These days it seems like most industries are suffering because of the economy. The fashion industry isnít much different.
However this didnít stop fashion designers and over 100,000 international visitors from coming out for the annual Mercedes-Benz Fall fashion week which took place from Sept. 10 to 17 in New York City.
Mercedes-Benz fashion week sponsors over 60 famous designers who showcase their spring 2010 collections in the tents at Bryant Park. The week kicked off in a huge way with ìFashionís Night out.” On Sept. 10 a world-wide shopping event was held in over 12 major cities across the globe.
In New York City alone over 700 stores were open until 11 p.m. to generate retail shopping. All stores gave 15 percent off and donated proceeds to the September 11 memorial and museum. The night was produced by Vogue magazine and government officials. The goal was to help centralize New York City again as a fashion powerhouse after being hurt badly by the recession. Celebrities that came out to promote the importance of Fashion Week included Sean Combs, Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane von Furstenberg.
In New York City the fashion industry is the second largest industry only to finance. New York City is the headquarters for over 800 fashion companies and employs over 175,000 workers in the city alone. This supplies over 10 billion dollars in wages per year.
At a press conference in May Vera Wang conveyed, ìTo put it bluntly, if people donít shop, people lose their jobs.” And shop they did. On Sept 10 thousands of people spent the night shopping among celebs such as Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Rihanna, Charlize Theron, Zack Posen and many more.
As the week continued thousands of people came out for the continuous fashion shows and after parties. Some of the shows included designers such as Chado Ralph Rucci, Badgles Mischka, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Tory Burch to name a few.
This yearís spring designs turned out to be a mix of old and new fashions. The biggest fashions this season include leather jackets, jumpsuits, rompers, bright colors, cut outs and sheer fabrics.
My favorite collection was presented Diane von Furstenberg on Sunday, Sept. 13. Her unconventional yet fierce dresses featured unique patterns and animal prints. Furstenbergís show expressed images from ancient civilizations which inspired her Bohemian yet modern collection. Tory Burch was another favorite who won over the hearts of many designers and editors. Her designs are simple but they are must-haves. Burch commented on her own collection, saying that her ideas ìmake ordinary things seem extraordinary.”
Despite Fashion Week coming to a close, itís important to regard the message it conveys.† Fashion, whether frivolous or not, supports a great deal of our economy.† Hundreds of thousands of people work around the clock to put fall fashion week together and stemming from the extravagant shows and clothes we find that fashion is not just restricted to the runway. Coco Chanel said, ìFashion is not something that exists in dresses only.† Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”