Chicago Fashion Week...on par with NYC?

In 1994, New York City's Bryant Park became the new site of what is now known as "Fashion Week." The shows began in 1943 as "Press Week," and were held for American editors and journalists who were unable to see the Paris fashion shows. Almost seventy years later, Fashion Week has taken on a life of its own, becoming an exclusive event held twice a year which showcases fashion, technology, and celebrity.

This week, American and European designers alike are presenting their Fall/Winter collections to the world, both live and over the internet (blogs, streaming video, and micro-blog sites such as Twitter come to mind). In the wake of Alexander McQueen's passing, there is a definite solemnity in the air, but style prevails even in sad times. Designers such as DVF, Victoria Beckham, and Carolina Herrera stand out to me for their tailoring, saturated color, and femininity. A taste of their work (images thanks to CocoPerez.com):

Chic prints at Carolina Herrera


Ladylike with a sexy edge at Victoria Beckham


Peacocks abound at DVF!



It saddened me greatly to click on http://www.chicagofashionweek.com/ and find only this:


Chicago is a city of nearly three million! We have a world-class Orchestra, the Lyric Opera, the Art Institute, the architecture of Louis Sullivan and Mies van der Rohe, bustling Michigan Avenue stores, Ikram...and our fashion week is "under construction" because its backers pulled out/lack of interest?

My husband and I were discussing this at dinner the other night. According to Todd, Chicago IS an affluent city with lots of culture; we're just not affluent in the way New York, London, or even Los Angeles are. The sheer number of millionaires/billionaires/people of means in those world capitals is simply higher than it is in Chicago.

Great art needs backers to thrive. No surviving painting, sculpture, play, operetta, or piece of clothing languishes in obscurity. Take a moment to think about what fashion and art mean to you, my readers, and be grateful for its presence in our lives. And consider what we need to do to make Chicago Fashion Week viable again.