Alexander McQueen once said, “Fashion should be a form of escapism and not a form of imprisonment.” The subjects of Fashion Babylon might have a thing or two to say about that. Revealing the agony and the ecstasy of being on the fringes of the fashion industry, director Gianluca Matarrese focuses his verité eye on a flamboyant trio of American artists gallivanting around the finest runways of Europe: Drag Race winner Violet Chachki, electroclash musician Casey Spooner of Fischerspooner, and haute couture maven Michelle Elie.

It’s Paris Fashion Week, and they’ve just got to get a pic with Jean-Paul Gaultier—guest list be damned! And the rent may be two months past due, but they can just rent a chauffeured sedan instead of a limo. The scene is gatekept within an inch of its life but only enough to tease that if you know the right people, wear the right clothes, or have an endless purse string on your Prada bag, you too can be on the inside. Lucky for us, Matarrese provides an all-access backstage pass.