A Brief Moment With Paris Hilton Changed The Whole Night

April 8, 2018 | Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California

On April 8, 2018, I was at the Daily Front Row Fashion Los Angeles Awards inside the Crystal Gardens ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The room was filled with designers, celebrities, and fashion-industry insiders. It was the kind of event where there was always someone new to notice, but one arrival drew my attention immediately.

Paris Hilton was there.

I had followed her work in fashion and business, so when the opportunity came to speak with her, I took it.

I greeted Paris Hilton and told her, “It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve always admired your sense of style and your entrepreneurial spirit.”

She smiled and replied, “Thank you. It’s lovely to meet you too.”

From there, we started talking about fashion and some of her business ventures.

That part of the conversation interested me because Paris Hilton had built a career that extended far beyond the public image many people first associated with her. Hearing her discuss business gave me a glimpse of the work behind that image.

We also talked about her music career and her work as a DJ.

Then Paris Hilton mentioned that philanthropy was important to her.

In a relatively short conversation, we had moved through fashion, business, music, DJing, and philanthropy. It was more ground than I had expected to cover when I first approached her.

What also surprised me was her sense of humor.

That helped make the interaction enjoyable without turning it into something overly formal simply because we were at a major fashion event.

Before our conversation ended, I asked Paris Hilton if we could take a photograph together.

She agreed, and we took the picture.

The photo gave me something tangible from the encounter, but it wasn't the only reason the meeting changed the night for me.

I had entered the event surrounded by people from the fashion world and expected to spend the evening taking in everything happening around me. Meeting Paris Hilton gave the night a specific moment I could attach to it.

I had the opportunity to tell her directly what I admired about her style and entrepreneurial work, then hear her talk about several parts of her life and career.

That was different from simply seeing Paris Hilton across a ballroom or watching her from a distance at an event.

For those few minutes, I got to speak with her myself.

By the time we finished talking, the evening had become more memorable than it had been before our paths crossed.

And that’s how a brief encounter with Paris Hilton changed the whole night for me.