What I Love Most About Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

Hint: It's not the fashion!

I love fashion and designers and all of the glamour and gorgeousness that goes along with New York (now Mercedes Benz) Fashion week. Trust me, I see some of the photos of the incredible clothes and my heart aches to be a millionaire and be able to wear those things.

Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times.

But what really gets my heart racing is thinking about how it all happened. Who is checking to make sure each model is ready to hit the runway at each show? Who developed the program that's running check-in at the entrance? How many people did it take to run power to everything? Who figured out how that was going to happen? Can you imagine being responsible for all of this?

 

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This year, that role goes to Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, the Lincoln Center's first-ever director of fashion who oversees year-round activities on the campus; and Christina Neault, executive producer at IMG Fashion - the company that produces the event. *Sigh* These women have a hand in everything from the crew that built the travertine-esque entrance to the person handling a designer's last minute seating changes. Not to mention the whole however-many runway shows thing. How exhilirating!

Photograph by Lanna Apisukh

On top of all that, Fashion Week changed locations this year! It came to the Lincoln Center after being in Bryant Park since 1993. Changing a venue is almost like starting from scratch when it comes to event logistics. IMG Fashion added a week to their usual set up time, increasing it to 18 days. 18 days! The advantages of the Lincoln Center far outweigh the stress of changing things. The facilities are larger and the design and technology are better for guests and producers alike. Plus, they won't have to use port-a-potties anymore.

Wait what? People at Fashion Week use Port-a-Potties?! Yes, according to BizBash, "Instead of the typical self-contained restrooms that stood in a separate room at Bryant Park, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center will station three luxury bathroom trailers in the common areas and provide 18 standard units backstage." I'm sure the old ones didn't look like the port-a-potties I'm used to.

So yes, my favorite part about Fashion Week (as it is with the Olympics, the Superbowl or any other world-reknowned event) is thinking about what the people there have to do to make it happen and wishing I was there to help. And I wouldn't mind taking a few outfits home either.
  

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Check out these articles for more MBFW info: In Tents: N.Y. Fashion Week's new home fits like a glove; New York Fashion Week's Move to Lincoln Center Brings New Design and Technology; 10 Ways Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Is Changing at Lincoln Center; Mercedes Benz Fashion Week