Day 1: Waiting the Line Let's just say that the first day of New York Fashion Week wasn't the best. I was jolted awake from the dead of sleep at 8am to the sound of pounding on the pipes in my apartment (workers upstair doing god-knows-what). This is no fun, particularly when you're going through a bout of insomnia and need all the sleep you can get. This went on for over two hours, after which I finally fell back asleep long enough to have to wake up again and head out to the shows. On my way there, I stopped by the post office where I stood in line for nearly 40 minutes to mail some packages. I had to rush my tail off to make it to my first show, another thing I'm not too fond of. Nice start to a long week. Luckily, there were a couple highlights (Afshin Feiz, Baby Phat) to take the edge off of an otherwise crummy day. And since York Peppermint Patties were the "Official Candy of New York Fashion Week", I decided to rate the collections on a scale of one to four Patties (the number I'll have consumed by next Friday will no doubt be infinite). Enjoy!
	Afshin Feiz Menswear suiting with sweet girlie touches like satin bows and little ruffles. Interesting curved seams and detailing. Could have done without the big self fabric flowers (so Carrie Bradshaw circa the year 2000) but there were lots of pretty frocks, though I preferred the more boyish gear like the cavalry jacket and so-called "pirate pants". Favorite piece was the indigo poet blouse with the intricate little pleats. Even all of the falling shoulder straps didn't take away from how much I dug the clothes (pictured left). Dragana Ognjenovic Show was called for 4pm but when we weren't even in the door by 4:30, I left (had already wasted about 45 minutes in that line and couldn't take it anymore). Did catch the playback on the big screen later on that night in Bryant Park, however. Minimal, structured, and black, black, black. In other words, totally boring and totally not my thing. At all.
	Baby Phat I've never been a big fan of Baby Phat, to me it's glorified urban mall clothes, but nevertheless, I was excited to be going to a show that was sure to be a spectacle with some booming music. A HUGE hassle getting inside (for which I'd like to give a BIG THANKS to the awesome PR girls at Laforce-Stevens who promised I'd get into the show and totally delivered even when the security guys declared the venue at capacity). And it was bumper-to-bumper, but I managed to get a clear view of the show. The soundtrack was one straight out of my dance class: Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Busta Rhymes (felt like bustin' out a few moves of my own). The audience was hootin' and hollerin' and having a blast (Fun at Fashion Week? Who knew?!). What about the clothes? A lot of what is to be expected: short faux fur things, shorter satin mini skirts, mucho shine and sparkle. But there were also a couple of items that were more my speed, like the little swingin' double-breasted coats with big-button dresses. The puffy pantaloons and kimono sleeve frocks were really fun. A total circus, no doubt, but circuses are to be expected when you're showing your clothes in a tent, no?
Gen Art After-Party at Pasche Again, another big hassle to get in. I was on one of the guestlists but no one seemed to have my name so they sent me from person to person. I would have just assumed leave (I already felt like I'd wasted so much time during the day waiting around), but it was a trek getting out to a club that is so far west it practically rides the Hudson River, so I wasn't about to take off so quickly. Eventually, we found the right guy and went inside. All I wanted was a drink and some dancefloor space but instead, I immediately remembered why I choose not to go to bars or clubs above 14th St. The girls are all wannabe starlets in their requisite Paper Denim & Cloth jeans and Bedazzled strappy camis while the short-haired former frat boys are trying to get into their pants. The drinks were $9. We stayed for an hour. If that. Lame New Footwear Fashion Trend Skinny Jeans With Platform Shoes. Where is this considered cool? It just looks retarded when your jeans are forced to scrunch about your ankle because they are too tight to fit over your shoe. Lame Old Footwear Fashion Trend Pants Tucked Into Boots. This look should be abandoned due to overexposure (when the 7-year-old schoolgirls on my block in Williamsburg are doing it, it's time to retire). I was bored at one point during the afternoon (waiting again, of course) so I started counting the number of women who followed suit and decided to keep a running tally all week long. PIBs (Pants In Boots) on Day 1: 39

Day 2: Cattle Call Atil Kutaglu Arrived at the tents to find not a line, but more like a herd of about 300 cattle surrounding the check-in table. I cannot take being mushed in a group of this size (especially when it includes 60-year-old women who have no desire to move their elbows out of your back). So I bailed from the mob before dying of claustrophobia. Decided to wait until the line was down to nil and evenutally just walked right into the venue (a new trick I think I'll employ in the future). The show itself was a little too "tasteful" for my taste: wool brocade and tapestry coats, fox fur jackets, black velvet evening wear. Mr. Kutaglu seems to like the "inverted-triangle" silhouette, as almost every ensemble he marched possessed it: big shoulder padded puff sleeve dresses, short blouson frocks, cropped boxy Jackie O. jackets paired with Virginia Slim-cigarette pants. It was all a little too "Dynasty" revisted for me. The colors were mostly boring too, lots of greys, browns, taupes. So much so, that the black dresses with rainbow printed floral pattern really stood out that much more (and of course, were my favorites).
	Oakley As much as I wanted to go to this show, after leaving Bryant Park in the afternoon, with the drizzly weather and my feet still sore from Friday's marathon, I chose to skip it since it meant going back at 9pm. Instead, I watched it live via streaming video on the internet with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows (you can't get that in the Tents!). The clothes sort of fell into two categories, one being function and the other fashion. I wasn't quite sure what Oakley was trying to get at. Regardless, the garments that rode the "function" wave were much more appealing and what the skate/surf/snowboard company does best and it was interesting to see them inject a little more style into them. Flight-suit inspired jumpsuits, puffy coats, and nylon parachute pants had nifty buckle and strap details. They also offered a wide array of trousers lengths, from ankle to mid-calf, knee-length to super short, all worn over opaque tights. The more stylie body-conscious togs, like the bustier bodysuits and slinky cut-out dresses didn't strike the same chord with me, but the New Wave art rock jackets were pretty cool.
Quote of the Day: (overheard at Atil Kutaglu) "It's a really cool job. I like photography". I bet she thinks that puppies are cute too!

