The Ultimate Guide to New York Fashion Week Fall 2011

What’s Covered

• Fashion Week Background
• Getting to Fashion Week
• Things to Look Forward to
• Models to Watch
• The Brands of Fashion Week
• Finding Fashion Week Coverage
• Following Fashion Week on Twitter
• Other Things to Do in the Area

Fashion Week Background

Important Fashion Week Dates:

• Show Dates: Thursday, February 10-Thursday, February 17

Fashion Week History:

• 1943: The Paris fashion shows are canceled because of the Nazi occupation, so US PR girl Eleanor Lambert creates the first New York fashion week known as Press Week.
• 1944: Ruth Finley launches her famous Fashion Calendar the definitive guide still being used now.
• 1988: Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue, makes her first appearance at New York fashion week.
• 1994: New York Fashion Week, which was previously held all over the city in hotels like the Four Seasons, schools like FIT and raw downtown venues, moves to its home in Bryant Park under the white tents. As head of the CFDA, Fern Mallis took up the cause and sought out a venue where all the shows could be held in a single space. After a first run at a hotel on 44th Street, Malis collaborated with Bryant Park to put up tents in the East and West Plazas. (Fashion Week is produced by 7th on Sixth, originally formed by Fern Mallis and the CFDA in 1993, and was later taken over by IMG in 2001)
• 2003: Founder Eleanor Lambert makes her last appearance at fashion week, one month after her 100th birthday.
• 2009: Mac at Milk Milk Studios holds fashion shows like Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang and other downtown designers in collaboration with 5 year IMG Fashion Week sponsor, MAC Cosmetics. This will be the 4th season at Milk Studios in New Yorks Meatpacking District, and about 30 designers show each season in the venue.
• 2010: New York Fashion Week is officially moved to Lincoln Center following issues with Bryant Park management and claims that the shows had grown too large and restricted public access.

How to Get Tickets
Getting tickets to Fashion Week isn’t easy, but there are a few tricks to get access to the event. Showing up is half the battle, but it’s not a sure shot way to get in.

American Express offers access to card members, who can buy tickets to the American Express Skybox. Charities will also raffle off tickets to raise money, so keep an eye out for these programs.

Bloggers are invited to shows, as designers hope to get some coverage and press. Starting a blog might be a great way to get tickets, especially if you’re a good writer and passionate about fashion.

Finally, you can always look out for contests and giveaways. It’s common for big brands to give some of their tickets to fans and followers. If you’re lucky, you might just win enough for you and your friends.

Getting to Fashion Week:

Airports in the Area:

1. John F. Kennedy Airport
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2. LaGuardia Airport
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3. Newark Airport
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Hotels to Stay At:
The Standard Hotel, 848 Washington Street (at 13th Street) Its a short walk from Milk Studios, and if you get a little too tipsy at a Boom Boom Room or Le Bain after party, theres only a short elevator ride between you and your bed!

The Jane Hotel, 113 Jane Street Since the Jane is right on the Westside Highway, it provides easy access by cab to Lincoln Center, and is only a short walk from Milk Studios. Plus, the Jane Ballroom is the go-to after hours spot for the fashion flock, and a room at the hotel guarantees you entry.

The Soho Grand Hotel, 310 West Broadway (at Grand Street) A regular hangout for the fashion crowd. Only quick cab ride away from Milk and the usual after-hours spots like Don Hills, Kenmare and the soon-to-be-opened Le Baron in Chinatown.

The Tribeca Grand Hotel, 2 6th Avenue (between Walker and White Street) See Soho Grand it IS its sister hotel, after all.

The Thompson Hotel, 60 Thompson Street This Soho boutique hotel is a favorite of the fashion elite. Your Fashion Week neighbor is bound to be someone like Rachel Zoe.

The Bowery Hotel, 335 Bowery (at E. 3rd Street) A constant meeting hub for industry insiders. While youre a little further away from the Milk and Lincoln Center action, youll likely spot Olivier Zahm, Stefano Pilati or Terry Richardson, and isnt that what Fashion Week is all about? Plus, its restaurant Gemma is delicious.

The Gansevoort Hotel, 18 9th Avenue (at W. 13th Street) Yes, its ultra trendy, but you couldnt get much closer to Milk Studios if you tried.

The Hudson Hotel, 356 West 58th Street (at 9th Avenue) A short walk from Lincoln Center, and has a bustling nightlife scene.

The Empire Hotel, 44 West 63rd Street (at Broadway) Good for those of you party animals who want to sleep in as late as possible before hitting Lincoln Center for the shows. Its literally right across the street.

Trump International Hotel and Tower, 1 Central Park West For all you fancy-pants, this five star hotel overlooking Central Park is just blocks from Lincoln Center.

