Fashion Week: To See Or Be Seen?

Robert Verdi & I
The fashionistas, stylists, editors and buyers are all lined up in Bryant park. The crowd is thick, the lines are long and the sponsors are everywhere the eye can see. So what is everyone there for? To see the fashion shows of course! Everyone is just bursting at the seams to see the latest line by Marc Jacobs and rub elbows with T.V. fashion journalists. The eye candy is delicious to say the least but the truth is that most of these spectators are not just there to enjoy the sights. They are also there to be seen in their own little personal fashion show.

To be perfectly honest, I play the "see and be seen" game as well. True to fashionista style, I planned out my fashion week outfits 3 weeks in advance. The thought process in my wardrobe planning was pretty simple though. I thought about each day's schedule and the situations that it may present. I think about who I may run into, how far I need to walk and what the weather is like. I also try to edit my choices so that my clothing is an asset to be taken seriously. I will be dealing with PR reps, sponsors, and industry professionals. If you want to be seen as a fashion editor, you dam well have to look like one. But in the same breath I should mention that I don't want to appear too pretentious either. I don't wish to give the impression of a fashion victim or a wannabe model. Hopefully through my fashion choices, it is event which side of fashion that I am on. (which is clearly not the runway).
All function aside, fashion is still one of the most important ways to communicate who you are without saying a word. Not to mention, it's also a huge ego booster when a fellow fashion fan wants to take a picture of your fabulous ensemble or a snooty looking diva gives you the "once over" look and a nodding approval. There you are, in a room with the world's most fashionable people and it would be tragic if your outfit was forgettable. Instead of the blond girl standing by the fountain, you can be remembered as the stylish girl with the sky high Louboutin boots and the red leopard scarf.

Nothing beats the main attraction of fashion week: skyscraper models, high fashion looks and heart pumping beats. But the whole experience just wouldn't be the same if we didn't seize the opportunity to be fabulous. After all, the opening act for runway shows really begin with walking around the tent and scoping out the spectator's outfits. Fashion Week is a show that we not only go to watch. It is a show that we inadvertently become a part of.