Words to live by...

"I went through a preppy phase, with boat shoes and stripes. It was not cute. I went through a phase with lots of sweatshirts and baggy pants. Then I went really gay with sequins and mesh. And then I went to art school. That's when I got fabulous."

- Christian Siriano

I love pretty clothes. I love America.

Therefore I love New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

Need more of a reason? Fine-- how's this? I love New York's fashion week because it sort of gets you out from under the oppressive shadow of the classic French and Italian design houses. That's not to say that Givenchy and Bottega Veneta aren't flawless-- but I can't help feeling that some of the younger design houses that show in New York (think Zac Posen, Cynthia Steefe, and Marc Jacobs) have modern takes that are far more inviting to fashion newcomers than what we see in Paris and Milan.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that the exclusivity cultivated by the fashion industry exactly puts it in a position to succeed in today's economy. I think that the modern approach fostered by New York's fashion week is less exclusive in a way that allows it to reach a wider, and perhaps less experienced audience. To me, that's awesome. It means that more and more people get excited about the clothes they are wearing, and that subsequently, the design houses cultivated in Bryant Park's wake are going to do a lot more for today's fashion business than some of the classics whose approach is to pander to a narrow, exclusive audience and then ignore everyone else.

In addition to the designers I mentioned before, I'll be looking forward to some other collections-- Michael Kors, Tibi, Hervé Leger by Max Azaria*, Badgely Mischka, Caroline Herrera, and my personal favorite, Christian Siriano**.

The festivities start tommorrow, folks. Heads up.

* Footage above is Hervé Leger's fall/winter collection. I have mixed feelings about it but it's worth a gander.

**God, I love this little man. He's just such a delicious little slice of bitchy fashion genius. Actually, if you check out his official twitter, you'll get not only a nice look at his personal prep process for the big show, but also a maddening teaser picture of his obviously-going-to-be-flawless spring collection.

Omigod sooo fierce

Tell me that's not the most breathtaking hat you've ever seen. I mean, come on, it's gorgeous. 

Believe or not, this unbelievable ensemble is just one of many such beautiful looks from Project Runway winner Christian Siriano's Spring 2009 collection. Until today I'd sort of forgotten about him, but a quick look at his website told me that I really shouldn't have. Say what you want about him, but the kid is disgustingly good at fashion. 

I'm obviously not the only one who thinks so. In a time of marked economic recession, Siriano's fashion career has been growing. Not only was his entire spring line picked up by Saks Fifth Avenue, but he's debuted his own high-end make up line with Victoria's Secret, collabarated on a mid-range maternity line (Fierce Mammas) to be sold at Nordstrom, designed a line of shoes an handbags for Payless Shoe Source and, come this holiday season, will be joining forces with Starbucks. If that's not fierce, I don't know what is.

For those of you interested, you should check out the rest of Siriano's spring line here, and his Project Runway finale show here.