San Francisco Fashion Week

The event I went to was just OK. Don’t go to Fashion week without seeing a show.

Here is a review from the inside… I worked for one of the designers and coordinated her shows at the 2005 and 2006 S.F. Fashion Weeks.
Short Description: HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE… IF YOU’RE A DESIGNER THINKING ABOUT PARTICIPATING… MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DEALING WITH BEFORE YOU PAY THAT $ 2,000
Erika Gessin has NO idea how to run a business or a fashion week. Over the last two years the only professionals she has had working for her were a production manager (who single handedly brought the 2005 show together) and a publicist (who did what she could for the 2006 show with the small amount of time Erika paid her for). Other than that, the SF Fashion Week staff are inexperienced and appear unprofessional because Erika is unbelievably unorganized and doesn’t manage her staff successfully (often keeping them in the dark about what is going on).
What you’re in for:
–a «production assistant» who probably can’t actually assist you because she has no idea what the production entails
–a buyer tour with little to no buyers
–horrible lighting, amateur video and photography
–an unaccomodating venue for you and your models
–expect to coordinate your own show entirely. The only thing your money is getting you is a spot in a mediocre show. It would seem that last year designer money mostly went to a fancy party that Erika threw where «fashionable» socialites came to down cheap free booze. Watching a bunch of young wanna-​be yuppies in over-​the-​top tacky clothing (they all wanted to look their best for the {supposedly} fashion related event) get trashed and attempt to dance to bad techno was actually pretty priceless.
Horror stories from designers of years past:
–last year at least two designers were told by Fashion Week staff that they their music selections and editing would be taken care of. Two weeks before the show, Fashion Week staff called these designers to ask for their music, forgetting that they (the Fashion Week staff) were supposed to chose music and get it edited. In the end the designers got screwed and had to do their own music in the midst of last minute frantic prepping for the show.
–a childrenswear designer (whose models had rehearsed the day before the show with Erika’s hired choreographer) had her models pushed out on stage in confusion because Erika decided they didn’t like the choreography during their show. Not only did kids come out looking confused, but the stage they were told would be lit up wasn’t leaving all these cute little kids standing on stage in the dark.
IF you’re thinking of participating in the show, do yourself a favor and contact one or two of the designers from previous years to get an honest opinion of what the show is like. Despite the fact that most of the designers are more and more dissapointed by the little you actually get for your money.
Honestly, Erika and her staff couldn’t be more incompetent.
AS for the designers, Oda has and will continue to steal the show.
Edited to add: Haaaahaaaa!!! Cheyne (check the first review on SF Fashion Week) was part one of those unqualified staff members). His review reminded me of another thing… there are sooo many amazingly talented designers in San Francisco… and two things are happening…(1) due to Erika’s and the SFFW’s reputation, many of them decline to be in the show, and (2) there are many out there she hasn’t approached. SFFW might bring out a well dressed audience (this is questionable)…some of her designers have been pretty distasteful (think Mel Rose).

The Bay Area is a stew of talented individuals and each year SF Fashion Week brings’em all together to party, network, learn and show their art. The workshops are always informative too! Hey, I’m all for it!!!

As someone who is not really that into fashion, I reluctantly decided to accompany some friends to this year’s Fashion Week. I gotta admit, it was one big party, beautiful people abounding everywhere, the night at Mezzanine with Fisherspooner was no joke too.
Good times, I’m glad someone is trying to inject some style into this city. Seems like we’ve become too casual a town except for times like this…

This show is fine and probably mildly entertaining if you know nothing about the fashion industry. If you would like to pretend that you are attending a «real» fashion show then by all means, buy your expensive ticket, dress up and go mingle with the other awestruck fashion fans. After all… this is the era of instant gratification and glamorizing the fashion industry via reality TV and movies. Don’t fool yourself though, this is not the real fashion industry of New York or even L.A.
I am not trying to insult the designers that show at this forum. Some of them are my friends and I love their clothing. What gets me is the way this is being presented. This is not an industry event and it’s over priced and over hyped as being the «true» San Francisco fashion event when in reality it is just another event promoter trying to make money for herself and promote her own company. It is doing the designers no good and not helping their businesses in the fashion industry. I wish someone would come along and do it right so SF could stop being the «joke» of the fashion industry and start showing our real potential as a fashion destination. God knows there’s enough talent here for that to happen.

A celebration of fashion, with all the beautiful people of San Franciso coming together? I’m so there. I’ve gone the last two years, and while there have been some flaws, for the most it’s superbly executed.
We have some really great fashion talent in the Bay Area, and this is a great way to see them strut there stuff.
Check out their website too, they have some cool clinics and seminars as well, good for if you’re a fledgling in the fashion world.

Ok, so San Francisco isn’t Milan or Paris or New York City, but there is certainly a strong fashion aesthetic in the city. SF Fashion Week is one cool attempt and bringing it all together.
Each year cosists of mostly up-​and-​coming local fashion designers all under the unified flag of San Fransico fashion. Compared to other runway shows I’ve been to, this is a great way to see a very personal side of the local fashion world. It’s sometimes frenetic, not always glossy and perfect, but it’s our own fashion scene, and that’s worth supporting!
The crowd is fun and sassy, I mean it’s fashion, right, and I always run into people I haven’t seen in ages. Hipsters, prepsters, scenesters all united, without as much attitude as a larger fashion city.
If anything, you get to see some really cool local designers showcase their works, sometimes for the first time in front of such large crowds.