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Fashion Week Dud?

As much as I love my semi-annual trips to the Big Apple and attending the circus known as Fashion Week, I am becoming more and more disappointed at the news in my inbox lately.
I suppose the economy is to blame…perhaps the news media could just shut up their talking about it so much and it would get better.
The Haute Market shopping event last Sunday was clearly NO indication of any economic slump. Many of my boutiques reported it being their most profitable Haute Market show ever!

So I’ll get out my Midwest soapbox and scream “shut up y’all!”

Fashion Week is not at it’s best this season with many holes in the schedule. Where once the days were basically back-to-back fashion shows each hour from 9 am to 9 pm, now there are 2 and 3 hour gaps. The final Friday once had 11 shows, this year 5 are scheduled.

Betsy Johnson is gone from NY Fashion Week as is Rock & Republic, two of my favorite shows for their grandiose theatrical productions. Perhaps if they simply scaled down they could afford it, but then it wouldn’t be their trademark showing I suppose.

Last season my favorite hang out was the Office Max suite where the handsome host started serving complimentary champagne around 3pm.

This season Office Max is not a sponsor but a recent press release says McDonald’s will be there. This is the paragraph from the release:

Experience the latest in coffee couture as McDonald’s reveals an exclusive preview of McCafé Coffees, a hot new line of authentic espresso-based beverages. As the “official coffee” of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, McCafé celebrates its debut with an invitation to indulge in premium roast coffees and espresso-based drinks at an intimate café-inspired lounge, located in the main lobby.

Seriously? Coffee couture? McDonalds?

Thanks but I’ll walk to the corner in any weather thrown at me to get my Starbucks coffee, and pay for it, rather than a free McDonalds cup.
Vibrant Rioja was another great sponsor last season giving out free wine samples. Now gone.
Oh good, Havianas are back. I wonder if they will be giving free flip-flops again this season or just displaying them.
It is sad that not even Mercedes Benz fashion week can get all their advertisers back.
Hopefully our new pres can kick start something.

Soon fashion week moves to its new home at the Lincoln Center. Let’s hope these last showings at Bryant Park are stellar and give us something to recall in later years “oh remember when we used to go to fashion week at Bryant Park?“

Stay tuned as next week I’ll be reporting directly from the tents, or the comfort of my friend’s apartment, which is very Carrie-esk by the way (SATC). I’ll be sharing my must-have’s for my beauty bag and the outfits I’ve brought along. I have some goodies after a panic attack and trip to Nordie’s yesterday! A bright new trench coat was at the top of the list once I found out about the lovely low temps and snowy days ahead in New York. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it. With the way layoffs are going with the rest of the media I just may be the only KC girl there.