Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City's Bryant Park is one of the most important events in the fashion world. Filthy-rich designers debut collections for the following season, Rachel Zoe earmarks red-carpet dresses for Debra Messing, celebs like Mena Suvari get to play "dress up" and pretend they're tastemakers, careers are launched, blah blah blah. But since I don't know a Badgley Mischka from a Barnaby Jones, the coolest thing to me is that Fashion Week now serves as a high school reunion of sorts for "Project Runway" contestants.
Last week, I had the pleasure of accompanying my favorite person on the planet, Sweet P, to this fall's (technically next spring's) FW. We hit up shows by former contestants, and I got a front-row seat to the beauty that is the "Project Runway" fraternity. No, really. Turns out that as soon as you "graduate" from "Runway," you automatically enter the "Runway" club. (Think of it like a regular frat but with less homoeroticism.) Although she appeared on the show years after, Sweet P is friendly with designers as varied as Jay McCarroll and Kara Janx. There's no bad blood. There are no "they're going to steal my thunder" attitudes. They really are one big happy family. Hey, "Road Rules" cast: Take note.
The night of Elisa Jimenez's runway show (remember her? She was the designer who spit on "imbibed" her garments) Sweet P texted all her castmates to ask if they were checking it out. Before you could say, "Niiina Garciiiia," the place was swarming with familiar faces. Kevin "I'm Straight" Christiana, Jack "I'm Not" Mackenroth, Kit "I'm Adorable" Pistol, Victorya "I'm Nice in Person ... Really!" Hong and even Carmen "No Comment" Webber popped in to show their support. All the more awesome considering Elisa's show was off-site, far away from the Bryant Park tent, at a funky spot called Country Club.