Fashion Week

Recession? What Recession?

viv red aw09 14.JPGThat recession thing everyone was obsessing over during New York Fashion Week? Well, in London, they have no idea what you’re talking about.

From our first show, Ashish - which featured a raging live performance, acrobats and gift bags packed full of makeup - to the last, there wasn’t even the slightest sign of an economic downturn. Champagne and food flowed, beer, wine and liquor, too; coffee in the mornings, water, Vitamin water, and Godiva chocolates everywhere you turned.

Gift bags popped up at almost every show - two at some like Roksanda and PPQ - totes packed with cosmetics, hair products, magazines, t-shirts and Barbies. And it felt like every single designer had an after party - including magazine and store parties, there must have been at least seven events a night.

And the photo pits, which we noticed were considerably smaller in New York this season, were huge. Not just at shows like Vivienne Westwood, but at Charles Anastase and Krystof Srozyna, too.

More importantly, no one even talked about it. Except for us of course, desperately running around asking everyone both British and American why it felt different on this side of the Atlantic. No one had an answer.

So we’ll leave it up to Paris - let the French have the final say in just how much the industry’s letting its inner turmoil reflect in its public face while we recover from London’s rollicking week-long party.

Comments

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posted by guest

Feb 26, 2009 1:36PM

that's very interesting. the british economy is actually in much much worse shape than the us economy. i feel like it says something about the difference between the two cultures and how they feel about escapism.

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posted by guest

Feb 26, 2009 1:57PM

I think it's maybe just the British fashion industry that's not talking about the recession, or that their answer to it is throwing awesome shows.

I was just in London for a week at the end of January, and I felt like they were talking about the recession even more than over here. The pound was super low at that point, almost $1.4 to a pound. My friends, my grandparents, newspapers etc. were all focused on the recession and it seemed inescapable.

Perhaps it was just the people you were talking to, as I doubt that that much could have changed in just a month.

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posted by guest

Feb 26, 2009 2:39PM

I think it speaks to how fabulous the British fashion scene is compared to ours. I would kill to go just once. The shows in NYC have never been that awe inspiring ever, apart from a handful of designers. The new Brit designers are phenomenal - no wonder the sponsors are excited. William Rast vs. Jssh Goot,anyone?

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posted by guest

May 27, 2009 11:09AM

I’ve seen that this charity auction website has got Disney ‘Mickey Ears’ up for auction designed by PPQ to help raise money for charity. The Mickey Ears are being exhibited in Brix Smith-Start’s boutique START, London. Here’s the link if anyone wants a look,

http://www.buyoncegivetwice.co.uk/event/mymickeyears

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