CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Fashion

      COVID Restrictions Are Making New York Fashion Week Very Exclusive

      FRONT ROW

      “I get the sense there’s a lot of trepidation from folks attending shows this season,” says Fashionista Editor in Chief Tyler McCall. “It all feels very ‘Rome is burning.’”

      Alaina Demopoulos

      Updated Sep. 08, 2021 5:12AM ET / Published Sep. 08, 2021 4:39AM ET 

      Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Christian Siriano

      New York Fashion Week organizers often employ a key statistic to justify all the fuss: the biannual event brings 230,000 people to the city and raises $532 million in visitor spending per year. But as the concerns about the ongoing pandemic and Delta surge slash guest lists and gut seating arrangements, this number will surely decline.

      Labels like Tom Ford, Jonathan Simkhai, LaQuan Smith, Rodarte, and Christian Cowan have all cited reduced capacity when declining fashionistas who wish to attend their shows. Smith, who will be the first designer to host a runway at the Empire State Building, told WWD that only 150 people have been invited “compared to his typical 350” guests.

      ‌

        “It’s even more important to be exclusive at this time,” he told the trade. “Obviously, from a safety perspective, but also because it’s time to minimize and scale back, zero in on what’s important and eliminate the excess.”

        The New York Post reported that “most shows will be between 150 and 200 attendees—instead of the 500-plus audiences from the past—and most of the audience will be composed of industry professionals rather than friends of the designer and fans.”

        Lindsey Solomon runs an eponymous fashion and lifestyle communications firm and reps the labels Collina Strada and Sandy Liang. He told The Daily Beast that guest lists for both shows are about one third of what they were pre-pandemic, even with Collina Strada showing outdoors on the Brooklyn Grange rooftop.

        “I know everyone who’s meant to be there,” Solomon said. “I think [the capacity limits] gives me the opportunity to say, ‘I’m sorry but who are you?’ And I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense. If you’re meant to be here, you get invited. You don’t get to go to everything. I’m also more firm in saying, you’re going standing [room only].”

        In the past, Solomon says he has been more “lenient” with the guest list. “I would throw a bone to a cute influencer or someone who just wants to go to Fashion Week, but [this time] I’ve had to say ‘I’m sorry.’”

        “It’s a hard pill for certain people to swallow, but it creates more of an ambience. There are less tent rats and more people who need to be there.”
        — Lindsey Solomon

        Less than 24 hours before the Collina Strada show, which takes place Tuesday at 7pm, Solomon said he’s received “over 200 emails from people who said they forgot to RSVP.”

        “It’s too late,” he said. “I have to prioritize timeliness. If you’re RSVPing to me at 12:45 for a 7 o’clock show, to be frank—every request with the exception of one, I’ve had to say, ‘No, I’m sorry. You had three weeks to RSVP.’”

        Solomon added, “It’s a hard pill for certain people to swallow, [but] it creates more of an ambience. There are less tent rats and more people who need to be there.”

        Tyler McCall, editor-in-chief of Fashionista, agrees that the limited capacity will “inevitably mark a return to more ‘exclusive shows’ than have been the case over the past several years.” But she added another unintended perk: “I think it will help disguise that a lot of international press won’t be at the shows due to COVID restrictions.”

        “I’m acutely aware that the pandemic is hardly over and that having a fashion show is definitely not high on the priority list of things that need to get back to ‘normal,’” McCall added. “I get the sense there’s a lot of that awareness and trepidation from folks attending shows this season. It just all feels very ‘Rome is burning.’”

        McCall said she does feel “slightly safer” at smaller shows, since it limits the amount of people she could potentially be exposed to. “It’s not a perfect system for sure, but I’d rather be at a show with 100 people than one with 500 crammed elbow to elbow in a small space.”

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • World
        • Innovation
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Best Picks
        • Coupons
        • Coupons:
        • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
        • HP Coupon Codes
        • Chewy Promo Codes
        • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
        • NordVPN Coupons
        • JCPenny Coupons
        • Nordstrom Coupons
        • Samsung Promo Coupons
        • Home Depot Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • eBay Coupons
        • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
        © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC