For many, just attending the New York Fashion Week is an honour enough worthy of praise; some designers may even only have the honour of featuring their creations at the New York Fashion Week however there exists an even great honour that very few will ever see realised and that is to feature designs in ‘The Tents.’ The Tents are exclusively the centre stage of the New York Fashion Week where only the crème de la crème of the fashion industry feature their creations and designs. To grab a seat at the catwalk of the New York Fashion Week under ‘The Tents’ is to live vicariously as a physical embodiment of the industry as a whole. Tickets to ‘The Tents’ are often given to major players in the industry and to get hold of one of those tickets requires either a lot of influence, power or investment in the fashion industry; money alone is not the way.
The Origin of The Tents
‘The Tents’ were brainstormed into existence in the early 1990s and various major names have cemented their names in history by featuring creations there while big breaks have been made by smaller designers. ‘The Tests’ are the heart and soul of the New York Fashion Week and the schedule of the biggest names in the industry literally revolve around making an appearance at The Tents,’ Donna Karin, Tommy Hilfiger and Glenda Bailey are just a few of the names who have made iconic collections immortalised under the covers of ‘The Tents.’
The Iconography of The Tents
‘The Tents’ are white tents erected every spring and fall at the New York Fashion Week. Dates of the tents construction are circled red in many major fashion magazines’ schedule and every year many editorials and articles are written about the features to expect and the names to watch. So iconic are ‘The Tents’ that a documentary has been produced about the phenomenon. Directed by James Belzer and starring a host of big names in fashion, the documentary has been tipped off to be quite amazing and informative; so if you’re planning a fashion weekend with friends, grab a copy of this documentary and feature it on night for maximum fun.
Katie Holmes Debuts at The Tents
Obviously the big news from ‘The Tents’ this year is the fact that Katie Holmes’ label, Holmes&Yang will be making its debut under the white tarps. All eyes will be on the collection at the 2012 New York Fashion Week because of the recent news of the TomKat split. This presentation is a prestigious honour for Katie Holmes and should see her edge out rival Victoria Beckham because of ‘The Tents.’ This year’s New York Fashion Week should be interesting to watch because we’ll have front row seats to see the maturing of Katie Holmes in the fashion industry.
Eugene Calvini is a writer and fashion commentator; from womens tops to men’s suits, he enjoys sharing his perspective on the fashion industry.