Thursday, February 11th, marked the first official day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in the Tents at Bryant Park.
The morning of Day 1 was quickly overshadowed by news that famed British designer Alexander McQueen had committed suicide. In this day in age, word spreads quickly–I first heard the moment I pulled up Twitter that morning. Apparently, news broke during the BCBG show, wherein long-standing Vogue Editrix, Anna Wintour, first heard the news and went running out mid-show. Other friends and colleagues were also horrified by the news, including Naomi Campbell who was seen soon after and described as “visibly distraught.”
As with the bad news, any news during Fashion Week is able to be funneled and shared quickly, thanks to the evolution of the fashion bloggerati. No longer do we have to wait to read about it in the pages of WWD or The New York Times, instead, fashion followers are blogging the news, Facebooking the pictures, and Twittering the trends in bite-sized pieces.
Publishing the story first has become increasingly important. It lends itself to getting referenced and quoted in other media outlets and it helps your blog or publication in getting ranked higher on Google. It is even more important though, to the subjects of the matter. One blogger’s opinion has the power to impact how the show will be received overall and dangerously lends itself to other bloggers and traditional reporters following suit. I guess it’s a media phenomenon which some might refer to as lazy journalism.
Sponsors are catching on to new media as well. The main area of the tents now boasts a giant leader board, sponsored by American Express. It posts a Twitter feed in real time, by the minute, featuring Fashion related tweets from anyone that uses the #FW hashtag. People insides the shows are twittering the stand out trends as on lookers watch from outside.
The tents are also now fully equipped for the blogger lifestyle, with a media lounge that promotes wireless internet and battery-charging outlets.
Finally, this season’s New York Fashion Week is also memorable, because it is going to be the very last season in the Bryant Park Tents. In September, the semi-annual show moves itself to Lincoln Center.
[IMAGES: Fashion Designer and Washington Style Reporter, Ms. Bob Bland of Brooklyn Royalty, sports an outfit tailored to the morning's heartbreaking McQueen news]
[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]