	Annoying L. Lohan Moment #1: Learning that when Lindsay Lohan paraded the runway for Friday's "The Heart Truth Red Dress" benefit show, she refused to get ready for the show backstage with the other famous models (which included Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, Sheryl Crow, and Debbie Harry). Instead, the overrated/ overexposed/ overretarded celebratty had her own make-up and hair people prep her in a trailer outside the venue. Guess she doesn't know or care about what the word "charity" means. Annoying L. Lohan Moment #2: In an article about the aforementioned Red Dress show, when WWD asked Lohan who made the rings she was wearing, she remarked how she didn't know, but "If you run a picture of me with them, maybe they'll send me more!" to which, looking at the cover to the left, WWD happily obliged.
PIBs on Day 2:: 17

Day 3: Super Bowl Sunday Rachel Comey I honestly couldn't decide whether I really just disliked the clothes or the way the stylist had assembled the looks as practically every outfit included footless lace tights (even on the male models!). It was totally a flashback to 1989 and the clothes themselves reflected that as well: the men were sporting cropped one-button blazers with leather sleeves and banded collar shirts. For the girls it was black mesh jackets, high-waisted pleated cropped trousers, and roomy jersey dresses. The men's green double-breasted coat and the girl's short shawl collar cardigan were the lone positive standouts. Nevertheless, the stylist should be put on probation as never is it acceptable to put a boy in lace tights. Ever.
	Show I Wish I'd Gone To Lacoste. With its De La Soul soundtrack and a neon-lit boom box backdrop, it was definitely a show tailor-made for me. Creative director Christophe Lemaire's inspiration (Jamel Shabazz's Back In the Days) was pretty obvious and seeing as how I'm obsessed with that book myself, he definitely made me want to rush out and buy some of the alligator gear immediately. What charmed me most about the book's hip hop subjects was how they instinctively matched their hats to their shirts to their Pumas (there is no mismatched for the sake of mismatching in these pages). And Lemaire seemed to pick up on that as well, with a model's bucket hat in the same shade of purple as her puffy boots and the stripes in her track jacket. The entire collection was infused with bright colors and happily, nothing was too big or baggy. The skinny 4-button polos for the chicks are a great modern take on a 50 year-old staple and the belted jacket with matching knickers was inspired (the hooded mini trenchcoat was especially fantastic). For the dudes, there were suede sheepskin coats, color-blocked puffy jackets, and Crayola-colored trousers. Nothing particularly innovative, but eye-catching, wearable, and for those with a sense of humor.
PIBs on Day 3:: 19

Day 4: Drinks Up! The Venue Showcase Here is where we found a showcase of 6 labels of which all tend to fall under the "urban streetwear" category. It certainly was loose in there (surely due at least in part to the gin-based cocktails being handed out). The show itself was very professional and the good intent was there, but the creativity was very much lacking. Bondage-style punk-rock wannabe tartan miniskirts with zippers, bleached out jeans, fleece logo hoodies, oversized fur-trimmed parkas...nothing really new here. The standout was Destination U, with its coed presentation of military coats, asymmetrical shrunken knitwear, and 70's-style tapestry jackets. Still, the plastic cuff bracelet in the goody bag was my favorite piece of swag so far!
	Rodebjer Who says you need to mount a huge show in Bryant Park to prove you're talented? Swedish designer Carin Rodebjer presented her clothes in a swank restaurant uptown where again, we found ourself downing some alcoholic beverages (this time, White Cosmopolitans). The intimate atmosphere definitetly helped her and us as we all got to check out the frocks close up. Sheer blouson tops, satin tulip skirts, painter's-smock dress. There was a bit of lace, in the short vests and empire waisted dresses that gave the romantic collection a bit of a medieval flavor. Come to think of it, there was definitely something of a Scarlet Letter feeling to the collection. The black dress over the white cotton blouse look especially pious. But even with the religious undertones, everything shown was very wearable, classic yet modern at the same time.
BCBG Max Azria I was very patient and at the very beginning of the "standing room" line but once we got inside the venue, all of the standing room had been taken. How did this happen? My guess is that many folks with "standing room" status shuffled inside with people who had seats (the special people with seat assignments are let in first while us hooligans have to wait outside for them to be seated before we can go in). Shit, I've really got to learn to be less nice in these situations. It's a cat-scratch-cat world under the Tents and if I'm ever going to get a good view of the runway, I've got to sharpen up the claws (has it always been this bad or is every woman at Fashion Week on the rag right now or something?). So in the end, I had to watch the show through the gap between two people's heads which meant I could see from about the waist up. From what I could gather, there were lots of lovely sexy printed blouses (or dresses), suede fur-trimmed jackets (or long coats), with a few metallic vests (or jumpers) to add some sparkle. Yeah, that's about right (or not). Note: Rating above would have been higher had I had a better view

And The "Oh No She Di'n't Award" Goes To The woman pictured here at the the BCBG show. Banana clips are back? Really? I can't believe that. I mean, if she was dressed up like some nuevo 80's hipster at Misshapes I could probably handle it a little more (or at least the gay-ness of it would be explained). But the rest of her was dressed quite properly, if not, conservatively. Next thing you know we'll be seeing butterfly clips as well. Oh, the humanity! PIBs on Day 4: 21 (but I lost count after that)