Tag: NYC

Gearing Up for Fashion Week
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Gearing Up for Fashion Week

If you’re involved in fashion in anyway then you are familiar with New York Fashion Week, for one week out of the year it’s where the who’s who in fashion all gather in New York for the event of the year.  The whole thing began on June 7th back in 1993 and it is still going strong.  The event has had some very high profile sponsors such as Olympus and Mercedes Benz.  It takes place every year in Bryant Park at the corner of 42nd St and 6th St.  The city turns eight acres into a tent city filled with fashions from all over the world.

Touring Fashion Week

Each of these massive tents are fully air conditioned and are broken up into a couple of different areas.  Venues can reach up to 12,000 square feet and there is a runway for models, guest seating, lighting, sound and a flurry of backstage activities.  This is where up and coming and established designers get to present their work.  Gearing up for fashion week can take the entire year!  Designers can arrange the area however they wish and there are small booths around the perimeter of the tents.  This is where you will find giveaways and promotional items.

Fashion week happens twice a year, fall fashions are showcased in February but the big show really happens in September.  The September show showcases the designs for the upcoming year and that when you will find celebrities all throughout the various shows.  Here is a look at last year’s show.

Going to Fashion Week

Most of the people who show up at fashion week are journalists from fashion magazine, buyers, celebrities and socialites.  The event is by invitation only and if you want to go as a journalist then you need to make sure you have your accreditation long before the event.  You never know, you could find yourself sitting next to Paris Hilton or Sarah Jessica Parker!

There will also be models all over the place since this is a huge week for them too.  Designers are running frantically all over the place trying to make sure that their shows are huge successes, the next year’s sales can depend on it.

Dress Code

It is not a black tie event and there is no dress code per se, any you will see attire from the very formal to the more “anything goes” styles.  This is Fashion Week and most of the attendees will put a lot of thought into what they are wearing and emphasize their own personal style as much as possible.  If you are fortunate enough to be able to attend fashion week then make the most out of the occasion.

Posted on by Jane W
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Cool Facts About NYC's Garment District
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Cool Facts About NYC’s Garment District

NYC is the fashion capital of the world, Paris or Milan might want to disagree but we will have to agree to disagree on that.  Within the city you have the world famous garment district where you will find a concentration of design houses and clothing manufacturers, including plenty of the high end labels you would instantly recognize.  This is one of the most vibrant areas in a city filled with coolness.  Let’s look at some cool facts about NYC’s garment district.

  1. The garment district is named so because of the number of clothing manufacturers and design studios here, it is also called the Garment Center, Fashion District or the Fashion Center.
  2. You can find the garment district on the west side of midtown, it is between 5th and 9th avenues and you can find most of the city’s fashion headquarters and showrooms.
  3. The Fashion District is referred to as the fashion capital of the world and it generates more than $15 billion in revenue every year. It is the most condensed area of fashion houses within a square mile.   You can find every aspect of fashion from design to manufacturing.
  4. Sadly, the area is in decline because of outsourcing and offshore manufacturing.
  5. The area has some pretty sad roots, it became the center of manufacturing back when it used to produce clothing for the slaves working on the southern plantations.
  6. The area grew during the Civil War when uniforms for soldiers were made here. By 1860 the majority of Americans were buying readymade clothing rather than making it themselves, especially in the bigger cities.
  7. By 1880 70% of women’s clothing was manufactured here paving the way for it to become a fashion powerhouse.
  8. Real Estate prices in New York are contributing to the decline of the fashion district. In response to this designers Nanette Lapore and Anna Sui created the “Save the Garment Center” to try and preserve the fashion businesses that are located here.
  9. The only permanent landmark that is dedicated to American Fashion Models is located here, it is much like the walk of fame in Hollywood. It was put together to celebrate fashion designers who have made a lasting impact on the industry.  You will find monuments to designers like Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Betsey Johnson, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Halston and so many others.

Even if you are not concerned with fashion, you should still check out the neighborhood, there is a lot of history here that went into building the country.

Posted on by Jane W
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