[mikeijames]

i've long thought that fashion shows should get pared back to the intimate presentations of decades past. however, fashion shows have gone from simply presenting clothes to the fashion press and retail buyers to establishing a mood for a season, pushing trend forward, and creating brand image. however, we've watched as couture has become this middle season of obligatory shows punctuating awards season, a flood of mens and womens ready-to-wear collections, and pre-fall and resort collections. in between, we have the spectacles of awards shows, the cruise, spring, pre-fall, and fall/winter ad campaigns, and all of the editorials of all of the fashion magazines worldwide. in that context, it does seem like the industry needs to re-calibrate the idea of the fashion show since it's only one of many tools used to achieve the same ends. while rachel zoe will never overtake anna wintour in importance, she certainly holds as much sway as a lesser fashion editor or a startup designer.

if i had my way, many of the most visionary designers would present during couture week -- from balenciaga to rodarte -- and their presentations would be of the season and only presented to the fashion press, retail buyers, and the ardent followers of fashion. during this week, designers should only present their MOST creative ideas which would take time and money to copy -- like azzaro jackets or givenchy strappy sandals. the pre-fall and resort collections would get collapsed into ready to wear: as these collections focus on the sensible basics these brands sell anyway, it wouldn't provide mass market retailers the fodder to copy as rapidly.