NY Fashion Week . . . Not What It Once Was

Just as Wall Street is not merely a street but a designation for the entire far-flung financial world of which it is the center, so Seventh Avenue is not just an avenue but the symbol of the American fashion and retail industry. Wall Street and Seventh Avenue are New York's #1 and #2 major businesses, and they have both fallen on hard times.



A couple of years ago, when Bryant Park wanted to kick out Fashion Week, there was so much lamentation and gnashing of teeth from designers that IMG and Bryant Park had to extend the arrangement. Now, with the economy in the tank, many designers have decided there are better things to do with a few spare hundred thousand dollars than spend them on twenty-minute shows in the tents.

Who has opted not to show in the Bryant Park tents? Carmen Marc Valvo, J. Mendel, Vera Wang, Sass & Bide, Betsey Johnson . . .

This may be all for the best. The excess of NYFW, like the excesses of the industry it showcases, had reached an extreme point. There was too much on the schedule, too much traffic, too many celebrities, too many paparazzi. It was becoming a burden on the people to whom it is supposed to targeted, buyers and editors. Some of them will be glad to get back to viewing collections from committed designers under more suitable conditions.

In the mean time that means less of this:



and this:



Sigh.