Fashion Week has always been a big event. The twice-yearly convention in New York, when fashion editors and buyers preview designer collections, is the largest and most important of its kind in the U.S.
In the past decade, title sponsors have changed—from General Motors to Olympus to Mercedes-Benz—designers have come and gone, and the famed tent has moved from Bryant Park to Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park. And the eight or so days every February and September have seen presentations, lounges and suites, and parties of all shapes and sizes. Although the recession hit the industry hard, prompting a wave of scaled-back runway shows, smaller guest lists, and an increased number of static, catwalk-free exhibitions outside the tents, Fashion Week still remains a time when some of the boldest events take place.
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash
Fashion Week 2004: Marc Jacobs
One of the most anticipated events each Fashion Week, the designer’s show tends to be among the more visually impressive. In September, Jacobs tied the decor of his runway presentation at Pier 54 to the bright clothing of his spring/summer 2005 line and the launch of his fragrance Blush, with an enormous backdrop comprised of thousands of roses. Designed by Raúl Avila, the arch-shaped structure was covered with flowers in shades of pink, white, and orange, and marked the entrance to the catwalk.
Photo: Tom Kletecka
Fashion Week 2004: Marc Jacobs
After the show, the backdrop behind the arch opened to reveal the tent for the after-party, a space decorated with blush-colored lanterns and 25-foot-tall cherry trees.
Photo: Tom Kletecka
Fashion Week 2005: Marc Jacobs
As a playful way to open the presentation of his spring 2006 collection, Jacobs looked no further than Penn State’s Nittany Lions marching band. The musical group strutted down the runway at the 69th Regiment Armory outfitted in their blue and white uniforms, playing a rousing, pep-rally-like version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for the crowd.
Photo: Jeff Thomas/Image Capture
Fashion Week 2005: Y-3
For its first official U.S. show, held in September, the label turned the classical Roman style architecture of Cipriani Wall Street into a mirror-ceilinged space. A two-story vault door emblazoned with Y-3’s logo swung open at the start of the show to allow models to walk onto the runway.
Photo: Jeff Thomas/Image Capture
Fashion Week 2006: Catherine Malandrino
An industrial look pervaded the Roseland Ballroom in September for the French designer’s show, which was dominated by a 28-foot-high set of scaffolding. The stacked structure designed by SPEC Entertainment held portals for 36 models, and flashing strobe lights added to the dramatic effect.
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images For IMG
Fashion Week 2007: Alice & Olivia
With its store conveniently located across the street from Bryant Park, the brand opted to host a presentation at the small shop in September and festooned an array of props to evoke an Alice in Wonderland motif. Designer Stacey Bendet tapped Gilberto Santana, the visual director for Henri Bendel, and his ex-wife, Claudia, plus cartoonist Elanna Allen to help execute the idea, which included sets with oversize and miniature furniture and cupcakes from Crumb’s bakery.
Photo: BizBash
Fashion Week 2007: Betsy Johnson
For a prom-themed showcase at the Bryant Park tents in September, Johnson borrowed some ideas from high school formals, with disco balls, a rose-covered archway, and star-shaped projections.
Photo: Caitlyn Morrissey
Fashion Week 2007: Betsy Johnson
Front-row guests became part of the show, as their seats were placed at tables embellished with pink tablecloths.
Photo: Caitlyn Morrissey
Fashion Week 2008: Calvin Klein
Perhaps the most-hyped after-party of September Fashion Week was the affair on the then-unopened High Line. The bash, rumored to have cost $3 million, celebrated the brand’s 40th anniversary and involved a temporary pavilion designed by architect John Pawson erected beside the elevated railroad track for some 700 fashion industry folks. The sleek white space�"in keeping with the brand’s minimalist aesthetic�"opened on to the tracks, where producers had created a garden of 5,500 long-stemmed Ecuadorean white roses lit with pillar candles. Estelle performed “New York, New York,” and artist James Turrell’s sculpture of fluorescent tubes wrapped in tape illuminated one space.
Photo: Graylock.com
Fashion Week 2009: Betsy Johnson
When others chose more minimalist productions in response to the recession, Johnson stayed true to form and in February created a cheerful setting at her Seventh Avenue showroom. Described by the ever-eccentric designer as “Betty Crocker’s Recipes for Dressing,” the scene involved models posing in a 1950s-style kitchen, while waiters passed cookies, mini burgers, and miniature bottles of Champagne.
Photo: Scott Wintrow/Getty Images for IMG
Fashion Week 2008: Y-3
A 230-foot-long igloo-like wall of ice created a striking visual at the February show for the Yohji Yamamoto-designed label for Adidas. It provided a contrast to the collection’s colorful winter sportswear. OBO and Sculpted Ice Works worked with scenic designer Jonathon Beck to produce the backdrop on Pier 40, using 1,143 blocks of ice, each measuring 40 by 20 by 10 inches and weighing 250 pounds.
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash
Fashion Week 2010: Alexander Wang
While he hasn’t been on the scene long ("his first full collection launched in 2007) Wang already has a reputation for throwing some of the wildest Fashion Week after-parties. To top a rowdy event he threw at a Mobil gas station in September 2009, Wang created a full-fledged carnival, complete with bumper cars, a carousel, a bouncy castle, mini cupcakes, and pulled pork sandwiches, in a parking lot on 10th Avenue to celebrate his fall/winter collection.
Photo: Ryan McCune/PatrickMcMullan.com
Fashion Week 2010: Hermes
When opening its first dedicated men’s store in February 2010, Hermès held a lavish male-centric party to match. Produced by KCD in conjunction with designer Stefan Beckman, the event transformed 20,000 square feet of the Park Avenue Armory’s raw space into a clubhouse, complete with a library and game room. An enormous amount of attention was paid to the details�"some 25 percent of the furnishings were custom made, the wood-paneled library was stocked with 8,000 hand-dyed books, vintage pinball machines and pool tables filled the game room, and the jazz club held performances by pianist Barry Harris, French group Venues Gets Even, and local band Locksley.
Photo: Joe Schildhorn/PatrickMcMullan.com
Fashion Week 2011: Moncler
One of the more adventurous efforts during Fashion Week in February this year was from this sportswear company, which brought a flash mob of more than 100 dancers to Grand Central Terminal. Brussels-based Villa Eugenie created the stunt, with local support from WCMG Events, coordinating a seven-minute performance on the concourse while guests watched from the station’s east balcony.
Photo: Courtesy of Moncler Grenoble
