Fashion Woes: Celebrity Sightings Upstaging Fashion

New York Fashion Week, which showcased new collections two weeks ago, 
seemed to be hiding something amid all the finery. Newcomer Rosa 
Cha, the
 Brazilian Beachwear Company found that offering a front row seat no longer cuts it, even though it used to be akin to Charlie finding the Golden Ticket. 
Cha hired a public relations firm to woo celebrities and up-and-coming stars, and then found they also needed to provide free car service to lure the desired crowd. Is
 fashion no longer the feature show, but the filler? Clothing collections are having a difficult time holding their own against the distraction of celebrity show-goers, music groups performing, the swag and free entertainment.

Fashion shows are critically important for upcoming new designers. They must draw the right crowd to attract magazine and news attention. While the actual runway show isn’t a profitable venture, media exposure is priceless and can help make designers a household name. The newest form of fashion reviewer may not be fashion critics, reporters or editors, but the celebrity whose nod of approval is simply their appearance.

Front row fashion seats used to be reserved for important cliental, buyers, society fixtures and magazine editors or writers. A look at today’s front row fashion seat set is a virtual who’s who of celebrities, including movie stars, singers, reality television stars and public hungry socialites. Fashion writer Carolyn Enting, takes a stab at this new cultural phenom hitting the fashion world. She states that, “Celebrity is part of the culture here and, during Fashion Week, a celebrity at your show gives you twice the media exposure.”

For the most part, designers are coming to the rude awakening that to entice famous face attendees; they may need to offer financial incentives. Gone are the days when an invitation by itself was considered a coup. Now designers may have to throw in free hair and make-up services, clothing, car services and swag galore, as an enticement for the desirable to show up.

Besides all the aforementioned perks, celebrities who show up get free press when their name and photos appear in newspapers, magazines and the net. Apparently this is a good mix, because even A-list celebrity Charlize Theron showed up at several shows including Dior, and was featured in several magazines, ranging from US weekly to Vogue. She was wearing a piece from the new Dior collection, giving the collection great exposure.

Famous designers also befriend celebrities, a la Gwyneth Paltrow for Valentino or Stella McCartney. These friendships curry extra good will as a favor to the fashion house. As expected, young and B list celebrities are more willing to show up to promote their name and further their public profile. This whole media hungry bunch seems to have shifted the priorities of a fashion show from the designer’s collection to the show itself.

Many designers were left scrambling this year trying to fill front row seats. Designers are starting to get tired of dealing with demanding celebrities, who they think distract attention away from the clothing collection, diverting it to themselves. Pictures are being printed in magazines of celebrities watching the show, rather than pictures of the show itself. Photographers are more interested in catching an exclusive shot of Demi Moore chit-chatting or whispering during the show to Lucy Lui or her husband, Ashton Kutcher, than what is coming down the runway.

Celebrity intrusions are not the sole cause of the second row seats fashion has taken in its own shows, but they are the most notable. Fashion magazines know celebrities rock the marketing world and have increasingly used celebrities instead of fashion models to attract readers. Forbes magazine columnist Kiri Blakeley points out, “A decade ago, models graced 10 of the 12 covers of American Vogue. Last year, only one model made the cover, and that was Linda Evangelista.”

Fashion that is less than center stage could also be an indication of what the Japanese blogger, Raiko points out, “Fashion shows are misnomers. They are art shows really. With the art being made out of fabric, make-up and hair spray.” Raiko’s points out that much of the clothing that is being displayed is no longer wearable everyday clothing, but more about creating an experience or atmosphere that it is avant-garde or cutting edge. Raiko’s opinion may explain fashion being glossed over for celebrity. Unwearable clothing, art or not, has little draw to the consumer.

At any rate, it is undeniable that designers are tired of putting in all the work and time necessary for a runway collection, only to be eclipsed by a famous celebrity. At the end of the day, shouldn’t the excitement be about the new clothing collections, not promoting the Mischa Barton’s of the world.