The Michael Bastian PR Girl Had the Best Job Ever

I know you know who I'm talking about.

I don’t even need to mention that the woman I’m speaking of worked for Michael Bastian in the 2010s because there is only one Michael Bastian PR Girl of note. Of memory. And I know you know exactly who I’m talking about.

I DARE you to tell me you do not know.

You know.

The reason I know you know is because we are pretty much all PR people here (except for the few people who have emailed me and said they don’t even work in my industry but feel so seen by this newsletter! 😭). And I know all of you have weird little brains with freakish memories and can place a face and a name to a particular time a little too easily—unlike our editorial counterparts, of course. (I think I have introduced myself to Madeline Weeks ~14 times since 2009. Lol.)

We’re creepy like that. 😈

For real though, I don’t know anything about this woman’s previous job or how good or bad it actually was, but it SEEMED like the best job ever! “Seemed” as in me catching her in photos on Patrick McMullan and BFA at all the cool parties and making assumptions based on that—and only that. It was the 2010s, after all.

And I know, HELLO?!—She has a name!

Of course! Her name back when she was the Michael Bastian PR girl was Eugenia Gonzalez. Remember her?

She was floaty and chic with long dark hair and an admirable sense of restraint. She wasn’t flailing and loud. She probably never got tongue-tied, or accidentally spilled her drink on her friend while talking to someone important at a work function (I did that once), and the editorial clouds seemed to part for her. Editors loved her. I don’t think she had to introduce herself to Madeline Weeks ~14 times before it sunk in…

I would say Eugenia was demure. (We’re looking at this through the lens of 2010 so this was before that word became a meme!) A little mysterious, too. Intriguing. I’d be at my morning perch (cubicle), scouring the event photo sites for my own work-related whatever-the-hells and Eugenia always seemed to pop up at the best events, cozied next to the man she worked for, Michael Bastian, who had his own collection at the time.

I was in my twenties when all of this was going on, and I think there was something seductive about a PR woman being out in front like that—so closely tied to a brand’s success. Or so it seemed. She was one of the rare few women who had been let into the niche world of menswear, and not only let in, but embraced. I imagined her tying Michael Bastian’s bowtie for him before the CFDA Awards in 2011 and doing it better than he could do it himself. (Michael Bastian won Menswear Designer of the Year in 2011) She was a Joan of Arc of menswear, doing men’s work and thinking for them while simultaneously keeping all of her personal femininity in tact.

Angelina Jolie fussing with Brad Pitt’s face and bowtie at the Golden Globes in 2009 is a core memory.

On another note, PR people weren’t typically show-ponied out and about like Eugenia was. She seemed special. Deserving. Important! This was a time when PR people were under an unspoken yet palpable hierarchy (Editors are up HERE☝️and PR people are down THERE👇)—PR people were not respected as much as they are now and shoved in the background wearing all black. Be invisible and do not disturb! Of course, there was Aliza Licht and Erika Bearman, but they were mostly known for their Twitter feeds rather than being out in the mix with designers and editors.

Let’s remember—this entire assessment is built on event photos. But a girl can day dream!

We should also keep in mind that this was 2008-ish to 2014-ish or so. It was before the “Me Too” movement and before most of us, even those of us who considered ourselves feminists, had closely examined our own thinking and behaviors, recognizing that women are conditioned under the patriarchy. As a 26 year old, my understanding of myself through the approval of men—even gay men in the fashion industry—hadn’t exactly cracked just yet.

So if what I described above seems cringey, it’s probably because it is!

Now, let’s get into why her job seemed so cool—keeping in mind that it was the 2010s.

First of all, menswear.

Menswear had a much smaller editor set at the time and there were very senior editors who REPLIED TO EMAILS and actually wanted to connect with PR people. They ate the editor coddling aspect UP. For every women’s editor who never replied, there was Nick Sullivan on the other side of things, just replying to emails, securing coverage, and taking lunches. Bless him.

Secondly, Michael Bastian was a smaller brand, but it was covetable. They were Vogue-y. CFDA-y. The brand was one of the darlings and life is just so much easier when you work for one of the darlings.

And then, of course, there was the PR girl herself—beautiful, graceful, intriguing. Subtle. She seemed nice. Yet she was keeping all the men in check…but in a lovable way. Lol. We were all such sexist little weirdos in 2010.

But can you blame us?

W Magazine published this article in 2011 called, “When a Man Needs a Woman,” featuring Michael Bastian and Eugenia. The opening line of the article reads:

“These days it seems that behind every cool and ambitious young designer is an equally cool and ambitious young businesswoman. Karin Nelson talks to the new generation of power brokers.”

So maybe it wasn’t only my own assumptions from event photos, there was something in the air back then really giving off that “Behind every great man is a great woman,” energy.

It’s funny to reflect on all of this now because I couldn’t feel more opposite. I also hate that stupid quote above…

…Sure, let’s gaslight women into feeling ~*special*~ for doing all the work in the background without getting credit. 😑 No thanks, babe! I’m good! Now, I relate to this type of sentiment much more: “Do your own damn work—and leave me alone!”

Maybe that means I’ve unlearned some things!? That’s cool.

Best wishes,

Carrie