The Fashion Crew: NY Fashion Week – A Glance Through Time

New York  Fashion Week is the most prominent showing of American Fashion Designers worldwide.  The very first organized showing of fashion week was started by publicist Eleanor Lambert during Press Week in 1943.  The event was originally  started to detract attention away from the French Fashions when American industry insiders could not travel to Paris to see the fashion shows during World War II.  It was a huge success and prominent fashion magazines, such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, started to feature and credit American designers at a time when French designers were solely featured.  Among some of the most notable designers that were first featured in Press Week in the 1950’s were Oscar De La Renta and Bill Blass.

At the start, Press Week was hosted alternately at the Pierre and the Plaza hotels.  Press viewed the collections and stayed at the same venue as well.  During that time buyers were not invited to attend the collection showings, and were instead forced to view the clothing for the season at the designer’s showrooms.  During the 60’s and 70’s designers started to branch out and show their collections at spaces such as lofts, clubs, and restaurants.  It was only by chance, years later, in the 1990’s when everyone had enough of these venues being chaotic, overcrowded, and unsafe that there was a need for organization.   CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) head, Fern Mallis, made it her mission to find a space in which all of the designers could show under one roof.  The first idea was at a hotel then called the Macklow, but a year later with Mallis’ help, the CFDA  was able to secured the infamous tents at Bryant Park, and we have NY Fashion Week as we know it .  Now the exclusive event, hosting fashion insiders, press, buyers, celebrities and socialites, takes place twice a year.   In February to showcase Fall and in September to show Spring , at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week’s new home, Damrosch Park, in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.  Check out Nautica during New York Fashion Week on  Friday, February 11^th with the Nautica Men’s Fall 2011 Collection.  More to come!