Fashion Week displays array of designer previews

And, oh, what a race! This past week, about 44 fall fashion collections were presented in temporary tents set up in Bryant Park, the midtown lawn abutting the main New York Public Library. About 35 shows were held at other locations.

The week kicked off on March 28, with a celebrity-packed crowd at Roseland, a midtown Manhattan dance hall. The front row at Versace's Versus collection was an eclectic mix: Rupert Everett, Sean (Puffy) Combs, Lenny Kravitz and k.d. lang. Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, and Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn were also there.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was fashionably late for the official opening ceremony on Sunday afternoon at Bryant Park. But with a quick snip of the ribbon, Fashion Week was off and running. DKNY and BCBG Max Azria were among the four shows held in the tents on opening day. For those willing to go the distance, there was also Daryl K's show for the downtown crowd at Pier 40.

The pace for Fashion Week was grueling. About a dozen shows were scheduled each day, with the first show set to start at 9 a.m. and the last show scheduled for 8 p.m. or later. Only those with the stamina of an elite long-distance runner could possibly attend every designer preview; choosing four to six shows daily was a more realistic goal.

Unseasonably high temperatures created hot and steamy temperatures in the Fountain Lobby of the tents. City residents could shed winter clothes for summer apparel, but visitors to the Baked Apple had to either wear wool and sweat, or dash out on a quick shopping trip.

Seating at the shows was as important as the clothes. The closer to the runway, the better to see. Although celebrities like Kravitz, Susan Sarandon, Kathleen Turner and Christina Ricci had no trouble getting front-row seats, there was often a squabble over seat assignments among other invited guests.

Although none of the shows started on time, latecomers risked having a "seat-snatcher" slide into their designated spots.

A slow start for one show had a domino effect. Those who attended Donna Karan's show in the Garment District Friday afternoon were on the courtesy buses to Webster Hall, dozens of blocks away, when Todd Oldham's show was slated to begin.

Backstage, the scene was chaotic, as makeup artists like Bobbi Brown and Kevyn Aucoin worked their magic, and supermodels like Naomi Campbell got ready to hit the runways. At Betsey Johnson's show on Monday, where rapper music filled the air, Campbell brought down the house when she strode down the runway wearing Johnson's sexy designs.

By midweek, even first-time Fashion Week runners had hit their stride. They knew their way around the tents. They'd rubbed elbows with Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour and chatted with 7th on Sixth's president Stan Herman. They'd spotted Minnie Driver at several shows, including Randolph Duke's collection for Halston, where Driver was nearly lost in the crush of reporters and photographers.

As Fashion Week neared the finish line, the weather turned cooler, and designer Isaac Mizrahi was in a playful mood. He titled his collection, "Fun and Expensive."

The backdrop for Mizrahi's runway was made up of brightly colored blocks interspersed with open squares that allowed the audience to see frames of the activity backstage.

Models waved and smiled from behind the squares to those seated in the audience. Donald Trump was there, surrounded by the media.

Fashion Week ended with a trio of well-known designers: Karan, Oldham and Giorgio Armani, whose show had been abruptly canceled in Paris by French authorities, who cited safety concerns.

Oldham, who declared "a fresh way was in order," abandoned the usual approach in favor of a short film, "Chandra's Dream," starring model Chandra North.

Before and after the film, eight models, including North, appeared onstage wearing clothes representative of Oldham's fall collection. Guests found bags of popcorn waiting for them on their seats.

After Oldham followed Armani, who chose a Wall Street location to show his Emporio Armani collection. Billy Baldwin, Lauren Hutton and Rosie Perez were among the celebrities in the audience.

04-09-98