I Skipped NYFW
You never forget your first fashion week.
Mine was February 2009, back when NYFW was still at Bryant Park. I was working for Hearst and assigned to cover all the shows that people further up the ladder were too busy to attend. I remember thinking to myself, 'Thanks, but how could you possibly be too busy for this? What could be more important than attending the Prabal Gurung show?'
I stood in the freezing New York weather wearing three pairs of tights under $2,000 pants with the tag still in tact so I could return them to Intermix the next day. I waited in line for 50 minutes with 200 of the grumpiest people I'd ever encountered before I was finally allowed entry. From my second row seat, I spotted a sunglasses-clad Anna Wintour chatting with important people who back then I didn't recognize (I now know Kate White when I see her), while checking my pants every few minutes to make sure the tag hadn't popped out. I thought that I was the only person who was happy to be there until a New York Magazine editor I'd befriended assured me, "Trust me, everyone is happy to be here."
It was a miserable experience. The lines and crowds. The weather and traffic. The pushing and shoving. The seat stealing and swag bag swiping. I thought maybe it was only awful because I was so lowly. Seventeen NYFWs later, I promise you, the view is not any better from the front row. New York Fashion Week is not fun. It is work.
So why do we go?
A few years ago, the answer to that question was so simple: we were there for the love of fashion. Not love-- obsession, or even deeper than that. We went for the clothes, to have our souls fed by new art collections sweeping down the runways. Fashion week was about fashion then.
At least a dozen influencers I follow on Instagram went all the way to New York for fashion week and didn't post a photo of one singe show. Perhaps because the collections didn't match their feeds, perhaps because they weren't actually invited to any shows, perhaps because they're more concerned about promoting themselves than supporting a designer's creativity.
NYFW used to be Mecca. It used to be church. It was the greatest show on Earth. There were crowds and crashers, but they were students of fashion, disciples. We didn't go to spot a celeb or take photos for our blogs, or to be photographed at all. People where there because they were obsessed with fashion. We were all groupies.
The problem is social media. And selfies. And reality stars. NYFW has become inundated with pop culture that the actual culture has been drowned out, or in some cases, chased away. Some of the greatest American designers have moved their presentations and parties out of LA, and many front row fixtures no longer grace the event with their presence.
Here's the thing: I love pop culture. I'm an influencer; it's basically 80% of my life. But NYFW is not about selfies, OOTDs or Kylie Jenner. NYFW is about fashion. And fashion is not pop culture. Fashion is art, and art is not supposed to be cool or pretty or instagrammable (though it can be all those things). Art is supposed to make you feel something. It's supposed to make you think, to make you cry, even.
All I feel at fashion week now is the pain in my stiletto-clad feet.
The truth is, I skipped fashion week because with the snowstorm and all, it was impossible to get a flight out until later in the week, and by the time I got there, I was more interested in meeting new friends at Spring Place than standing in line downstairs at the studio. Because NYFW was meant to feed the soul with all that fashion embodies: art, history, culture and more. And while you won't find much of that at the cattle-calls that pass for fashion week parties these days, you can still find it on every street in Manhattan, no matter what week it is.
18 comments
I loved this. It's great that fashion has become much more inclusive and "for the people" but just like the glamorous days of old Hollywood are long gone, the allure of fashion seems to have left too. It's not like the days when Kate and Naomi ruled the scene!
ReplyDeleteI agree. It's lost the mystery because there are so many photos of everything and everyone on instagram and snapchat. And with so many people there who aren't designers or editors or hardcore fashion people, it's no longer as exclusive. Why is Kylie Jenner even at fashion week?
ReplyDeleteThe word "fashion" has become to broad. Forever 21 and Zara are not fashion. Those are stolen, watered-down versions of the real thing in which the real art is gone. There is still art in the fashion industry, but it's underrapreciated while most people give all their attention to furry flip flops.
ReplyDeletePreach! I love how inclusive the fashion industry has becoming-- now more welcoming to other ethnicities and body types-- but this should mean more creativity and inspiration, not less.
ReplyDeleteAmazing post! I can tell how truly passionate about the art you are!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sweet words, babe!
DeletePeople say similar things about the Met Gala and other events. Nothing's what it used to be! It's funny. E abuse the industry itself is moving forward and as creative as ever, but all people care about is what the Kardashiams wore.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Designers are doing amazing things right now! Gotta show our support! x
DeleteLoved reading this! I'm more of a Zara girl myself, but I feel in general that real art is taking a back seat to pop culture. Art can and should be socially relevant, but creatives are doing great things that are widely ignored because the public is distracted by memes and reality TV drama.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article! xx
Meghan
I've been known to pop into Zara every now and then too. :-)
DeleteAdmittedly, I am also obsessed with memes....
I've been known to pop into Zara every now and then too. :-)
DeleteAdmittedly, I am also obsessed with memes....
I absolutely adore and agree with everything you have to say here. It's so great that fashion as usual is at he forefront of innovation, embracing and even pushing pop culture, social media and inclusivity forward, but fashion week used to be a safe space for creatives, a place where it was all about the art and not about selling or instagram numbers. I see no news about the amazing collections. Instead all I read about is Kylie Jenner and Paris Hilton. I mean I love them, but seriously.
ReplyDeleteCan I just say I love your blog? You just talk like a normal person and don't try too hard to be elegant or poetic-- though it's clear you're very smart and articulate. From the way you write, I feel like I know you!
ReplyDeleteSeventeen Fashion Weeks! Even if it's not what it used to be, it's still my dream to go to one!
ReplyDeleteWOW this was one of my favorite posts ever from you. Thank you so much for these thoughts!
ReplyDeleteYou're too sweet! Thanks, Babe! x
DeleteI absolutely could not agree more. Just like the glamour of Hollywood is gone, fashion is being picked away at too. I think Paris Haute Couture week is the only one that has maintained its allure.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Babe! Yes, Paris is the best of all the fashion weeks... the best of a lot of things, actually. x
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