Travel Options in the City:
Subway:

• The 1 Train: The red line runs along the west side of town, and will drop you off right in front of Lincoln Center at 66th Street.
• The A, C, E Train: The easiest way to access Milk Studios by subway is with the blue line. Take it to 14th Street and walk west to 9th Avenue.

Check out the MTA Map here for more information about the Subways

Taxis:
Of course if you’re really not sure where you’re going, you can always grab a cab. There’s a great guide to finding and hailing cabs here.

Things to Look Forward to

Proenza Schoulers Fall 2011 Collection These young designers keep editors paying attention, and we cant wait to see what amazing prints and interesting silhouettes they come up with next.

Tommy Tons Street Style Images on Jak and Jil Those detail shots get us every time. The Fact That Fall Fashion Week Doesnt Have Fashions Night Out: Well look forward to it come Spring 2012, but not having another night of madness during a week of madness even when the Olsens are bartending is really kind of nice. So sorry Anna!

Rodarte After the Mulleavy sisters incredible way with costumes for Black Swan, the world is watching and ready to see what dramatic creations these two come up with next.

Season Number Two at Lincoln Center: Last season we felt maybe a little displaced leaving Bryant Park for the Upper West Side, but this season should feel a bit more settled, and that beautiful fountain rivals the Tuileries in Paris for street style shots.

Designer Collaborations: Suno and Loeffler Randall, Chris Benz and Alejandro Ingelmo hooked up last season: we cant wait to see which cool kids get together for Fall.

Celebrity Sightings Its always interesting to see celebrities in the wild. Courtney Love was our highlight of last season, were holding out for some CW starlets and maybe a Pretty Little Liar this season.

Beauty Watch We are suckers for nail colors and the best always come straight from the runway. Plus, were still waiting for the new side braid.

Whatever Tom Ford Decides To Do Next After a super secret event to launch his super exclusive return to womenswear for Spring, we are holding our breath in anticipation for what Fall will hold, and whether or not Beyonce will be involved.

Models! Arizona Muse was the breakout success of last season walking just about every major runway, which led to campaigns that are slowly making her a household name. We cant wait to see who comes to the front this time.

Models to Watch

Britt Maren This newcomer made waves last season when she opened the Alexander Wang show and underwent a major hair makeover at Balenciaga. She also walked Balmain, Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Lanvin.

Arizona Muse Last season, Arizona was an exclusive in Milan for Prada, but she made the rounds in New York and Paris, walking Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Miu Miu and more. Shes also the Spring 2011 face of YSL and Prada eyewear.

Ashley Smith This girl has skyrocketed to stardom seemingly overnight: Shes been featured in editorials for W, Nmero, Lula, RUSSH, Jalouse and more. Plus, she walked Topshop, Giles Deacon and Balenciaga for Spring 2011, and she starred in the Topshop Holiday ad campaign.

Daphne Groeneveld Her Spring 2011 season can be summed up in three words: Calvin Klein exclusive. Shes also covered Vogue Paris alongside Tom Ford and is a current face of Givenchy. Keep an eye out for this girl, she is going to be HUGE.

Julia Saner She stars in the Spring 2011 Valentino campaign, and had an impressive breakout Spring 2011 season, walking shows like Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Cline and Chanel.

Bambi Northwood-Blyth Already an editorial favorite with spreads in RUSSH and i-D, Bambi broke out in Spring 2011, walking in shows like Jen Kao, Rag & Bone and Chanel.

Caroline Brasch Neilsen She made the runway rounds in her debut season for the Fall 2010 shows, and is the star of the Spring 2011 ad campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Valentino.

Melodie Monrose This stunner from Martinique took the Spring 2011 shows by storm, walking Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin, YSL and more. Shes also been featured in recent editorials for V, Interview and Dazed & Confused.

Iris Egbers She walked some of the most exclusive shows for Spring 2011, including Calvin Klein, Miu Miu and Jil Sander, and has recently starred in editorials for Dazed & Confused and W.

Tali Lennox Not only is this girl rock-and-roll royalty (her mom is Annie Lennox), she starred alongside Ashley Smith in the Topshop Holiday ad campaign and walked shows like Prada, Burberry and Miu Miu for Spring 2011.

The Brands of Fashion Week:

The argument could be made that the brands that sponsor NYFW have grown to play just as important a role at fashion week as the designers and models themselves. Obviously, fashion week would cease to exist without names like Mercedes Benz, for whom fashion week is named. But lets not forget about all the other brands that make NYFW possible.

Mercedes Benz With vehicles literally sitting in and around Lincoln Center, it becomes glaringly obvious that Mercedes Benz plays the biggest and most important role of all the brands at NYFW. And they arent going anywhere anytime soon it was announced that Mercedes-Benz will stay on as the title sponsor for NYFW for the next three years.

MAC and Milk During New York Fashion Week, M.A.C Cosmetics partners with Milk Studios, transforming the venue into MAC At Milk.

