THERE may have been little to celebrate at the collections, but that didn't stop the week being filled with parties, not least the opening of a retrospective by German born fashion photographer Horst. The feted octogenarian didn't show up himself but many of his fans, including designers such as Donna Karan and Mary McFadden, called by to give their opinions to the ranks of television crews covering the event. And just in case anyone thought 1980s extravagance was a thing of the past, the night included a champagne pyramid constructed of hundreds of glasses down which the drink cascaded.
MORE high spending was seen the following night at an auction in aid of a youth charity called the Hetrick Martin Institute. This was supported by Allure magazine and just about every designer in the United States, all of whom had been invited to produce one off bags which were then sold by auction.
A NUMBER of celebrities had also been pressed into exploring their creative skills, not least Cindy Crawford who has obviously been too busy trying to salvage her acting career of late to have much time for anything else. Her contribution was a rather uninspired grey corduroy duffle bag; not surprisingly, it made a mere $150. Not to worry, there were much larger sums being handed over after the Marc Jacobs show when the designer hosted yet another charity party at the Manhattan Centre, where he shared the responsibilities with Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. The latter also reported on the event for a local cable channel.
k.d.lang - who last week was announced as the new spokesmodel for MAC cosmetics - turned up to perform at the Vegas themed event for which Donald Trump donated poker tables and roulette wheels. And for those who didn't use up all their small change on gambling, there was the option to spend a further $500 for admission to an exclusive inner sanctum where still more champagne was freely flowing.
DONALD TRUMP wasn't the only member of his family to make a very special contribution to New York's fashion week. After appearing in a six page spread for last month's Elle magazine, 14 year old daughter Ivanka, who used to be seen perched on her mother's knee at the Paris couture collections, turned up on the catwalk for new Russian design team El & Ev. Maybe a little short for full time modelling she's just five foot eight inches tall - Ms Trump nonetheless is being eagerly courted at the moment by New York's Elite agency.
She certainly demonstrated enough confidence for the profession as she sauntered out in teetering heels and what looked like a maternally inspired bouffant hairstyle. Given her parentage, the city's newest supermodel doesn't need to be paid in cash; instead, she was taking her fee in clothing from El & Ev.
ALSO seen billing the runway was former porn star Traci Lords who sat front row for Richard Tyler's show and then modelled for her friend Janet Howard. Now a singer and legitimate actress, Ms Lords's performance as a model owed something to her previous occupation and, unlike the modestly endowed girls with whom she appeared, buxom Ms Lords was able to demonstrate the full merits of stretch fabric.
THEY called it the March of the Rehabilitated as celebrities such as Woody Allen and Mike Tyson turned up front row at fashion shows in New York. Also putting in appearances at the collections was Michael Jackson's ex wife Lisa Marie Presley who can be seen on the cover of this month's American Vogue looking eerily like her late father. Ms Presley didn't make it to fashion bad boy Alexander McQueen's show which was probably just as well. Held in a deconsecrated synagogue, the event had queues waiting in rain outside for at least 20 minutes.
Among those caught by the downpour were Vogue editor Anna Wintour (who climbed over the bonnet of a parked car in an effort to get past the crowd) and photographer Steven Meisel, both at whom are accustomed to more reverential treatment. Fashion Television's Jeanne Beker climbed onto the roof of another vehicle to record the entire incident for her show.
The question now being asked in New York: you think this McQueen kid has a future?