Fashion is the most practical form of artistic expression. It is cultivated from the dress of art, emotions and thought. During the Fall 2008 Collection of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City, the fashion capital of the world, fashion history continued to be etched on its runways. Perhaps this act was symbolized by the Greco-Roman architectural fa‡ade of the entrance to the shows, produced by IMG Fashion.
Sixty-eight of the world’s most brilliant and intelligent designers were featured at the fashion week. While some were iconic designers, such as BCBG MAXAZRIA and Erin Fetherston, and emerging talent, such as Bravo’s Project Runway designer Vitorya Hong. The event was sponsored by numerous organizations, such as Mercedes-Benz, American Express, MAC Cosmetics, W Hotels Worldwide, Evian, The New York Times and Getty Images. American Express launched the live streaming of the “American Express Fashion Network,” at
The models were young, fresh, lean and breathtakingly beautiful. However, there is always room for improvement. My concern was directed towards the casting directors of the show, after realizing the fact that a great majority of the models were in their innocent teenage years (as early as fifteen years) who likely had little motivation to pursue further academic studies. After all, runway models make hundreds of dollars, sometimes thousands, per show. Although it was refreshing to see a larger amount of black models on the runway, the majority still looked liked clones of each other from the geographic of Eastern Europe: anonymous, ethereally thin, porcelain-pale and ash-blonde. New York City is a multicultural city, and the fashion industry lives inside a global society. Casting directors ought to be more aware about the importance of broadening diversity in the industry and producing multicultural fashion shows.
The fashion models displaced the Fall must-haves, which included crepe dresses, hats, tunics, trenches, maturity, boots, thick leggings and leather jackets. The Fall 2008 Collection was a season of severe black, shine, cashmere, dark colors, sophistication, texture, silk and pure elegance.
