Fashion Week 2006

Since moving to New York, I've accumulated a list of "New York-specific" things that I felt I had to do before I left the city. However, over time, my desire to actually complete some of those things has diminished. Part of it is me being lazy and part of it is me just caring less and less about some prototypical "New York experience." When I first moved her, I had this overwhelming sense that there was a specific experience I had to had to really say that I lived in New York and that if I didn't, I'd have regrets. Thankfully, I'm over that, but one thing that I really wanted to do was go to Fashion Week. Good thing I'm well-connected (not really) and a friend was able to make that wish come true.

My reasons for wanting to go to Fashion Week are pretty vain. Fashion Week is a very New York thing. It's hard to escape, especially with all the celebrities who descend onto the city. Also, I work right across from Bryant Park so it's hard to avoid the sight of the tents. There's also a sense of being "in" and being "hip" if you're a part of Fashion Week, even if its just as a spectator.

Margo, a friend who works as a designer for Vera Wang was able to get me onto the guest list for Vera's runway show at the last minute. I took an hour off of work today to go down to the tents and see the show. The tent was a circus, with film crews all over, people overly dressed for a Thursday afternoon, and sponsors hawking goods. I felt out of place in that crowd, but at the same time, I felt a little self-righteous. Unlike many of the people there who were there primarily to be a part of the scene, I was there to support my friend (at least that's what I told myself). Getting into the runway show was an ordeal in itself. First off, the line was long and since I was a last minute addition to the guest list, I didn't have an official invitation. Add to that, they couldn't find me on the guest list. I ended up waiting in the "standing room only" line. I thought I was good to go from there, but then they asked to see our invitations again. In the end, I had to duck the security guards to get into the show where I happily found a seat.

The show was beautiful and sad (Vera's father had passed away the night before). For the long ordeal that it took to get in, the show was over in 10 minutes, but it definitely was an experience. Below is a video from the end of the show.