The catwalk's been dismantled, the lights have dimmed and the models (and editors) have added some calories back to their daily allowances now that LG Fashion Week has officially come to a close. I do this gig part-time, trying to balance motherhood, this blog and my new job as Style Reporter at iVillage, so Fashion Week was a little bit like a high-heeled marathon. Luckily, I love what I do so for me, it was also incredibly fun.
Here are a few little insider secrets from Fashion Week, in case you ever wondered what it's really like:
1) If you ever find yourself wondering what to wear to a fashion show, shoes are the most important part of your outfit. People often wear their coats to the shows so what's underneath doesn't really matter, but your shoes are on full display, literally under the spotlight, for the most ferocious footwear judges in the country. One well-known editor was slammed on twitter for wearing comfy Roots boots to one of the shows. She'd been wearing heels all week and her feet had had quite enough so she threw them on to save her soles. Her feet were very happy but apparently nobody else was.
2) The two front rows at Fashion Week are padded for VIP bums. The other bleachers are cold, hard metal. Luckily, I have a little extra padding back there. Oh, so secret number 2 is that junk in your trunk is actually a good thing.
3) The front row is a like the first-class section on a plane. The occupants are provided with bottled water, line sheets and, often, gifts from the designers. It's worthwhile to be ready to spring into action a few minutes before the show because occasionally, the turn-out underwhelms so everyone is asked to 'move up' at which point the quick ones get bumped up to the front rows. This year, they decided to roll wheelie-bags full of swag to select editors in the front row. I was happy to hear that many recipients thought the gesture could have been done much more tactfully. I was surprised but impressed that one highly-respected Editor-in-Chief actually used the word 'tacky' to describe it. Is it starting to sound like I'm bitter? Okay, fine, I wanted a wheelie bag.
4) Speaking of water bottles, bring your own. A bottle of water costs $3 or $4 at the bar and it takes about 3 hours to get one. I nearly died from dehydration on Thursday. Luckily, I managed to crawl my way to a water fountain (in a short dress no less) just in time before I expired. Phew! Close call.
5) Fashion Week is all about tweeting - tweeting about the collections, tweeting about what people are wearing and tweeting to network. I got a brand new iPhone on Thursday but couldn't figure out how to connect to the Internet so I pretended I was tweeting since everybody else was, then hightailed it to the Media Lounge after each show to actually tweet. Embarrassing but true. The new concensus among tweeters is that you should watch the show, soak it all in, and then send one meaningful tweet at the end of the show. Agreed.
6) Since L'Oreal Paris is a key sponsor at Fashion Week, you can get your hair and makeup done for free. I didn't have time to put on makeup before arriving so told the girl to have her way with me. Well, I left the chair with black-rimmed eyes and intense fuchsia lips and got picked up by a random at the Burger Shack at 11:30 pm on my way home, where I was desperately grabbing a Banquet Burger for dinner. My lesson? If you're going to get your makeup done, be specific about what you want or you might be mistaken for a lady of the night - unless you're single, then tell them to do your eyes AND your lips.
Photos by Sarah Francis (in case you couldn't tell)
7) Bloggers and editors were both in attendance at Fashion Week and the two groups have some respect issues to work out. A blogger is still considered by some to be a person with a computer who can't get a job at a magazine while an editor is someone with a degree. I think we all know that a lot of editors don't have degrees and that a lot of bloggers are highly-educated and vice-versa. In the end, we're all there to support Canadian fashion and to bring our own unique perspectives to the table which, in my humble opinion, is fantastic for our industry. I have a degree and a computer but unfortunately I don't have my own copy-editor. Booyah! Now I'm going to get tweeted about.
Thanks for a great week. Can't wait for the next one but first, a long sleep, perchance to dream about all of the pieces I want for Fall.
Friday, April 8, 2011 at 12:24PM 
