Thanks to celebrity Instagrams and live Snapchats, we mere mortals were able to keep up with the frenzy of events that occurred in last week's New York fashion week. But what else do we know about the oh-so-famous fashion week, other than the fact that Kanye West has got an insane monochromatic taste? I myself got tired of basing my knowledge on fashion week off the Vogue Instagram page; so I decided to do a little research on one of fashion's biggest events. I’m here to break down the basic, yet necessary facts, that you should know about fashion week.
1. Fashion week happens twice a year.
Twice a year fashion week is held in each of the fashion capitals of the world which are: New York, London, Milan and Paris. New York kicks off each season, followed by London, Milan and ending with Paris. The months of February and March are when designers showcase their upcoming Autumn and Winter collections. And September and October are when they showcase Spring and Summer collections.
2. The first NY fashion week is linked to WWII.
Kinda. In 1943, the first NY fashion week was held in order to steer away attention from French Fashion during WWII. Since women were working during the war, the US government wanted women to spend money on American clothes rather than European clothes. American designers who lived in the shadows of European designers were finally able to demonstrate their designs during the first NYFW.
3. There are about 40 fashion shows that happen outside of the fashion capitals.
New York, London, Milan and Paris just happen to be the most prestigious cities that host fashion weeks, but no one said they were the only ones that host fashion weeks. Several cities like Croatia, Pakistan and Iran partake in the fashion festivities as well. Some cities like Miami and Rio Summer even have genre-specific fashion weeks (swimwear.)
4. Fashion week is about far more than just the latest fashion.
Everything that will be considered “hot” for the upcoming season will be walked down the runway. Lipstick shades, eyebrow shapes, handbags, earrings, colors, you name it.
5. The fashion capitals are each recognized for a certain style.
New York is most well known for their sportswear; London is known for their edginess; Milan for their over the top luxurious designs; and Paris their haute couture.
6. Not all of the shows are runways.
Some shows have "presentations" in which the models stand around modeling the clothes.
7. The runway shows only last a few minutes.
Most shows are over in 10 minutes, at most they last up to 20 minutes.
8. Fashion week is not a public event.
The only people invited to the shows are buyers of the media, bloggers and of course celebrities whom designers actually pay to attend the shows.
Go forth and bask in your new found knowledge of fashion week.
