The Big Schmozzle: A New York Fashion Week primer Part I

kit willow podgornik backstage, new york sep 07

So to answer frockwriter’s own question - Is Alice McCall to be one of only three Australians showing at New York Fashion Week? – no, as it turns out, McCall is not. With the SS09 season officially kicking off in New York on Friday, a few previously airborne juggling balls have now landed. Here’s a headsup on which antipodians are showing, when.

Three Australian NYFW regulars are either not showing this season, or have gone elsewhere.


josh goot and cousin micaela ezra backstage, new york feb 07

As previously reported, Jayson Brunsdon and sass & bide are sitting the season out and Josh Goot will show at London Fashion Week.


josh goot FW0708 new york feb 07

Evidently a number of locals continue to scratch their heads about how New York Fashion Week works. They include journalists, publicists and even some designers.

Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, Alice McCall and Willow are not showing "on-schedule". Both happen to be listed on a document called the Fashion Calendar, which is essentially a road map of fashion presentations in NYC. With up to as many as six listings in the one time slot.


ray costarella backstage, new york feb 07

However the only thing approaching an official, centralised, organised - and indeed, civilised - schedule at New York Fashion Week is what is currently called Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Neither McCall nor Willow are on this season's schedule.

Founded by the Council of Fashion Designers of America [CFDA] in 1993, originally as 7th on Sixth, and sold to IMG in 2001, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is the centrifuge of New York Fashion Week. It embraces eight days of shows - 85 of them all up this season.

The majority of these shows take place in show tents at Bryant Park. This season there are also 14 off-site - but nevertheless on-schedule - shows staged in various venues around Manhattan. The latter include Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Australia’s own Toni Maticevski.


aurelio costarella FW0708 new york feb 07

Here is a list of antipodians doing runway presentations in New York. It includes Kiwi Karen Walker and New York-based Australian expat Michael Angel who, as frockwriter reported two weeks ago, is opening IMG's schedule.

• MICHAEL ANGEL
ON-SCHEDULE Friday 5th September 9am The Salon, Bryant Park

• ALICE MCCALL
OFF-SCHEDULE Friday 5th September 6pm The Altman Building, 135 West 18th Street

• TONI MATICEVSKI
ON-SCHEDULE Saturday 6th September 12pm Roger Williams Hotel, 131 Madison Ave

• KAREN WALKER
OFF-SCHEDULE Saturday 6th September 3pm The Altman Building, 135 West 18th Street

• WILLOW
OFF-SCHEDULE Thursday 11th September 1.30pm

• AURELIO COSTARELLA
ON-SCHEDULE Thursday 11th September 9pm The Salon, Bryant Park

aurelio costarella FW0708 new york feb 07