Thursday, February 12, 2009

Countdown to Fashion Week

Back when Fashion Week was more of an industry event and less of a spectacle, it was easier to be sensitive to the hard times. During the seasons after the 9/11 attacks (which coincidentally took place during Fashion Week), the mood in the tents was somber: everyone had a story to tell about where they had been on that day. As recently as 2005 after Katrina - the fashion crowd was glued to the runways but still thinking (and writing about) the terrible ordeal the people of New Orleans had endured.

Tomorrow Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicks off in New York. This season begins February 13 and will host around 70 shows. Will the mood reflect the economic crisis? I'm not sure designers have really wrapped their minds around the new economic reality: that no one is buying much of anything. How out of touch are some designers? In a recent WWD.com article about how to stretch your wardrobe budget, one designer suggested wearing shocking pink next to your face. So....if I'm broke, unemployed and facing financial ruin, all I need is a little pink to make it through? Good to know!
Although it's the ending of an era, no more fashion tents in Bryant Park. IMG Fashion, the organizers of New York's famous Fashion Week have said that as of 2010 the event will be held at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. The new location offers more room than the tents at Bryant Park and better parking but it is located further uptown nearly a mile away and much further from where some designers have their offices. I guess only time will tell.
The saddest news of all is who's NOT showing (sniff. sniff.)*Betsey Johnson*Carmen Marc Valvo *Halston -- instead they're debuting their new collection in a music video, kinda like Zulema from Project Runway did*Monique Lhuillier*Naeem Khan*Sari Gueron*Sass & Bide*Vera Wang
I have to admit I'm anxious to see how this next week of events is going to unfold... your thoughts please.

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