Sep 5, 2008

New York Fashion Week Kicks Off

Fashion week musts: fabulous but painful shoes

New York Fashion Week's Spring 2009 season kicked off today in the Big Apple, and I'll be your guide to the shows and parties in the next few days.  

The biggest difference I'm noticing so far between fashion week in New York and fashion week in Paris—Paris, I have done for a few seasons now; New York, it's my first time—is that New York is much more commercially sponsored, and the press contacts are much more communicative regarding celebrities. For instance, registered editors receive e-mails from the organizers telling you what celebs will be at the shows. For the brand Milly, here is the lineup:

Celebrities expected to attend: rocker Gavin DeGraw, actress Camille Guaty (Las Vegas, Prison Break), soap star Crystal Hunt (Guiding Light), Sherri Saum (Rescue Me), Olivia Palermo, Lauren Remington Platt.

Okay, fine, so I don't know who a lot of these people are, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited. It's a bit like having the esoteric menu for a lavish wedding mailed to you ahead of time: You don't know what any of it means, but it all sounds great. Shallow? Well then I probably shouldn't tell you how excited I am about seeing the shiny hair of a real live Guiding Light star. 

Someone asked me recently if I have certain things that I only wear for fashion week. Oh, I do! There's a Helmet Lang blue T-shirt dress with a floaty, avant-garde fishtail that has never seen the inside of bus, but it has been to many a fashion show. But mostly, the difference lies at my feet, or rather, my heels. Whereas my civilian self rarely sports anything above two inches (I do enjoy ambulating), my fashion editor self will be wearing some very tall platforms this week (see above). 

I adore those shoes, and I pat myself on the back every time I see them for having done such a good buy. But they are painful. In fact, by the end of the week, I will no doubt hate these shoes. 

To get by, I'll do a lot of switching to ballet flats between shows, unless Chicago mag would like to reconsider that chauffeur budget I proposed. Shockingly, they keep ignoring my requests! What is up with that?

Anyway, as the week unfolds, I will try to filter in some comments from Chicago retailers in New York, along with my own impressions. I hope to point you toward some new designers whose presentations look interesting, and of course update you on the big guns like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, etc. As for the newbies, I don't know if any Chicago stores will pick them up, but in perusing Style.com's guide to what's new, I particularly like the looks of Sophie Théallet and Melissa Coker.

Now, I've gotta get back to packing my suitcase, but check back often for updates. And in case you're wondering, yes, my luggage could sink a battleship.

Posted at 04:58 PM in Paris Fashion Week | Permalink

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