10 Top Things I'll Remember About Mercedes Benz Fall 2008 Fashion Week

When I'm standing in line for my press credentials the day before Fashion Week starts, I always wonder what the week will bring. Here are the things I'll most remember about Mercedes Benz Fall Fashion Week 2008 in Bryant Park, New York City (not in any particular order):

...being backstage and learning the latest tips and technique from the best hair, nail and makeup pros in the world.

...seeing and talking to the models both offstage and on the runway

....running into old and new friends!

....being backstage and seeing the best designers in the world, in person!

...seeing their designs before they even go out on the runway!

....being part of the style community

...having Jay McCarroll from Project Runway fame literally stop his conversation to tell me he loved my mustard-colored coat and that I was absolutely in fashion for Fall!

...enjoying the lovely designer and model Esther Nash's outfits all week long, and her glittering variety of Judith Ripka jewelry that made her one of the most eye-catching women in the front row(s)!

...the less than glamorous press room where I spent a LOT of time sitting on the floor because there are only a few seats and it's not a real lounge.

...and finally, just being fortunate enough to be part of the scene (here, on the runway at Carmen Marc Valvo)

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Tomorrow is the official start of Fashion Week. Watch this blog for daily coverage of the shows, events, and the backstage. Boomark this blog at: http://www.advicesisters.net/advicesisters.blogor even better, subscribe in a reader or by email.

I will be your eyes and ears at the shows...so check back at least once a day for the latest!Like what you see for Fall 2008? Hate what's happening for Fall? Leave your comments!alison[/b]

4:00 p.m.: I just got back from the tents in Bryant Park. I can't tell if this season's theme is the parthenon, but if you look at the tromp l'oeil columns and sculptures on the frieze of the building, done up in muted tones of beige and white, it's definitely "Greek inspired."

I usually go early and expect a long line. This year, I decided not to go too early. I waited a few hours and then started out for Bryant Park. To my surprise, the line really wasn't long, with only a couple of dozen people ahead of me. The sun was out, I had on a warm jacket. I actually enjoyed being outside, chatting with two line-mates from Japan. We talked about the fact that no two fashion weeks are ever the same, and while it's exciting to be a part of it, we really prefer the designer press previews (such as the one I attended at Reem Acra in December) that lets press get up close and personal with the clothes and the designer. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities like that for press, so we don't have to compete for seats that generally are going to celebrities and those who love to watch them.

This year, IMG really got it right. THANK YOU IMG! Photographers who already had uploaded their head shot credentials were singled out and brought inside (or at least some of them were). And, lucky for me, a woman woman with a clipboard and a very thick list of names was giving out press badges to writers who really had no need to go inside the registration area at all. I was in and out in less than an hour! Fantastic!

With a little time on my hands, I wandered over to Lord and Taylor, just to see what was on the sale racks. Nothing really excited me. But I began to think about what outfits I'd be wearing in the next 7 days inside the tents. The first season I attended I pulled out all the stops, from hair to makeup to clothing to shoes, I selected the most fashionable clothes I had in my closet each day. By the end of the first day I had painful blisters. The next day I wore an outfit that was so hot in a crowd, I thought I'd faint. By day three, my feet were not only blistered, but burning.

In subsequent seasons I toned down the look to meet the reality that I'm I have to work the room, literally. I'm not being whisked to one show a day in a Town Car or Limo, and escorted to a front row seat at the last minute. Last season, I admit to wearing the Havianna flip-flops being given out at the tents during more than one long, hot, hard, day. By now, I can tell the "regulars" from clients of the designers and other favorites by what they wear: low-heeled shoes and loose clothing, with a lightweight handbag or a tote.

This season my wardrobe is veering off the fashionable path more than usual, because it's also cold in NYC, and we're all going to be lugging coats as well as everything else. I'm not trying to capture the attention of "The Daily", so I might as well get through Fashion Week in comfort. Perhaps I should want to be part of the fashion parade, but I'm not the entertainment, I'm working press.

Tomorrow I'm planning to attend just one show: Venexiana. Then, let the games, begin!