New York City recently encountered one of its most prestigious weeks: New York Fashion Week! Fashion Week is one of the most important times for what is known as the “fashion capital of the world” here in NYC. Fashion week took place this February 7-14, allowing some of the world’s most successful fashion designers to preview some of the newest designs for upcoming collections. Not all of us city folk have the opportunity to attend these highly private fashion events. The solution? An event touted as Couture Fashion Week.  Taking place in downtown Manhattan over a period of three days, Couture Fashion Week gives New Yorkers a taste of what the fashion scene is really like. Though the designers are less renowned (many people, myself included, do not know who they are), it is an opportunity for us to get a glimpse of upcoming fashion trends and the chance to experience the excitement of seeing models strut down the catwalk.  

The show I attended on February 17th at the New York Hotel showcased two wonderful designers: Tyrell Mason (Tyrell Collection) and Lourdes Atencio. Both designers displayed their stunning talent for fashion design through dresses with bold prints, creative texture and innovative shape. Not only were the designs aesthetically outstanding, there were two great performances to open and close the show that gave it an exceptional flow. Despite the fact that some of the models seemed inexperienced, I felt that they pulled off the clothing very well and the show overall was quite pleasing.

The best aspect to the concept of a ticketed fashion show is the opportunity it gives to everyone. The ticket prices ranged from $45 upward to $150. I attended with some friends.  We purchase seats for $55 and we were seated three rows back from the runway. Not only do normal people interested in fashion get to experience a real show, but women and men who are training to be models as well as smaller designers who want to show off their work get a chance to be part of such an event. Additionally, the fashion show may have been small, but it was very well attended.  The show was advertised as being sponsored by Lancome, an extremely established and popular makeup brand. As a whole, I was very impressed by the entire presentation and I was glad that I was able to participate in it.