-Henry David Thoreau
Fashion shows have been around for decades. The first one in the U.S. took place in 1903 at a store in New York called Ehrich Brothers. Since then, there have been a multitude of runway events all around the world and, most famously, in New York, London, Milan, and Paris.
The first New York Fashion Week, then referred to as "Press Week," was started by publicist Eleanor Lambert in 1943. Those in the fashion industry were unable to attend the Paris runway shows that year because of World War II, so Lambert established "Press Week" to showcase American designers. It was a huge success and magazines such as Vogue started giving more credit to American designs rather than strictly focusing on French fashions.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune published an article on July 23, 1943, written by Dorothy Roe, about the world's first fashion week that stated, "Dresses priced from $3.95 to $395 were included in the big parade of fall styles representing a complete cross-section of the vast New York dress industry, which turns out the clothes worn on America's main streets as well as Fifth avenue." $3.95 . . . can you imagine? Despite the economic hardships and war rationing, designers managed to make the best of their resources in 1943. Roe wrote, "Strict economy of cut is the theme of wartime fashion as interpreted in this week's showings. But ingenious details, startling design and clean, streamlined silhouettes establish the slim, fabric-saving styles as the authentic trend of the times rather than a wartime necessity."
With all this talk of fall collections, I made a top that will be perfect for autumn. It's identical to one I did several months ago. I even used the same fabric, but chose a different color scheme. Unfortunately, it will only be debuting at Kansas Fashion Week.
MADE IN KANSAS
