The Who-hair at Guy Laroche made it easy to ignore the chunky sequin dresses and boxy jackets.

I went to the show because I’m still kind of obsessed with Hilary Swank’s Boys Don’t Cry Oscar dress - and even though Guy Laroche circa 2005 was designed by Herve Leroux (formerly Leger) and Guy Laroche circa 2009 is designed by Swede Marcel Marongiu, I was hoping for something of substance.

The show was small, in a room at the Louvre, and the models were good - Eniko Mihalik, Tanya D, Tasha Tilberg, Ali Stephens - but the clothes were made for the loyal customers sitting fifth row and the random New York socialites in the first. Those thigh high boots, however, a real leather version of the vegan friendly version Stella McCartney showed earlier in the morning, were made for the teenage models rocking them down the runway.

Backstage, before the show, more than one threatened to run off with them and I’ll admit, I was tempted.

You fall into one of two camps these days: Either, “I’m not shopping til this thing is over” or “I’m only buying really spectacular pieces.”

And in the midst of Fashion Weeks, it’s pretty difficult to stick to the former, especially when Style.com’s just let us in on a major secret.

Matches, the uber-hip British boutique, has teamed up with a handful of designers - McQueen, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Jil Sander, Belstaf, Louboutin, Herve Leger - to bring their most devoted shoppers a few select gems. Most of the designers have produced about one hundred pieces of their exclusive designs (some, like Balenciaga, at left, have only made five) and each will sell with a numbered certificate. Most cost a fortune, but some are within reach. Most, actually all, are gorgeous.

And even if you’re sticking to a no shopping mandate, it doesn’t hurt to look.

We’ll sum up the Miss Sixty show quickly - Stam opened, Coco sat front row next to Mischa Barton, Karlie death-walked, Sasha’s hair looked dirty, there were denim jumpsuits, Pretty Woman hats, slogan tees and this one red coat we really loved - because we need to talk about what American Express is doing to Fashion Week.

Let me preface this by saying that if I wasn’t lucky enough to be invited to fashion shows and had the money to buy my way in, I probably would. But the divide between those in the industry and those looking for a party in the tents is widening and making it increasingly frustrating for those needing to do their jobs.

Chelsea’s the indie version of the tents. Its small venues have housed Vena Cava, Band of Outsiders, Ohne Titel, Preen - all shows mostly attended by those who work in fashion (plus Kanye). Despite lines and small entrances, there is no pushing (ok, Rag & Bone doesn’t count), no grabbing, and no yelling because everyone will get inside, everyone will see the clothes and everyone will politely and graciously do their jobs.

In comparision, the tents are a battlefield. Just getting in line is a nightmare full of groping, shoving, attitude and foot stomping. At Erin Fetherston, we witnessed a girl try to scare an editor out of his seat by screaming, “I paid good money for this seat!” We’ve overheard AmEx customers speak to the frazzled PR girls like they’re twelve when unhappy with their $200 seats. The girls behind me at Herve (their bought tickets were a gift) laughed obnoxiously at the falling models. And if you dare block the elite skybox in the big tent, which cuts down the standing section considerably, you risk being escorted out by security.

It’s easy to forget that Fashion Week is, essentially, just a semi-glamorous convention. Everyone within a very small industry convenes in one place to discuss its changing nature and see what’s new. It is both exhausting and rewarding work made that much harder by those looking for a Devil Wears Prada moment.

Should AmEx stop their support of fashion week? No, but they should probably include an etiquette book with their ticket package.

Someone besides Carine is majorly crushing on Chrisophe Decarnin’s designs for Balmain.

Mr. Azria paid tribute to the cult designer with peaked shoulder and slivers of sparkles on very rock star dresses. This was a much harder side of Herve Leger and the best of it belonged on the crowd that spends its nights partying in Paris, not the crowd sitting in the front row.

The Herve show always brings out an eceletic collection of television ‘starlets’. This year offered Sophia Bush, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lucy Liu, one of the new 90210 chicks, Joy Bryant and much to my Mad Men obsessive delight, a glowing January Jones.

They may not be the A-list, but they were a good group of girls to have around when taking a tumble on the runway. Not one, but two models spilled in their spiked platforms. They laughed, the crowd cheered and all was well in the land of commercial fashion.

As for the clothes? Lots and lots of sparkles, rough textures, bandaged dresses, of course, and cut-outs which are apparently the new sheer.

First girl to wear the one-shouldered disco ball get up gets a star in our book.

What follows is a list of why Alexander Wang is the most perfect Valentine.

1. This isn’t a fashion show, it’s a rock concert at Roseland Ballroom.

2. He’s incorporated both chocolate and tequila into his pre-show cocktails. They might taste foul but it’s a valiant and appreciated effort.

3. Ok, so he has nothing to do with this one but walking into a venue shoulder to shoulder with a Margiela clad Sarah Jessica Parker is kind of cool.

4. The black bandage leggings - like an Herve dress for your legs - make me wish I was sitting next to Rachel Zoe so we could die together.

5. My box of Sweethearts are 90% white and that never happens.

6. He opens the show with “Welcome to the Jungle” which means the front row - Fabiola, Lauren Santo Domingo, Erin Wasson, Pamela Love, Keegan Singh, Jen Brill, the Richards sisters, Derek Blasberg - is seriously rocking out. I like to think Anna, Bee, DVF and SJP are rocking out, too.

7. He takes his bow wearing a backstage pass around his neck, as if they aren’t going to let him in.

8. This is unrelated to his Valentine qualifications, but there was fur. Discuss.