American Express As one of the biggest sponsors of NYFW, American Express provides card members with a number of exclusive perks and experiences. In the past, cardholders were given access to some of the runway shows and tents ordinarily not open to the public.

Maybelline Maybelline plays a very vital role in creating many of the runway beauty looks for the shows at NYFW. As the official cosmetics sponsor of NYFW, you will also see Maybelline booths conveniently stationed in Lincoln Center. Makeup giveaways, gift bags and even touch-ups are at attendees fingertips.

TRESemm TRESemm will be responsible for the hair looks at a number of shows this season. In addition, attendees will also find the TRESemm Hair Salon and Lounge conveniently located in Lincoln Centers main lobby, where they will be offering dry styling and touch-ups all week.

Starbucks Frappuccino Caffeine is probably the single most important tool if you will needed to survive NYFW. So naturally it makes sense that the Bucks is the official coffee sponsor of this tiresome week. Attendees will be treated to drinks from the Starbucks Frappuccino Light beverage line. If you need an extra jolt, you can also visit the Starbucks Frappuccino Coffee Drink Lounge.

W Hotels In the past, guests of The W Hotels Arrivals Lounge were treated to champagne cocktails, delicious food and music from some of the hottest celebrity DJs. Think of it as a place for attendees to catch a breather and relaz in between shows.

Fiji As one of the sponsors of MAC at Milk, fiji water will be handed out to Fashion Week attendees to keep you hydrated between and during shows.

The Heart Truth A national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The red dress has become a national symbol for women and heart disease, and since 2003, The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection Fashion Show has been held at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week every year.

DHL As specialists in global delivery and shipping, DHL has been the official logistics provider of NYFW for eight seasons and counting. As the official express delivery and logistics partner of Fashion Week, DHL makes it possible for designers fashion collections to go out to international media and industry insiders around the globe.

Finding Fashion Week Coverage:

The Fug Girls On The Cut Blog These chicks crack us up every time, were sort of obsessed with their witty banter and fixation on Anna.

Style.com The Go-To for up to the minute runway images.

Fashionista Leah and Lauren always make readers feel like theyre along for the ride.

Modelinia These chicks are obsessed with all things model so its obviously the best spot for your models of New York Fashion Week fix.

The Daily We dont know where its going or what its doing, but hopefully we can access The Daily without an iPad because those overheards are in a word, amazing.

Fashion Week on Twitter:

With New York Fashion Week fast approaching, its time to make sure you dont miss out on any of the front row and backstage action. By following some key fashion week heavy-hitters on Twitter, youll stay current on all the excitement from the tents. These 10 designers, editors, models and fashion enthusiasts are sure to give you the inside, up-to-the-minute account straight from NYFW.

• Derek Blasberg @derekblasberg
• Joe Zee@mrjoezee
• Hanneli Mustaparta@HanneliM
• Womens Wear Daily @womensweardaily
• Modelina @Modelinia
• Bryan Boy @BryanBoy
• Julia Frakes @bunnybisous
• Meenal Mistry @meenalmistry
• COACD (Confessions of a Casting director) @COACD
• Mickey Boardman @askmrmickey
• Mercedes Benz at Fashion Week @mbfashionweek
• StyleCaster @Stylecaster

Other Things to do in the Area

Restaurants To Check Out
Between the long days trekking around the city and the even longer nights going from after party to after party, NYFW can really take it out of you. So much so that accidentally skipping meals can actually become very regular during those jam-packed 7 days or so.

But being busy is no excuse to miss out on all the amazing restaurants New York has to offer this is one of the food capitals of the world after all. Besides, youre going to need some fuel for all that walking youll inevitably be doing all week.

So whether youre in town attending the shows or just looking for some great, tasty fare, these are the restaurants you need to check out.

• The Lion 62 West 9th Street New York, NY 10011
• Waverly Inn 16 Bank St New York, 10014
• Standard Grill 848 Washington Street New York, NY 10004
• Cafe Gitane at the Jane Hotel (close to Milk) 113 Jane Street New York, NY 10014
• Rubirosa 235 Mulberry St., New York, NY 10012
• Kenmare 98 Kenmare St New York, NY 10012
• The Smile 26 Bond Street New York, NY 10012
• Babbo 110 Waverly Pl # A New York, NY 10011

Near Lincoln Center:

• Jean Georges 1 Central Park West New York, NY 10023
• Telepan 72 West 69 Street New York, NY 10023
• Bar Boulud 1900 Broadway New York, NY 10023
• The Bar Room at The Modern 9 W 53 street New York, NY 10019

View Fashion Week Restaurants in a larger map

More Fashion Week Coverage from StyleCaster

Our coverage is just beginning but you can get it all here on our very own Fashion Week page. We’ll help you stay up to date with what’s going on and give you our take on what really matters. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @StyleCaster so you don’t miss a moment of the action.