Fashion Week seems to be everywhere these days. Some of you may have noticed that during this period prices go up, reservations are impossible to get and the cities get invaded by fashionistas. But did you know though that before the nineteenth century models did not even exist, and instead, designers used dolls in order to showcase their designs? So how did these frenzies actually begin?
Believe it or not, but New York is the initiator. Fashion publicist Elenor Lamber created New York Fashion Week in 1943, as the little lady wanted to give the Big Apple’s designers the opportunity to present their creations and compete with glamorous Paris. Others got inspired after that and joined in. Since then, the Big Four lead the show twice a year, with the fall/winter collections presented in February and the spring/summer in September, in this order: New York, London, Milan and then Paris. Some labels are loyal and showcase their designs in the same capital each year, whereas others prefer to move around.
Each of these cities have their own unique style, although some cheeky designers enjoy mixing things up; NYC is all about sportswear, Paris is Haute Couture, Milan is eccentric and London remains avant-garde. Another unknown fact (at least to us) is that models actually adopt a different walk in each city! In New York, for instance, the beauties generally walk faster, in a sort of staccato style, whereas in Paris they slide smoothly across the runway.
Ever wondered why winter shows took place in the summer and vice versa? Well, it’s actually to enable the fashion industry to breathe a little. By planning ahead, buyers get enough time to place their orders and collect them, and fashion editors can write-up their ‘must-haves’ items of the season panic-free.
When the weeklong whirls first began, they were trade-only events for manufacturers and buyers. The parades became so trendy and voguish that celebrities pushed for their own invites. It’s now become quite difficult for ‘regular’ peeps to get in, unless they are very organized and buy tickets well ahead through credit card packages or special hotel sets – but the space remains teeny. Although the hype couldn’t be bigger, the average show is only about 15 minutes long –and feels even shorter than that!
Interested to join in the fun? Nowadays there are about 40 different countries partaking in Fashion Week, including Morocco, Iceland and Pakistan!
Believe it or not, but New York is the initiator. Fashion publicist Elenor Lamber created New York Fashion Week in 1943, as the little lady wanted to give the Big Apple’s designers the opportunity to present their creations and compete with glamorous Paris. Others got inspired after that and joined in. Since then, the Big Four lead the show twice a year, with the fall/winter collections presented in February and the spring/summer in September, in this order: New York, London, Milan and then Paris. Some labels are loyal and showcase their designs in the same capital each year, whereas others prefer to move around.
Each of these cities have their own unique style, although some cheeky designers enjoy mixing things up; NYC is all about sportswear, Paris is Haute Couture, Milan is eccentric and London remains avant-garde. Another unknown fact (at least to us) is that models actually adopt a different walk in each city! In New York, for instance, the beauties generally walk faster, in a sort of staccato style, whereas in Paris they slide smoothly across the runway.
Ever wondered why winter shows took place in the summer and vice versa? Well, it’s actually to enable the fashion industry to breathe a little. By planning ahead, buyers get enough time to place their orders and collect them, and fashion editors can write-up their ‘must-haves’ items of the season panic-free.
When the weeklong whirls first began, they were trade-only events for manufacturers and buyers. The parades became so trendy and voguish that celebrities pushed for their own invites. It’s now become quite difficult for ‘regular’ peeps to get in, unless they are very organized and buy tickets well ahead through credit card packages or special hotel sets – but the space remains teeny. Although the hype couldn’t be bigger, the average show is only about 15 minutes long –and feels even shorter than that!
Interested to join in the fun? Nowadays there are about 40 different countries partaking in Fashion Week, including Morocco, Iceland and Pakistan!
Share Article 
