Ziwe Took a Break From Editing Her Julia Fox Episode to Attend the Loewe Show

“I’m not sure I should even be here this week!,” Ziwe says from her hotel in Paris ahead of attending Friday’s spring 2023 Loewe show. “I’m in the middle of an edit for a Julia Fox episode.” The chance to take in Jonathan Anderson’s latest, however, was too good to pass up. “What’s really nice about Loewe is that they have a sense of humor about their fashion,” she says—and the same can be said for Ziwe. On Ziwe, her eponymous late-night talk show, the 30-year-old comedian, writer, and producer’s character can reliably be found channeling a high-fashion mix of Paris Hilton in The Simple Life and Dionne from Clueless. (Plus fellow Loewe fan Rihanna.)

For Ziwe, there was never any question about what she would wear on Friday. “They sent me a look book and I was like, these hot pants are absolutely to die for—I immediately asked for them, and now I feel like Farah Fawcett,” she says of the ultra short-shorts she wore underneath a long quilted grey jacket. “The coat is so iconic that you don’t want to overshadow it,” she continues. “And I love the balloon shoes—they’re really, really comfortable, which is wild. I was rubbing them earlier because they look so lightweight that you almost expect them to be full of air.”

For beauty inspiration, Ziwe looked to two American icons: Ida B. Wells and Michelle Obama. (As seen below, she also literally looked at pictures of them on an iPad while getting ready. “I believe the photos are license-free,” she notes. “I’m also a producer, so I know what it’s like for y’all.”) Hairstylist Miles Jeffries came through with Obama’s bangs circa 2013, while makeup artist Karina Milan took care of the glam with winged eyeliner. “I just thought it was a nice nod to the women before us,” Ziwe adds.

You may think it’d be awkward for Ziwe to arrive at the show to discover she’s seated right next to Emily Ratajkowski; after all, the clip of their interview that Showtime shared on YouTube was titled “Emily Ratajkowski Had to Google What Empowerment Means.” Far from it: Ratajkowski, who no doubt knew what she was getting into, even Instagrammed a selfie with Ziwe captioned “zemrata.” Turns out, the pair sees each other often back in New York. “She was a really good sport on the show,” Ziwe says. “It was lovely to hang out with her—I’ll probably see her [later] at the Loewe party.” They first became acquainted when Ziwe was navigating her first Paris Fashion Week, where she discovered how different the energy is compared to its New York counterpart. (While she was no stranger to the front row, Ziwe couldn’t believe her proximity to Anna Wintour—a dream guest on Ziwe—at Valentino: “She was definitely a couple of feet and a couple of heads down, but the inner fashion lover in me, from age seven, was absolutely floored.”)

After the show, Ratajkowski also joined Ziwe—who happens to have first worn Loewe in a shoot for W—in congratulating Anderson backstage. The provocateur initially met “the man behind the myth” at his resort show in Ibiza earlier this summer. “He’s so thoughtful,” she says of the designer. “He put me onto thank you cards.”

It’s almost time to head back to NYC, which brings us back to that upcoming Julia Fox episode. (“Is that a scoop?,” Ziwe asks when noting that it’s first on the lineup and will also feature Michael Che.) The theme is men, and “you’re just going to die,” she says emphatically. “It’s honestly beyond.”

Special thanks to Loewe’s Anthony Benaiche, Clothilde Tresca, Tyler Jackson, and Jummy Temidayo on behalf of Ziwe.