This past NYFW has been an interesting one. Things are a-changin’. Beyond the fact that the celeb quotient has gone WAY down — I think people are choosing to go to TIFF or just stay home — a lot of lines seem to be trying to figure out what’s next. Some, like Tom Ford and Rebecca Minkoff, are choosing to show lines that actually correspond with the season ahead of us — fall — and are making those clothes available for immediate purchase, which, honestly, makes sense. Some aren’t doing a runway show at all this season — Calvin Klein is having a party instead, DVF had individual appointments for editors. Kate Spade, which normally throws a big, fun, highly Instagrammable event, chose to have a much smaller presentation. Badgeley Mishka released a short film; Mischa Nonoo had her entire line premiere on Instagram. Basically, I think everyone is trying to figure out where to get actual bang for the bucks that are in short supply all around, and as such, I’ll be VERY interested to see what happens to Fashion Week as a concept over the next five years. If it were me, I would throw a glam party for celebs and certain influencers (covering your Celebrity Bases and getting you good social media coverage), have appointments for small groups of important editors, and then send out free and copious pictures of the line to literally everyone who might want to cover it. I think you’d get the same amount of love and coverage without the agita of a runway show, which is logistically impossible for half the people you want to reach anyway and which costs a fortune. And I say this as a person who covers front rows for a living! Fashion shows are wonderful to attend and really exciting, but I get they they might be falling out of favor with designers.

All that said…let’s see what J Mendel is hoping to land on celebs this season, shall we?

[Photos: J Mendel]

Tags: J.Mendel
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