Still Recovering From New York Fashion Week: Is It Time For A Change?
February 11, 2007
Now that Olympus Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is literally packing up its tents, we can't help but reflect on how this season was a little less joyful than last. Maybe it was the consistent 20˚ weather, or the annoying mood lighting of the tents, but the whole scene seemed a little tired and the festivity that was there seemed a little forced and inappropriate. While in September there were handsome waiters offering brownies from UPS and beer from Peroni almost every afternoon, this time there were only representatives from sponsor Cingular with odd strap-on trays with sample mobile phones. Chambord offered a coat check, but by Tuesday, they stopped checking press pass holders' coats because they were clogging the 75 hanger rack that was supposed to be reserved for "guests". We didn't see the distinction and were not only insulted but inconvenienced as well. As for the main sponsor, Mercedes Benz, the two cars they insisted on displaying inside the tent were beautiful automobiles, but took up way too much space creating bottlenecks at the show check-ins and making it difficult for TV press who were trying to film inside. The cars were ultimately superfluous to the business at hand. There was also a noticeable drop in swag levels and giveaways, which may not be a bad thing for this overindulged crowd. One day M.A.C sent out two models dressed as Barbie and Black Barbie to publicize their Barbie Loves M.A.C collection and hand out generous packages of makeup, but that was it for major gifting. There was nothing like last season's Havaianas free-for-all. Many shows had empty chairs where one would typically expect to find gift bags, and perhaps the oddest souvenir was the 4 oz. mini-can of Niagra Spray Starch in the bag from Project Runway Alum Malan Breton's show. At least it was clothing related. Of course the open bar that appears later in the afternoon is always popular, though it has the effect of attracting all sorts of people who wouldn't ordinarily be there, and we can't help but wonder why IMG, who owns Fashion Week, is interested in turning the event into a pickup joint for guys who want to meet models. It all turns seedy at the evening shows. There was a consensus that the owner of fashion week had gone way over the bounds of relevance in its zeal for deep pocketed sponsors.
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