Everyone and anyone who has a stake in fashion attend the weeklong line of shows at New York Fashion Week. If you didn’t already know, Anna Wintour, Vogue editor-in-Chief always gets a front row seat usually flanked by musicians, actors and other celebrities. Fashion shows are no longer just about clothing, but attention is also on the front row gossip and sarcastic smiles that hit the pages of The New York Times Style section.
Did you hear George Lucas sat next to Dakota Fanning at the Rodarte Show? Both Racked and Fashionista reported this occurrence, and I’m sorry to say, if that’s the most exciting thing that happened during fashion week, then I suggest a change up. Since he’s the former director of Star Wars and a huge fan of Rodarte, maybe we could see a remake of the sci-fi featuring wardrobe by Rodarte? I’d totally watch. In other news, MK and A Olsen pulled off quite the Wintour signature move—sporting sunglasses inside. Believe me, it went noticed and so did their style switch-up from boho to minimalist black done head-to-toe. The fierce fashion duo hit the front row as well in Ray Ban style Wayfarers during the J. Mendel show. Maybe they’ll bring back the Sunglasses at Night trend.
Besides the front row gossip, this season’s Fashion Week was quite a success, especially since Wintour, the Queen Elizabeth of design and detail, looked quite pleased after seeing both Ralph Lauren and Marc Jacobs shows. Because she NEVER smiles—and when I say never, I mean never—industry insiders wondered why the warm fuzzies?
After getting invited to some of the smaller shows and not being able to attend (insert sad face here) I couldn’t wait for reviews to pop up on a few of my favorite designers. However, one of my favorite shows viewed online, hands down, was Polyvore Live featuring my all-time favorite fashion bloggers and one of the coolest bosses I’ve ever had. The goal of the show was to feature the Fashion Institute’s top grads’ work and the ultimate bloggers who post about their collections. As I watched CollegeFashionista founder—and one of the most influential women I’ve ever worked for—rock out in Lauren Bagliore, Gavaskar, Celestino, and Dana-Maxx clothing, I realized how a dream could come true when you make it your passion and put everything you have into it. Levin started CF out of college and is known to pack a punch in the fashion world.
Besides Levin’s runway showdown, I anxiously waited for the Proenza Schouler show instead of doing my homework. The featured fall looks had significant shaping and understated minimal colors. The collection took on the style of the streets, an interesting option considering street style has been known to influence what people wear. Like Lucas, I’m quite the fan of Rodarte and the brand’s ability to make feminine collections with gothic tones. Most of the pieces were knee-length dresses with a vintage feel and boxy look. However, Diane Von Furstenberg’s fall collection topped all. It’s expected considering she’s the President of the Council of Fashion Designers and has helped Whitney Port (totally missing The Hills) launch her career. The collection titled Rendezvous, featured sophistication, simple design, and elegance for both cocktail dresses and oversized coats – two of my favorite things.
You may wonder what the importance of Fashion Week is and how it relates to us in small town Dallas. Well, it’s more than just a week of showings since those designs are backed by years and years of history, both fashion and non-fashion related. Whenever I think about fashion week, a quote comes to mind from the movie that may sum up the entire industry: “The Devil Wears Prada.” As Andy Sachs is working in fashion, at a career she has no respect for, she sarcastically makes a comment about Miranda’s indecision about a belt saying all belts look the same.
Miranda’s powerful response is not only one for those ignorant of fashion week’s importance but a life changing realization of how important fashion really is: “You go to your closet and select …I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater for instance because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is just not blue. It’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent…wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents million of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.”
As Fashion Week has come to an end and planning comes for the next, an interview with a young fashion mogul handling psych school and Vogue features is on the rise. There are two things I’ve concluded from this article: Wearing sunglasses inside makes you as cool as Anna Wintour, and NYFW better get ready for me next year. Let’s Talk Fashion readers are in for a treat as I interview a local Fashion Week veteran who inspires me. Get ready for a surprise—next time.