non-attendees, and how they go to great lengths with the way that they dress. Pictured here is one non-attendee, dressed in what seems to be a wedding look. Despite all this, they are often ignored, especially considering that by the end of the fashion season most photographers would’ve figured out who these non-attendees are.”

Location: Outside Cese Conseil Economique, Social et Environnemental; before Miu Miu.

“As us photographers wait for the bus to pass and for influencer Kiwi Lee to cross the street, there’s a sombreness in her body language. This is on the last day of the season, and she represents what most of us would be feeling by the end of the fashion season; part-exhaustion, part-sadness, coming to terms that it would be another six months until the next season, and all of us having to return to everyday life until then.”