Maybe you have dreamed of going to the New York Fashion Week and experienced the fashion style of New York. Yes, that must be fantastic. But why is New York? Why it can be the fashion center of the world? This article will tell you about it.
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Suzy Menkes, a fashion journalist, remembers that the former New York Fashion Week is sweet: It happens in the clear October and sweet time, while these emotional words are not suitable for New York of this year. The spring came too late in 2013; the whole city still huddled in the chilly winter when the Fashion Week began. Even worse, the storm came as the same as weekend. It rained on Friday morning and then snowed. Just a few hours, the heavy snow had covered the city. The whole city was controlled by the snowstorm named Nemo.
But Nemo cannot stop the pace of the Fashion Week, everything continues. In the show, we can find it is not a decision that violates the season to have autumn winter series in winter. On the streets, the people who view the show still don’t give up their “show armor”: high heels, mini skirt, resin beads and stockings which is so thin that we can see the skin…There is no season in fashion, so who scares about the snowstorm. But it has brought troubles to the people who are still on their journey. Because of the cancellation of the flight, European buyers and journalists have to break their trip and temporarily stop going to New York.
The history of New York Fashion Week can be traced back to the 1940s. In 1943, under the organization of Eleanor Lambert, an exhibition which is called Media Week comes into being. This is the first Fashion Week in New York, as well as the first organized Fashion Week in the world. It was hold both in Pierre Hotel and Plaza Hotel. Editors and journalists were invited. While buyers who are noble today only have the chance to choose clothes in the designers’ show. Eleanor Lambert’s Media Week gave a chance to contact the United States designers for the fashion editors and journalist. To be more exact, it gave a chance to the US designers to show themselves to the whole world.
Before the Media Week, United States already have a decade of fashion show history. In 1903, a shop named Ehrich Brothers in New York has organized a fashion show. This is the first Fashion Show in the United States; its aim is to attract the middle-class housewives to go to the shop. In 1910, many large stores start to hold their own fashion show as an effective means of sales promotion. While in the 1920s, the fashion show has become a mainstream. Compare to today’s fashion show, it is more dramatic. These shows always have a theme, some with exotic elements such as Paris, Persia, Russia and China.
In the view of some fashion scholars, the birth of New York Fashion Week is a counterattack to the “fashion tyranny” of Paris. Eleanor Lambert’s Media Week is thought as the smart PR behavior. Her purpose is to utilize the special opportunity of World War II and turn the fashion attention from Paris to New York. After Nazi occupied Paris, Paris fashion status was in jeopardy; on the one side, the original activities cannot be carried out because of the war; on the other hand, the US media announced that the time of Paris’ “Fashion dictatorship” had been over, New York was becoming the new fashion center. New York Sun writes, “With the collapse of Paris, the designer which belongs to us will lead the fashion.” Facts prove that New York’s counterattack is productive. The World War II not only helped shape the new image of the international politics, but also won the new identity in fashion field for the United States.
The 1950s is a decade which is important to the Unites States; it makes America to be the real “America” in the fashion world. In the past, this country which comes from the new mainland always follows the Europeans. But the war has changed everything. The short of goods makes the demand to be the mother of innovation. The America designers must wean from the European mother, and turned the inspiration to the local women. The “America style” is becoming more and more important in the world.
John Steinbeck once said, “New York is a city which is ugly and dirty. Its climate makes people disgusted, its politics likes to play with the child, the traffic is nearly crazy, and the competition is cruel and harsh. But once you live in New York and it becomes your home, then other things will be not ideal.”
“The style of New York is unique and fearless. This city attracts the person who wants to express themselves. Fashion is a means of self-expression.” Diane Von Furstenberg said. In the special season of Fashion Week, there are shows everywhere in New York: In the subway entrance near the Lincoln Center, you can see models with gorgeous clothes everywhere; The cab is running on the street with the DVF billboard……You can see that fashion is the expression of this city.
But do not think that the Fashion Week is the center of this city right now. On Broadway Street, the new movie poster is still pasted; on the TV, the news about Fashion Week is less compelling; on the newspaper, in addition to the first day, the report about Fashion Week is not overwhelming. The people are interested in the Obama’s new tenure and the pope’s resignation…Perhaps, like the New Yorker’s writes,” On the street of New York, every week is the Fashion Week”. At this time, you will understand why E.B. white would say like this:” Everything happens is dispensable in a certain extent. The people of New York choose their own and save their souls. “