This year, Valentine’s Day will once again be all work and no play for the fashion industry. The Fall 2011 collections will show at New York Fashion Week from February 10. We’re looking forward to the many exciting happenings in store for the season – including additional live-streaming videos and opportunities to place immediate orders from some designers (even if the merchandise is delivered several months post-show). And with Pop Chips and Starbucks likely signing up as repeat sponsors for the Lincoln Center shows, who really needs chocolate and flowers?
Here are 10 noteworthy New York Fashion Week happenings.
1. At hotspot restaurant The Lion, Brian Atwood, Rachel Zoe‘s favorite shoe designer, will debut a diffusion line.
2. Jason Wu will show his ever-expanding collection of womenswear; the designer’s latest pre-fall collection had 95 pieces – compared to 55 the year before -and a full season collection of bags is in the works.
3. After being absent on the runway since the Fall 2009 season, Libertine (a New York favorite since their Target GO International collaboration) will show a new collection.
4. The man best known for sky-high stilettos has ventured into men’s footwear: famed shoe designer Christian Louboutin will team-up with Marlon Gobel for his Fall 2011 collection shoes.
5. Eveningwear and bridal designer Douglas Hannant will launch his first fragrance, Douglas Hannant de Robert Piguet.
6. Tim Hamilton, who has been showing a men’s diffusion line called Redux in New York since 2009, will be showcasing his first-ever Redux womenswear lineup.
7. Derek Lam will launch an exclusive eBay capsule collection. After the unveiling, the public is invited to vote on their favorite looks, which will determine what goes into production.
9. After showing a successful Theory capsule collection, Nina Ricci’s former creative director Olivier Theyskens will be back for his Fashion Week debut with Theory.
10. Having just won the $300,000 CFDA/Vogue Fund prize in mid-November, Billy Reid will show his collection.
