What was New York Fashion Week like back in the day? Well, it wasn’t even called Fashion Week, it was called Press Week, and before there was Anna Wintour, there was Eleanor Lambert. She was the fashion publicist who started Press Week in 1943 in an effort to make America a more prominent player in the international fashion scene (Paris, we’re looking at you).
You wouldn’t have seen any Nicki Minaj-es in the front row, but there would have been plenty of socialites, Carmel Snow (Harper’s Bazaar editor from 1934 to 1958 – a mag editor’s reign second only to Wintour), Rita Hayworth (who never removed her sunnies during a show – some Fashion Week things never change), and Andy Warhol. It wasn’t until 1994 that the CFDA created New York Fashion Week at Bryant Park.
Check out Carmel Snow’s timeless sequin top/leopard clutch combo:
Images via The Cut.
