Fashionistas (and fashionistos) conform to the stereotypes in some ways ...Australian Fashion Week delegates are very fashiony. They dress like colour has been outlawed, they smoke cigarettes, they air kiss, they wear sunglasses indoors. They gossip about sexual orientation, relationships and who's sleeping with the models. The women wear skyscraper heels, even when they have to walk a fair bit, and will not teeter, even when being made to wait for a show for up to an hour. Those who are not dressed in trendy black might opt for an eccentric look – shoes with toy basketballs for heels, for instance. And those who are going for trends, even the tricky ones – jumpsuits, say, or dropped-crotch pants like those of MC Hammer – will do so with aplomb.
But will defy them in others ...
They're not airheads. Many have several qualifications, degrees and accomplishments to their name, even though they're still quite young. You can learn this because they're also not snobby or arrogant – the line when you're waiting for a show to start is a fine place to strike up a conversation and they can and will tell you their life story. While the majority are young, female, svelte and dressed astonishingly, some are older, some are overweight, and some come dressed in jeans and thongs.
Gift bags from catwalk shows are nothing to get excited about
Showing up for a show and finding a big glossy paper bag with a designer's name on it sure sounds exciting. But wa it until you open them up – the majority are disproportionately large for their contents and often the truly lovely gifts are saved for the priveleged few in the front two rows. Truly unlucky souls might get no more than a press release. The majority of the bags will have a cosmetic or hair care p roduct from the sponsors. But there's no denying that some are rather nice – Aurelio Costarella's bags included bangles in the same muted co lours as the collection he showed, and front rowers at Kate Sylvester were treated to pretty scarves.
Fashion Week is great for people watching
You'd like to pick Sarah Murdoch, Kirsty Hinze or Mirando Otto out of a crowd? Or watch to see what all the fashio n editors are wearing in the front row? Or catch silly bits of conversation ("She's a bit porn star, you know, but if I were a lesbian, I'd SO tap that.")? Do this all at Fashion Week.
And, if you're so inclined, accessory watching.
The audience at any given show will provide a veritable parade of Chloe Paddingtons, Balenciaga motorcycle bags, Louis Vuittons and Guccis. Diehard fashion obsessives also might spot Tiffany & Co. notes jewellery, the Ksubi balloon dog necklace and last season's Leona Edmiston dragonfly print clutch.
Show fatigue sets in about half way through
You've been to 12 shows but you've seen the work at least 20 designers and waiting in line has proven wearying, as has trying to find time between shows to eat and drink. Shows seldom start on time and run terribly late. Memo to designers – please, please, please try to start on time if possible. Your audience will be more receptiv e to your vision if they haven't had to wait for ages in the cold in cocktail dresses and heels.
No invite? No problem
Provided you line up in the general admission queue, you have every chance of getting a seat. Even if you run late, you might get in because when the show's about to start they encourage pe ople standing to fill up remaining seats so the audience doesn't look empty. You could even end up close to the front, quite possibly with a nice goody bag too.