This photograph captures the theatrical apex of La Notte—a Marie Antoinette-inspired figure descending baroque stairs amid masked revelers, embodying the opulent excess that defined early 2000s Parisian fashion elite gatherings. The composition channels both Helmut Newton's nocturnal glamour and Brassaï's documentation of Parisian nightlife, yet situates itself in a specific historical moment: the final era before social media transformed exclusivity into performance. The ornate architectural details—balustrades, textured walls, gridded windows—frame the costumed bodies as if they're actors on a stage, which in many ways they were, performing for each other rather than for algorithmic audiences. Sukan's insider position, working for international fashion magazines, granted him access that few possessed, allowing him to document not just the spectacle but the genuine energy of fashion's social rituals. The harsh flash illuminates period costumes, elaborate wigs, and masked faces with democratic clarity, refusing the soft-focus romanticism that might sanitize the scene's raw, carnivalesque energy.
Sükan created the ‘La Notte’ series as he was working for international magazines documenting the fashion shows and backstage as well as the social times of the fashion world in Paris, Milan, London, and NY between the years 2004-2010. ‘La Notte’ is mainly from one specific costume party that is given by Carine Roitfeld of French Vogue in Paris. The party was before the social media era specifically before the Instagram era which makes it very private and has not been shown anywhere else.
Acquire a fragment exclusive Fashion Party archive. This black and white archival inkjet print on baryta photographic paper captures Carine Roitfeld's legendary masquerade with documentary immediacy and compositional sophistication. Available exclusively at The Art Design Project Miami Beach.
