Lifestyle: A day in the life of fashion writer

A Day in the Life, by Lisa Marsh
New York’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is a free-for-all when it comes to scheduling. The “week” is actually eight days, spread Friday to Friday. With multiple shows scheduled every hour from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. or even later, one week can feel like much more. And then there are all the breakfast presentations, lunches, dinners and parties that someone finds the time to attend. Granted, no one tries to attend everything—it would be humanly impossible—and even trying to make what seems like a manageable schedule work can sometimes be a mission impossible. Still, we always try. Follow along as I make my way through a busy day.
9:45 a.m. – I’m late leaving my apartment. With two children under the age of 3, getting out of the door in the morning in a timely fashion is next to impossible, so I leave covering the 9 a.m. shows to others. Today’s show is Peter Som, the new designer for Bill Blass, so he’ll be watched closely. However, the snowy whiteout currently falling from the sky probably made getting there quite a chore.
10:20 a.m. – Waiting for the Carolina Herrera show to start at the Bryant Park tents. This is a show for the ladies, and I do mean those who lunch. Socialites such as Tory Burch, Aerin and Jane Lauder, Sommars Farkas, Olivia Chanticaille, a Roosevelt—and an heiress or seven—line the front rows. Carolina always shows on Mondays, the same day as Oscar de la Renta, and I always feel compelled to wear a dress or a suit instead of my standard dress over jeans or sweater and jacket. Today, I’m debuting a dress from Vera Wang’s Simply Vera line for Kohl’s, which looks pretty darn good for a mere $44.
10:50 a.m. – In a car, on the way to West Chelsea. Carolina was simply gorgeous and adorned with lots of long feathers, one of which brushed across the laps of Fran Lebowitz, Dominick Dunne and Vogue’s Andre Leon Talley among others, which made for a laugh. We’re on the way to French designer Catherine Malandrino’s show at the Chelsea Art Museum. Though the Bryant Park tents are a perfectly good venue for a fashion show, many designers choose to show off-site, which makes for grumpy fashion writers, particularly in the rain.
11:50 a.m. – The Malandrino show was a perfect complement for a rainy Monday, particularly with its stormy colors of emerald, petrol, artichoke and olive. I loved some of the over-embroidered sleeves that are meant to look like mosaics. There’s tons of fur in this collection, mainly shaved mink. Now tell me, if the mink is shaved short, is it still warm?
1:15 p.m. – In a car again and running late for Oscar de la Renta. I also review fashion shows for the New York Post and I was supposed to meet up with my editor from the paper, but she is nowhere to be found.
1:16 p.m. – Phew. Editor called, she had to attend the Jill Stuart show and will meet me at Oscar, which is in a former synagogue on Park Avenue and 63rd Street.
1:20 p.m. – Huge snafu. The Oscar de la Renta show is halfway over as I arrive. Who would ever start a fashion show on time? Oscar, that’s who. But no fashion show is ever on time—they’re notoriously late because of tardy VIPs, traffic, weather, or late arriving models. At least I’m in good company—French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld, American Vogue's Andre Leon Talley and Hamish Bowles and the Bergdorf Goodman buying team walked in with me.
From what I did see, the bright jewel-y tones, embroidery, chunky hand-knit sweaters and tweeds, lace overlays and so forth and so on, looked quite nice.
2 p.m. – I have a break and am dashing to Pret a Manger to grab a sandwich, soda and a sliver of carrot cake. When you’re slaving away like I am, you need a little reward.
Not only are there multiple shows at every time slot, designers who don’t do runway shows sometime choose to have open houses. I should take this time to dash to a couple of those, mainly Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent, Hollywould, Ellen Tracy and Jennifer Alfano; instead, I’m going to use this time to recharge and try to get to the 4 p.m. show ON TIME.
3:55 p.m. – I’m in my seat at Thakoon, which has got to be a record. There’s practically no one else here in this West Chelsea gallery space, but a wait never hurt anyone. I’m seated next to stylist Susan Joy, who made her reality television debut on “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” as the facilitator of a challenge. She said it was three days of being followed for three minutes of face time. Thakoon is a former assistant at Harper's Bazaar who has been receiving award nominations left and right. His show should be good.
4:45 p.m. – Another record—I’m now in my seat for Doo.ri’s 5 p.m. show. It helps that this show is six blocks from the Thakoon show and a quick walk. Thakoon’s show, by the way, was very pretty. He was very into plaid and floral prints and mixing the two, which looked smart. Good for him.
5:30 p.m. – Doo.ri was a revelation. This young designer won the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Swarovski Award for emerging talent two years ago and has been soaring ever since. She usually works in matte silk jersey, but this season she has sculpted, bonded jersey dresses that are just gorgeous, as well as some amazing hand knits. I can’t wait for next fall.
6:30 p.m. – After a quick break at the New York Post offices, mainly to change out of heels and into flats, I’m off to my last show of the day—Ports 1961, at the Bryant Park tents, which have taken on a party atmosphere. At cocktail hour every day, a bar opens in the lobby tent and drinks are served by one of the liquor sponsors. Tonight they’re pouring Rioja wines. I’m going to pass. After the day I’ve had, wine would send me into a coma.
8 p.m. – Ports was highly anticipated, but I was left disappointed. It’s just a little too raw and crunchy for my taste. If I was super-ambitious, I’d be off to the Proenza Schouler show in the Park Avenue Armory. However, after a 10-hour day, I’m off to write up my reviews and notes at home—and, if I hurry, I can still kiss the kids before they’re off to sleep. I can’t wait to do it all over again tomorrow.
Lisa Marsh is the author of The House of Klein: Fashion, Controversy, and a Business Obsession (Wiley), a book on Calvin Klein, and has written for WWD, DNR, People, InTouch Weekly, Glamour, Robb Report and The Australian newspaper. Her second book Marvin Traub: Like No Other Career will be published by Assouline in April 2008. She lives in New York City.