models do the final walk through at marc jacobs s/s 07
i’ve been to a few fashion shows in my day…mainly small ones like tracy reese, diane von furstenberg (before she moved to the tents), rebecca taylor, and catherine malandrino. i’ve even snuck into a couple (not naming names). there is alot of postering to get into to something that lasts barely over fifteen minutes, but if i were living on the east coast, i would probably go through the process every season. earlier this year, img, the company that puts on the shows at bryant park, started fashionweeklive, a concept that would allow the commonfolk (ie, me) to buy tickets to see truncated shows in my hometown. as far as i know, the houston and san francisco events were great successes, paving the way for what they are doing now.
img recently teamed up with american express to offer special vip packages to gold, platinum and centurion cardholders where they can watch the shows from a skybox, complete with food and beverages and a gift bag, for the low, low price of $200 for a two show pack (ex. tracy reese and vera wang). as of this writing, all of the tickets have sold out. i suppose there shouldn’t be a problem with this…i mean, it is the public that is eventually wearing the clothes. but fashion shows have gone from something only attended by editors and buyers, held in mansions and clubs with sophisticated ladies in suits, to a free-for-all atmosphere with d-list celebrities, massive afterparties, and shows that run almost 2 hours late. new york fashion week is all about american sportswear and nothing else. the only place you’re going to see real trailblazing come down the runway is at marc jacobs, and no tickets were offered for that show.
so what would be the draw from someone to spend $200 to see two shows that last a grand total of 30 minutes? celebrity spotting, a gift for that special wife/girlfriend/mistress, or simply because (as i would) you’re interested in the clothes. and nothing really beats seeing a collection come down a runway.
