Fashion week is only about a month away. The anticipation to see what our favorite designers have in store for the 2013 fall/winter ready-to-wear shows is building and the ongoing hype around bloggers and influencers in the industry continues. For example, if you didn’t know who the Man Repeller was by the end of last season, you’ve probably been living under a rock.
Which model(s) will be in high demand? Who is the next blogger to go from obscure to influential? Will newly placed creative directors spread their wings at their respective new fashion houses? Will another designer change location or pull out of fashion week altogether? Who’s sitting in the front row?
These are the questions that we are most interested in having answered in the upcoming weeks. From one show to the next, fashion week, once only open to buyers and press, is now a public show on display in real-time to the entire world thanks to social media and developing technology.
The actual items making their way down the runway are no longer the main focus. Designers face criticism from everyone – an internet connection is all that is needed to state one’s opinion.
Yet they persevere – season after season – to bring us inspiration, fantasy and creativity in only a few minutes. This year, ready-to-wear fashion week kicks off in New York on February 7 and continues through Valentine’s Day (that’s Feb. 14 for those who don’t celebrate). London (Feb. 15-19), Milan (Feb. 19-26), and Paris Haute Couture (Jan. 21-24) and RTW (Feb. 26 – Mar. 6) follow close behind. Let’s not forget about the gentlemen: Jan. 16-20 are the dates for the menswear shows in Paris.
We’ve already learned Tom Ford is showing his first major womenswear catwalk show in London and L’Wren Scott is opting to show in London as well on Feb. 17. Cacherel is not showing at Paris Fashion Week and Givenchy will skip the haute couture shows in Paris this January.
Let’s see… what else? Raf Simons and Hedi Slimane will remain in the spotlight as this will be their first fall/winter 2013 ready-to-wear collections for Dior and Saint Laurent, respectively.
There is one man who can steal that spotlight… depending on what Balenciaga has in store for us with Alexander Wang as their newly appointed creative director.
We’re in for a whirlwind fall/winter 2013 season. Again.
See you there!
