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Photo: Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images for IMG
WHAT
S GOING ON WITH LINCOLN CENTER?
Last September, I found myself having one of those quick, waiting-for-the-show-to-start chats with a busy, highly regarded stylist. I asked her if she wanted to hitch a ride with me to the next show, which was up at "the tents." "Lincoln Center?" she replied, eyebrow arched. "I don
t go there anymore. I mean, what
s the point?" Ouch. That stylist
s take struck me as extreme, but it did reflect a reality: The center of fashion week gravity is West Chelsea now. Shows that take place anywhere in that general vicinity I consider convenient, whereas Lincoln Center always seems distant, like a satellite location rather than the official hub. This season, with many shows moving farther downtown, toward the Spring Studios venue on Varick Street, I expect that getting to and from Lincoln Center will feel like even more of a stretch.
There have been other complaints about Lincoln Center, which event organizer IMG has begun to address. Chief among the changes are a new white-box space that can be configured in a variety of ways and a smaller off-site venue tailored to the needs of emerging brands. "It was time to adapt," admits Jarrad Clark, VP and global creative director for IMG Fashion Events and Properties. "And there are designers working with us for the first time this season, precisely because of these changes we
ve made." Tome
s Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin are two of those designers. "I think a lot of designers feel like they have to show in some abandoned warehouse or something," Lobo remarks. "But that
s so typical, it actually feels kind of trite. Maybe it
s more renegade to show uptown now."
