Oct. 14--I've noticed that sometimes people ask me thinly veiled questions that basically imply that a fashion week event in St. Louis is kind of a big waste of time.

Why, oh why, does everything always have to be so dag on serious to be taken seriously. OK, so maybe you don't care what color is hot this season or get excited when you see a sculpted wool pleat at the hem of a military-inspired coat, but why does that make it wrong for others to celebrate.

St. Louis Fashion Week strives to do the same thing that our beloved sports teams do. Rally the community, provide some entertainment, spark an economic boost and perhaps attract a bit of spotlight on what's good about the city we call home.

Can that be so bad?

For those who claim the contrary, I have a really bad habit of saying Super Bowl instead of World Series when I'm engaged in conversation. It's not that big of a deal ... to me ... or ideally of any more intrinsic value than knowing the difference between Marc Jacobs and Marchesa (although how you could confuse the two would positively baffle me). But I digress.

I will admit, however, that it might be easy to feel under dressed.

This might not be unlike being chastised at a St. Louis Cardinal's outing in which I inadvertently wore an opposing team's color. Who knew blue was bad?

By the way, many, many fashion folk love sports. I'm just not one of them.

Anyway, fashion week has become an event where one is to "be seen" and that means you'll find a good deal of people who are making an effort to assert their fashion sensibilities and occasionally their eccentricities.

There are so few opportunities to truly dress up and dress out loud that the style conscious have taken full advantage. Outfits don't just happen, they are planned and the number of people you tend to glance at you from head-to-toe before they say "hello" and blessing you with air kisses is higher and more obvious than normal.

Which is not to say that it's not loads of fun if you're into that kind of thing? It's also some of the best people watching in town. If fashion wasn't a little intimidating, it wouldn't really be worthwhile, now would it.

So back to the topic at hand.

I'll be blogging and tweeting the "week" away, so feel free to send me any questions you might have.

I'll snap photos of some memorable outfits from the audience and show you my favorites from the runway. We'll dish on the happenings and the mishaps. And I'll be shooting video to try and give you a realistic idea of what happens when you get a roomful of midwestern fashionistas together.

And now to answer a couple of preemptive questions:

Q: Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a fashion week, why is it only four days?

A: Some fashion weeks last three days and others last eight. It really doesn't make much sense, it's just a label that stuck. Besides fashion half week, doesn't have a nice ring to it.

Q: So is it really a room full of snooty people in overpriced clothes?

A: In reality, there are men in business suits and others in jeans; there are women in dresses that cost hundreds of dollars and others wearing quirky thrift store finds. But the style quotient is usually higher than your typical night club attire. It's fashion week, no one wants to look like a slub, even guys who don't care... dress with a little more care.

Q: Who are these so-called VIPs and what makes them so special?

A: Well, specialness is relative. And I'd need Deb Peterson's expertise to give you everyone's resume, but in general, you'll see a lot of the local fashion players: owners, scouts and booking agents for the major modeling companies, local boutique owners, fashion designers, event planning reps, developers and business folk in the region, some local television personalities and a few newspaper reporters.

Q: What happens anyway?

A: Each night there will be a series of runway shows that will last about an hour give or take (including the time it takes to get people seated and shuffle them off to the after party). Check saintlouisfashionweek.com [http://www.saintlouisfashionweek.com/FW_Oct2009/calendar.cfm]. Models struts, the music blares and the crowd is mostly respectful (people tend to chat about everything from the model's physique to the color of a garment and catty comments are not uncommon).

Q: Can I still get tickets?

A: Yes, but you may not get a seat. VIP tickets are $125 for the week and include some preferential treatment, including seating, parking, pre-party and after party, but that option is dwindling fast. Tickets to shows each night are $25 and they are standing room with the possibility of seating if someone doesn't claim their chair by showtime. There are also two daytime shows on Friday and Saturday will special pricing options, one hosted by the St. Louis chapter of Fashion Group International [http://saintlouis.fgi.org/index.php?news=1934] even includes a luncheon. Check the fashion week website for details here. [http://www.saintlouisfashionweek.com/FW_Oct2009/tickets_week_vip.cfm]

Got more questions? Let me know and I'll find you an answer.

Photos are from the last St. Louis Fashion Week event held in March, including looks from the runway collections of (from the top left down) Michael Shead, Shan Keith, Michael Drummond, Jennifer Neal, Laura Kathleen and two party pics featuring (L-R) Marisha Loren of Clayton, Sig Mejdal of St. Louis and Stefanie Roa of Eureka; Victoria Lunde of Oakville and John Martinez, a regional director of Bakers shoes. All photographed by Sarah Conard, special to the Post-Dispatch.

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