Change is inevitable. And while there are still dozens upon dozens of shows at the Bryant Park tents this year, some big names are bowing out of showing there. They're instead opting for some creative locations and in some cases, less pricey venues.
Designer Ashleigh Verrier is looking forward to her fourth show at the Bryant Park tents during Fashion Week.
Jude Verrier is Ashleigh's mother and business partner.
"This year's show is incredibly important," she said. "I keep feeling that AShleigh is at a threshold where many people are paying attention. I don't think her foot is over that threshold yet."
And the prestige of the tents may offer that necessary push. But with that prestige comes price.
The cost of holding a show at the tents begins at about $60,000, but can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Betsey Johnson is one of many designers opting for a different venue. She'll be using her showroom, filling it with models and mannequins. She says she knew the economy would play a role back in September.
The economy may have yet another impact, a positive one, in which Fashion Week gets back to its roots, becoming the market week it was always meant to be.
"Maybe you'll see less of the circus atmosphere, of the celebrity or social life that's there for the fun of it and return to what Fashion Week really is, about business," said Steven Kolb, of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Tents or no tents, that's something all designers are banking on.
"We'll go into sales and hopefully it will be positively received," Ashleigh Verrier said.
Johnson says in the past, she's spent anywhere from $7,000 for a fashion show to $950,000.
So the price can range depending on the venue. And for the Verrier label, which only launched five years ago, their show is sponsored, and that helps offset the cost of having the show at the tents.
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