VANCOUVER - Fashion week. To the style enthusiast, these two words can stir as much excitement and emotion as an NHL playoff game does for hockey fans. And there are plenty held around the world each year to choose from. In fact, there’s more Fashion Weeks than weeks in the year — 134 and counting. You could actually travel the world 2.5 years and still not make every show.
It all started as Press Week, a venture that began during World War II when American journalists couldn’t travel to Nazi-occupied Paris to report on the latest fashions. So publicist Eleanor Lambert showcased U.S. designers to American fashion writers who had previously ignored the homegrown work and Fashion Week was born.
Many people plan their vacations around the Fashion Weeks and trying to get hotel rooms in London, New York City, Milan or Paris — considered the Big Four of Fashion Weeks — is almost impossible.
Left: Many cities now host Fashion Weeks.
There are no “insider tips” on getting a ticket to the shows, although it helps to be Anna Wintour.
The “people watching” at these shows can be as much fun as sitting in the front row, and there’s so much magic that attending one is almost a must if you care anything about style.
Here are the Top 10 Fashion Shows I suggest you put on your bucket list:
PARIS: The birthplace of couture, Paris is arguably the most glamorous of the Weeks, boasting a virtual Rolodex of Who’s Who in the fashion world. Sadly, getting an invite (yes, you must be invited) to any of the shows is next to impossible. We suggest taking in one of the live runway shows at the Galeries Lafayette instead. The shows are free to the public, but make sure to reserve your seat at least one week in advance. Once you have taken in the trends of the season, stop off at Harry’s New York Bar, a former haunt of Coco Chanel.
MILAN: Start your trip at the Grand Hotel et de Milan. In the heart of the Golden Triangle, you will be at the mecca of Milanese shopping and in the middle of the action. This is the place to people watch and, trust me, the street style during fashion week will make you think you are walking through the pages of Vogue Italia. What’s more, this 5-star hotel is a mere 400 metres from La Scala, where couture and opera meet in the grandest of ways.
Left: Milan
LONDON: You may not find yourself in the front row at the Burberry show, but London Fashion Week has a number of events that are open to the public with packages ranging from £20 to £150 ($40 to $300 CDN) that grants access to private shopping events, trendy cocktail parties, industry talks and even some of the shows. Of the public events, one of my favourites is the Fashion for Relief Show. Founded by Naomi Campbell, it features her entourage of beautiful friends and donated designs by the likes of Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano.
Left: London Fashion Week is big.
NEW YORK CITY: New York, New York! Oh, the sights, the sounds . . . the fashion. New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has become the place to see and be seen, with front row guests like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Rhianna, Blake Lively, David and Victoria Beckham … the A List goes on. We suggest taking in some Grade A people watching while keeping in tune with the shows over live feed and then shopping the styles a mere hour later on ModaOperandi.com.
BERLIN: Premiering in 2007 and quickly becoming one of the most sought-after events in the European fashion scene, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin has quickly become a worldwide event. This is the place to see up and coming designers and creative talent. The up-and-coming talent is on full display at the Designer for Tomorrow Awards hosted by Zac Posen. The show dictates that participants may not have already launched their collections on the market — meaning talent is raw, new and top notch.
SYDNEY: Australia isn’t just for surfer dudes. Sydney Fashion Week showcases sophisticated designers and brands such as Carla Zampatti and Swarovski and is chock full of luxe sponsors, meaning your trip to Sydney will be nothing short of top of the line. We recommend purchasing front row seats and sinking into the Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge following the show to rub shoulders with the likes of Dani Minogue over a custom Rococo cocktail, hand crafted with Bailey’s
TOKYO: The fashion world has had a serious crush on Japanese style since Rei Kawakubo, designer of Comme des Garçons, invaded Paris in in the early 1980s. Her innovative, deconstructed designs have inspired the likes of Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela. It’s no wonder that with the Japanese influence on fashion, the world pauses to watch what is happening during Tokyo Fashion Week. However, we recommend taking what you see with a grain of salt — these shows are by far the most creative — and while statements like “fox ears,” “face masks” and doll-inspired makeup might work on the runway, they will not work once you have returned to the reality of the office.
Left: Even Tokyo has a Fashion Week.
BARCELONA: There is fierce competition between Madrid and Barcelona on which one of their fashion weeks reigns supreme, but our vote goes to Barcelona. With household names like Mango and Desigual, you will leave daydreaming of bold colours, prints and a certain Latin flair. We suggest swinging by the Desigual flagship following the show.
TORONTO: Anywhere the local fashionistas will brave sub-zero, freezing terrain deserves to be on this list. Being from Vancouver, I like to poke a little fun at Toronto, but, all jokes aside, this is a great event. Showcasing top Canadian talent and first class brands such as Pink Tartan, Mackage and Rudsak, this is a great way of seeing up and coming trends from the comfort of our own backyard. Take in the shows, grab a cocktail and have your makeup touched up in the Maybelline lounge and then hit the town — just don’t forget your coat.
MIAMI: For those of you looking for something a little hotter, we suggest hitting the beaches of Miami for a tan and to watch Swim Week. What you can expect is the best in swimwear trends, the hottest DJs (and models for that matter) and countless parties, poolside at the Raleigh Hotel.
About the Author
From a young age, Jessica loved to play dress up and would often orchestrate an outfit change or two in between play-dates and homework. Twenty years later, that love of fashion has taken this style aficionado throughout the US and Canada for her work as a freelance writer and the sales manager of a woman's clothing company. From lugging 50 lbs of clothing while wearing 6" stilettos in Manhattan, to red-eye cross-country flights and enjoying sauvignon blanc and oysters on the Chicago river, her lifestyle has been anything but boring. Jessica is based in Vancouver and is formally educated in journalism and fashion marketing.