Kanye West rejected from Louis Vuitton, Balmain, and Alexander McQueen fashion shows

Gaining access to Fashion Week isn't as hard as you'd think, and if you actually land show invitations you're golden. One would assume celebrities have no problem attending, but Kanye West was denied invitations to several designer shows in Paris this week. In typical Kanye fashion, he refused to take no for an answer and showed up anyway.

So far this week West attended Valentino, Givenchy and Vivienne Westwood shows, but it seems some designers didn't want the egomaniac rapper stealing their thunder or causing trouble at their events. Is Kanye West losing his star power? When it comes to Paris Fashion Week we'd say he struck out.

Strike 1. Last Thursday, he showed up at the Balmain show at Le Grand Hotel with an entourage but they were turned down. A rep for KCD public relations, who organized the show, told Page Six, "Mr. West requested to attend and we let him know we would not be able to accommodate him. He chose to come to the door anyway and we kindly let him know we could not accommodate him."

Strike 2. On Tuesday, West showed up unannounced to Alexander McQueen's runway show. "He did not make a request to attend, but he came uninvited," the KCD rep told Page Six. Unwilling to admit defeat, he snuck around to a side entrance and was let in by "venue management, not through the front door." He had no assigned seat.

Strike 3. Sources say West was also denied entry to the Louis Vuitton show, as he was not on the guest list. This is kind of surprising since he designed a sneaker for the fashion house in 2009. A rep from Vuitton would not speak on the topic, but told Page Six, "Kanye remains a great friend of the house."

Often celebrities show up uninvited and expect to get the VIP treatment and a front row seat, but weeks of careful planning and organizing can't just be overruled if a star like West decides to show up last minute.
The KCD rep said, "several designers chose to have smaller shows this season and therefore chose to not invite celebs in order to accommodate press and buyers." A note to West: you may want to rethink your attitude and antics if you want to be let in to prestigious events.




Related links:
Celebrities' worst fashion mistakes
Fashion Week dispatch: L.A.M.B.
Fashion week dispatch: Betsey Johnson