Spring 2010 New York Fashion Week: Inside The Press Gift Bag

Opening the big Swag Bag for registered press at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is always a highlight, but lately the big satchel of free stuff has been shrinking a bit as belt tightening hits sponsor budgets. This season's receptacle is a bright orange vinyl zip top tote fittingly sponsored by Taubman the shopping mall giant. It falls about midrange on the garishness scale for such things, with limited re-usability potential. Here's what's the sponsors have inside for us:

• 1 .5 oz. tube Hylexin Serious Dark Circles eye cream
• Package of four Maybelline Colorsensational lipsticks in "Make Me Pink","Totally Toffee", "Very Cherry" and "Yummy Plummy"
• TRESemmé 4.2 oz Tres Two hairspray & 4 oz. Anti-Frizz Secret Smoothing Crème
• 1 Muscle Milk Light Smart Hunger Control bar in Vanilla Toffee Crunch
• 1 $5.00 McDonald's Arch Card
• Chambord Raspberry Mints
• DHL metal luggage tag
• Bonnie Marcus Collection holiday greeting cards from American Express
• Isharya.com 20% discount card
• Printed rayon shawl from Bindya New York
• 2 Free subscription card for Clear Magazine
• Madame Paulette professional stain removal kit
• 1 box Lu Petite Écolier dark chocolate biscuits
• Rouge Tomate gift card including a complimentary consultation with a nutritionist and $100 towards Lunch or Dinner.
• Vinyl travel bag
• 2 $500 Alex Soldier gift certificates (on a minimum $3,000 purchase)
• Ambrosi Abrianna press kit and 15% discount card
• Mercedes-Benz hotel discount card for European vacationers taking delivery of a new car in Stuttgart, Germany
• Special complimentary copy of Marvel Comics "Models Inc." Vol. 1 Issue 1 starring Tim Gunn

As usual, some things are highly useful, and some are not at all. Yes, the bag is lighter and smaller this year which is not entirely surprising, but still disappointing. What is missing, however, is a series of items that regular showgoers have probably stockpiled over the years like Chambord's mini liqueur globes, Peroni's beer glasses and various corkscrews and bottle openers. Inevitably, some may find Maybelline to be a poor substitute for the M·A·C swag that could be counted on, but what can you do?

Comments

[got gift ideas]

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on that gift bag!!