A Look into the Past of New York Fashion Week

Fashion WeekThe Fall NY Fashion week has been going on for almost a week now, and it’s been very interesting to follow. While I’m not going there, traffic and crowds are probably a nightmare, I’ve been following online. Checking out the news, seeing pictures of collections, and connecting with others watching the event online as well.

While I was researching online, thinking about potential posts about favorite collections I saw, I got curious about how it all began. When and how did NY Fashion week start? When did it become such a big event? I wanted to know, and today I will share my new knowledge of the history of fashion week with you today 🙂

Before World War II, fashion magazines were filled with the styles and trends seen in Paris, France, regardless if it was available to average Americans or not. No one really blinked at an at American fashion, until about 1943. Because of the war and Germany’s occupation of France, journalists in the fashion industry couldn’t travel to France to see the fashion shows and get the latest scoop on styles and trends. Fashion publicist Elenor Lambert saw this as an opportunity to direct some attention to the American fashion designers, and perhaps earn a place for America in the international fashion community. Through her efforts, in 1943 they had the first fashion week in America, calling it Press Week. The results were spectacular, and the event continued through the late 50s, though at varying locations.

The first official New York Fashion Week as we know it today was in 1994, the year it moved to the white tents at Bryant Park. Before then the fashion shows has been scattered around in different warehouses and showrooms throughout the city. But after an incident in 1990, where plaster from a ceiling fell and landed on a model during a show, the Council of Fashion Designers of America decided to search for a location for the event.

And that is the basic history of New York Fashion week, one of the biggest fashion events in the world. Thank you Elenor! Your brilliance made people look at American fashion design and solidified us a spot in the fashion community.

If you want to learn more about the history of fashion week check out these pages:

Times NewsFeed: A Brief History of New York Fashion Week

Smithsonian Blog: New York Fashion Week, Past and Present

The Examiner: The History of New York Fashion Week

If you interested in seeing your favorite designers collection or when they’re showing it here’s a schedule: http://nymag.com/fashion/fashioncalendar/fashionweek/

Until next time~!