The Fashion Statement: It's Always Fashion Week Somewhere
When you think of fashion week, you think of the big four-New York, London, Milan and Paris. That's the cities where the biggies like Marc Jacobs, Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent unveil their collections. And press from major publications jump from city to city following this glittery pack.
But did you know there was a fashion week in Washington, D.C. last month? Don't laugh. There's another one going on right now in Houston. There's even one being held this week in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. According to various tallies on the Internet, about 140 fashion weeks take place each year. From places like Omaha and Kansas City to Warsaw and Zagreb, multiple fashion weeks are going on in the world at any one time. There's always fashion week somewhere.
Houston's getting some exposure thanks to some big names, Texas style. Lauren Bush staged the first fashion show for her year-and-a-half-old Lauren Pierce collection, (pictured below) a line that uses artisan and eco fabrics. George Sr. and Barbara Bush (pictured above) turned out for the event, proudly snapping pictures of their granddaughter from where they sat on the front row.
Fashion week is revving up in Los Angeles, home to many design talents. L.A. shows are exciting spectacles because they often get bigger names in the front row than their New York counterparts. But, often, you won't find a retailer in the house. Clearly, business is not the primary consideration at fashion weeks. L.A. tends to be about press attention and less about doing real business which is why many L.A.-based designers still choose to make the pilgrimage to New York.
Fashion shows are expensive to put on and if you're not doing business what's the point, you say? Sometimes a fashion show can promote a local talent or staged to support charities. They're good training grounds. Who knows? We may be seeing a designer from Uzbekistan in New York next season. There are also great for burgeoning fashion communities, boutiques and the like who like to convene, support and promote each other. And people in the trade love to see what their other designers are doing.
The primary reason there are so many fashion weeks? People-particularly women who love to shop-love the spectacle of a fashion show especially if it's an exclusive invitation-only affair. They're so curious, many even resort to crashing it. Human nature, I guess, to want in when you're kept out.
I completely understand. The first fashion show I ever attended was when I was in school in Paris. It was Claude Montana. You bet I crashed it.
