La Fête has the hardest door in Paris right now. At the heart of it is Issak Dessaux, an animated, Bundchen haired, six packed actor and TikToker who happens to be the doorman. Within a year, he's become something of a Sven-like figure. His and the club's notoriety has led HBO Max France to make a TikTok depicting Dessaux letting Pennywise skip the line to promote IT: Welcome to Derry.
People make moodboards and fit checks asking if a sequined skirt over jeans will get them in, in a way that echoes the internet's fascination with Berghain. Dessaux likes when people dress like him. He claims he doesn't like black or white shirts, but will inevitably let in a group of tall laughing boys in smart black blazers. It's hard to know exactly what the rules are, but the main focus of a doorman, especially for a club that plays feel good 80s tracks and house music, is to protect and curate a room of people who want to sing and dance till 6 am.
The problem is, at the end of a three hour line in the freezing cold, it's hard for most people to still be sparkly eyed when they reach the front. Most recently, a TikToker with 3.4 million followers posted a two-part video about being turned away. Support poured in, as did French commentary about American entitlement. It's hard to feel good when you're outside the club.
