Boston Fashion Week 2008 Reviewed

This was the second year of the return of Boston Fashion Week. It officially returned last year after being on hiatus for roughly six years. There was some improvement this time around as there were more shows. Unlike last year, there were no awards ceremonies. Press coverage was a disappointment as always. At least last year we had one designer, Michael DePaulo featured on channel 5 for a few minutes and a video was made of his show on Boston.TV.

I agree with some of the articles and blogs I've read on how to improve Boston Fashion Week. Yes, there needs to be a major venue, if not tents like in NYC then maybe a large museum? Nightclubs just are not set up to host major shows with large crowds. Yes, a major sponsor like Mercedes Benz or Olympus (as in London) will go a long way in helping to obtain that venue but no one is will to put up the funds yet. For now, we'll have to make due with smaller venues such as hotels, salons and clubs. Finally, and most importantly, we need to showcase more of the local talent.

It's not impossible to put together a major show with the city's best designers at a large venue. It just takes a lot of money and the cooperation of the designers. However, the major designers seem content to produce their own smaller shows or not show at all. The younger designers are at least trying to group together to put on a bigger show. Until someone or some group comes along with tons of money and a plan that brings all the designers together, we'll have to look forward to more of the same small fashion shows and fashion parties at clubs for the foreseeable future.