The History of New York Fashion Week

There we were this morning, getting ready for another day of shows at New York Fashion Week, when a segment on how the whole shindig came about came on the radio. WNYC, an NPR station, provided the history of the twice-yearly event—and we thought it would be fun to pass on some of the cool things we learned:

1. NYFW actually started during World War II, as, for the first time, allies of the French were cut off from fashion news due to the occupation of Paris by the Nazis.2. Publicist and fashion-enthusiast Eleanor Lambert is the woman to thank for coming up with the idea of a press week that would showcase clothes in the New York market.

3. The first NYFW included a portion called "Borough Belles," with the styles of women from the five boroughs. "Brooklyn and Manhattan girls are opposite types," said Lambert at the time. (Guess some things never change!)Listen to the whole thing here! Posted By Daisy Shaw, Editorial Assistant