Fashion Seen

After a week of intense fashion scrutiny in Manhattan, it feels good to be back in Milwaukee. I definitely have a greater appreciation for the retailers who bring their own personal tastes to the items they so carefully and thoughtfully choose to sell. It also made me aware of how many designers we have here in the city and how much we should embrace their creativity and courage to forge a career with an unpredictable future. During the week I also met “fashion people” who populated the tents along with celebrities, journalists, editors and buyers. These are the people who…

1. Scene/Milieu It seems as though there’s a sadness sweeping through the tents today. It has been a wild ride here in Bryant Park for the last 17 years. The tents here became a symbol and, if you will, a beacon to the world, indicating that fashion in NYC is what drives the industry. Although not exactly a competitor to London, Paris and Milan, it has been a showcase for American design, and it certainly positioned New York City as a complement to those venerable style capitals. With only three shows to go today, one in the tents and two…

1. Scene/Milieu The next to the last day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and I feel both sad and glad that it’s almost over. It has been pretty nonstop since I touched down at LaGuardia. I spoke to Fern Mallis, head of IMG and the ringleader of the event, about the future at Lincoln Center. There will still be some tents in a park on the grounds as well as many venues to show in the building itself. Many people, designers especially, feel this validates fashion design as an art form. I couldn’t agree more. The way we dress should be…

1. Scene/Milieu I think I’ve discovered the difference between New Yorkers and us. When it snows in Wisconsin, we just grin and bear it. In Manhattan, people pull out umbrellas and act as if a few flurries are acid rain. I don’t think I have ever seen so many umbrellas out for a little snow shower, something that would be out of place in beloved Miltown. The snow this morning kind of made the Times Square area a lot like a giant snow globe, with the neon and the swirling movement of the people contributing to the urban magic that…

1. Scene/Milieu Today was bright and clear, which lent a new energy and magical air to the goings on in Bryant Park. After my first shows, I decided to take a break and do a little shopping at my faves in NYC. At Daffy’s, a discount retailer (ala T.J. Maxx), in Herald Square, I scored a Patrizia Pepe, Italian-knit, lightweight cardigan in techno purple for $30 and some awesome metallic plaid PF Flyers in black and pink for $23. On I headed to the garment district for a small showing in a space on the 16th floor of a professional…

1. Scene/Milieu Valentine’s Day in the tents! I woke up late and made it by the skin of my teeth to the first show. It was slightly warmer today, with some nice bright sunshine, once I got outside into Times Square. Those rays definitely elevated my sleep-deprived mood after my late night in Tribeca. Too bad my hotel room window faces a brick wall, so I never know if it’s sunny. There were lots of people in line this morning for the shows, but at least they’re not as pushy as people in the evening. I was definitely looking forward…

As I look at my teal-blue binder, with its labeled sleeves for each day, I realize that you have to be a type “A” personality to prepare for the circus that is Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. To get the most out of it, you must jump through many a hoop to secure invitations to shows from PR firms and then organize your time to see as many of them as is humanly possible. This has been a constant stream of e-mailing, RSVPing and printing out invites as well as receiving them via snail mail. It would be daunting were I not…

What exactly is Fashion Week? That’s a question I’ve heard from quite a few people, and my aim here is to give you a brief overview of the hoopla and hype that descends upon Manhattan twice a year. Designers showcase collections of, let’s say 30 pieces or ensembles, in runway shows, and buyers determine what they would like to purchase for their stores. Not everything shown winds up in a store near you, but overall trends emerge. The “brand” shows like CK, DKNY, etc., are more likely to have the consumer in mind. Rising design stars like Toni Maticevski, from…

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which city is the fairest of them all? Is Milwaukee as stylish and chic as, let’s say, Berlin? I decided to put this theory to the test by contrasting style worn by celebrities and socialites at the opening of Berlin Fashion Week Jan. 20 with fashionable Gallery Night attendees in the Third Ward and at the MAM After Dark Series “Greener” event Jan. 15. As I pored over photographs from both events (The local ones I took myself. I’m what my dad used to call “artistic”), I became keenly aware of the fact that people…