very September, people in fashion talk about how attending the fall shows feels like going back to school, not just because of the timing, but also because of the emotions and awkwardness it can bring up. What do you wear on the first day? When you arrive, will people be nice to you? Will you fit in? Will you be invited to all the cool parties and events? No matter how many times you go or how powerful you may be, these feelings are human and inevitable. But for some reason, this year, the energy felt different.
I caught nary a side-eye. Even despite a doom-and-gloom report about how the New York fashion industry is shrinking, released by the nonprofit Partnership for New York City at the beginning of the week, almost no one I spoke to felt the need to complain. My interactions were overwhelmingly warm and friendly, and every show I attended was notably unpretentious.
