Mega moments: A look back at Fashion Weeks past

Every season Mercedes Benz Fashion Week  serves up a plethora of  knock-out collections, celebrity sightings, and industry changing events; all of which help make attending a crazy blur of business, fashion and fun. But in between the expected chaos, there are moments which stick with you long after the tents at Lincoln Center come down. Over the past three seasons that Style Wylde has been honored to be an accredited publication in attendence at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week we've seen our share of crazy occurrences, here are just a few of the magic-moments which continue to inspire us to keep coming back.

image: S.Whittle for Style WyldeSeason: Fall 2010

Label: Timo Weiland

The Scene: Before they were editorial darlings and CFDA Fashion Incubator inductees, design duo Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein were staging creative, highly conceptual collections in way off the beaten path locales. For Fall 2010, an empty warehouse with lighting provided only by what was allowed to filter in through the filthy windows made an eerie, unsettling stage for the pairs iconoclastic collection which was forever burned into our memories along side scenes from Rosemary's Baby, and Siouxsie and the Banshees concerts. 

image: Getty North America

Season: Fall 2010

Label: Christian Siriano

The Scene: Maybe best remembered as the first time anyone from Project Runway actually showed a collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Christian Siriano proved that he was not a 15-minutes of fame reality-tv burn out with a collection that was well edited, and professionally produced. Seasons later, as some of the other alums are starting to crop up in the tents and all over town, Siriano forges on, maybe with a little less bravado than he showed doing his fierce turn on the runway that first season, but with plenty of talent and ambition all the same. 

image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde

Season: Spring 2011

Label: Prabal Gurung

The Scene: Michelle Obama and Demi Moore had both already been spotted in Gurung gowns, but the designer remained not-quite a household name. But a simple idea, 'color blocking' appeared on his Spring 2011 runways, a major trend was born, and Gurung went super-nova.  Now, a year later his collection is one of the most-sought after invites at Fashion Week, and we are all still trying to pull off color blocking in our own wardrobes. 

image: S. Whittle for Style WyldeSeason: Spring 2011

Label: a detacher

The Scene: Early evening at the Chelsea Piers didn't seem like a radical setting for style, but radical design was definitely present at the a detacher Spring 2011 collection. Clashing patterns that managed to work together beautifully and plays with volume in sleeves and skirts wowed on a fashion level, and spotting Maggie Gyllenhaal sitting directly across the aisle literally, unabashedly cheering every single look forever endeared both the label, and Maggie to our hearts.

image: S. Whittle for Style Wylde

Season: Fall 2011

Label: Betsey Johnson

The Scene: Since the beginning with Betsey, runway attendees have always been able to count on two things: there will be color, and it will be a party. At the Fall 2011 show both were elevated to atmospheric levels in a collection that seemed to celebrate the history of the label, with nods to archival pieces and a bevy of "Betseys" walking the stage during the final lap. Not satisfied ending her show with just the expected cartwheel, Betsey danced down the runway, in a seeming celebration of life, with her good friend and fellow fashion-icon Patricia Fields. At that moment, it and the world (and a huge portion of twitter) belonged to Betsey, and it was crazy fun to watch.

Season: Fall 2011

Label: Libertine

The Scene: Standing backstage interviewing designer Johnson Hartig before the Libertine Fall 2011 collection and listening to him describe the inspiration, passion and unimaginable  pressure he was under as he worked to make his comeback after surviving a major split with his business partner was a truly moving experience. So much so that this reviewer found herself struggling not to get choked up when Hartig's own emotion came pouring out as he showed a few key pieces to our photographer. Just a short while later, when the triumphant collection was taking its final runway walk, and the audience erupted in thunderous applause holding that feeling back was impossible. In other words, Yup, I cried as I clapped spastically like a super-sappy fashion nerd. But can you blame me?  Not only was the collection a boisterous, fantastic, punk-rock extravaganza of style, seeing it appreciated by the many editors in the audience felt like a huge win for the underdog. And even in fashion, don't we all really want the underdog to win every once in a while?  

image:S.Whittle for Style Wylde

Season: Fall 2011

Label: Dianne von Furstenberg

The Scene: There are brands and then there are BRANDS, attempting to describe the DVF show with anything other than Iconic icon,creating iconic fashion, seems silly. (okay that seemed pretty silly too, but you get the point.)  So it may come as a surprise that the one image from the DVF show which no one at SW can ever forget happened after the models had finished walking. The lights went down, the audience began murmuring, SW photographer, Simon  looked over and noticed  ANNA WINTOUR WAS RUNNING OUT! IN THE DARK! FLANKED BY BEEFY SECURITY GUARDS! BEFORE ANYONE COULD SEE HER RUNNING! Famous blonde bob bouncing, she bolted, and by the time the lights came up, it was as if she had never been there at all. Thankfully, Simon is quick on the draw and we have this and series of other out takes that proves the world's most famous Editrix is capable of a serious sprint.