For the last week or so, I have been getting questions about NYFW (aka New York Fashion or Mercedes Benz Fashion Week [they get very particular about receiving proper credit]) -- in particular, the questions center around why, as a personal stylist/fashionista/style maven, I am not at the premier event of the season. The answer is simple and perhaps disappointing to some: my goal as a stylist has very little to do with NYFW runway fashion.
Truth be told, there are three real reasons for my absence at NYFW:
- What we see on the runway rarely translates to the walkway: the gorgeous, colorful and fluid creations of Proenza Schouler will not look the same in the store because the buyer will ask for 2 runs of sizes but in a slightly different color palette and with "minor" adjustments....the end result will not be what we saw 9 months prior!
- While I may aspire to new heights, my current roster of clients are not interested in scheduling one-on-one appointments with designers to spend $10K on an outfit: to obtain the items off the runway, you need to schedule time with the designer and that can be done...but notfor less than approximately $10,000 a session. Granted it includes several amenities but, most of us 'basically fabulous' people are not dropping that kind of money for an outfit.
- Access to the pictures is bountiful: having been to several Fashion Weeks around the world, I am now on a list and do receive daily updates and access to pictures and the like. On top of that, if you go to any website, they are bound to be writing about it nonstop so, can't we just leave it to them?
Simply put, I look for the trends coming out of the Fashion Week. I focus on the trends that can move from the runway to the walkway without much ado and tons of closet revamping. I look to translate trends into something wearable for the everyday-fabulous set and my clients. To do that, I don't need to be at Fashion Week!
Thanks for the many questions, inquisitive looks and sideways glances that inspired this post!!
