Picture this, it’s 1943, we’re in the midst of World War II, and the occupation of France made it impossible for non-essential American personnel, including fashion buyers and editors, to travel to Paris for the bi-annual fashion shows. Well, American publicist Eleanor Lambert decided where there’s a will there’s a way and organized New York City’s first Fashion Week. As they say, “A star is born.” To this day, the week following Labor Day has been designated Fashion Week in New York. Each September, the Spring/Summer collections for the following year, are showcased by the best designers in America and from around the world, and are presented under tents at Bryant Park. (In February, they present the Fall collections.) Fashion Week, now sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, features more than 60 fashion shows which are attended by thousands of journalists, editors, producers, buyers and celebrity guests. This September, my daughter Vanessa and I were honored to be among the guests at this amazing event.

10:30AM, Friday, September 7: Vanessa and I arrived at Bryant Park and were met by the infamous paparazzi as we entered the venue. They instructed us to stand together, look this way or that and they even photographed my bag (black patent leather Chanel). There were several sponsor booths in the main lobby giving away lots of great swag (free gifts). The Lycra booth offered canvas bags, nail polish, and mascara by Rimmel London while promoting the benefits of Lycra. MAC make-up gave away cool notebooks and pens, as did American Express. Moet & Chandon champagne had an elevated lounge overlooking a vintage Mercedes convertible and a brand new McLaren. Vanessa’s favorite was the Havaiana booth where you could design your own “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week” flip flops.

At 11:00, we were escorted to our reserved seats at the Tracy Reese show and saw Star Jones, Tim Gunn (Project Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style), former super model Veronica Webb and singer Maya all holding court with reporters. To our delight, there were bags filled with gifts and an invitation to the Tracy Reese after-party under each seat. Soon, the lights were dimmed and the show began. We loved seeing the designs featuring a nice mix of prints and solids in lavender, bright pink, yellow and beautiful shades of blue on the models, which were all wearing the same braided hair style. The designer put light blue and red together in a few outfits and added a bright colored accessory to most of the neutrals. My favorite was a fitted strapless beige dress with large whip-stitching on the waist and pockets.

2PM, Friday, September 7: Milissa, my friend from New York, came to meet me for the Max Azria show. Once again, there were celebrities surrounded by photographers. This time it was the beautiful Ivanka Trump and the singer Ciara. I even spotted Anna Wintour (editor of Vogue and rumored to be the subject of “The Devil Wears Prada”), slouched in her front row seat wearing large dark sunglasses which she kept on during the entire show. There was a folder on each seat with a description of the collection, “dreamy silhouettes evoke sensual allure with intimate luxury,” as well as an invitation to a private party. Max Azria showed mostly dresses in beige, black, gray and metallic that were fitted but with a bit of swing and varied in length. The fabrics were silky, with many featuring little pleats either on the bodice or the bottom. The models all wore their hair in low pony tails and walked to the beat of some great soulful R &B music.

5PM Saturday, September 8: My friend, Amy, accompanied me to the Rebecca Taylor show. We relaxed in the Mercedes-Benz lounge before and afterward. They treated us to open bar, appetizers and dessert. Once alongside the runway, we saw many celebrities sitting in the front row: actresses Emmy Rossum, Mena Suvari and Carmen Electra, as well as singer Natasha Bedingfield. The models all wore their hair in a messy bun on top of their head and had on retro sunglasses. Rebecca Taylor showed a mix of dresses, pants, skirts and jackets. The fabrics were luxurious and many featured sequins and ruffles. It was so warm in New York, we were ready to start wearing the summer designs right then and there.

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