Getting the scoop on fall fashion can be fun and unique experience

Every year I try to get to an event or two during Philly Fashion Week (PFW), just to be a part of the excitement and see what Philly's designers are presenting to the fashion world. Let's face it, PFW is not just plain old fun, but rather, it's more of an experience! Philly's Fashion Week isn't stuffy and serious, only for the swanky rich, famous and connected, like New York's Fashion Week or L.A.'s, or Paris' or London's shows appear to be. Truthfully, I have never attended all of those international shows, so I am only guessing what they are like, based on the movies and news clips that I've seen. But I have been to PFW more than once, and everyone who wants to go or has the interest is invited to join in the fun and glamorous pizazz of this weeklong, full-of-life party for Philly-area 'phashionistas.'

Although there were many fashion shows and events during the week-long PFW (Sept. 18-23), including a show at Macy's in Center City and an afternoon children's fashion show, I could only attend one event this year. I chose the Friday night Runway I show located at Dilworth Park, right smack in front of City Hall. This year's venue was a breathtaking scene with the fountains and lights at night. The event looked just like something one would see at New York Fashion Week, with tents, lights, a long runway for models wearing the city's hottest fashions, a PFW backdrop for photo taking, photographers milling around with expensive cameras with long lenses and attendees glammed up in outfits that you'd only see, well, at a Fashion Week. There was even a trunk show following the runway extravaganza.

Some of the outfits off-stage, worn by those in attendance, were just as all-out, over-the-top and eye-catching as the outfits worn by models in the show. In fact, half of my amusement that night was checking out the outfits that people chose to wear to the show — the high boots, flowing overcoats, high heels higher and more exotic than I had ever seen before in person, unique hats, and all kinds of other ensembles that screamed, "Look at me, look at me,” so that is what I did throughout the night. I looked at them — one extreme outfit after the next. The operative word of the night was "glam,” and I really enjoyed seeing guys and ladies dressed to the nines for the evening of fun and fashion.

The designers that showcased their work during the Runway I show were; Love Cili, J. Pratt, Victoria Wright Designs, Ke' Collection, Mariah Lynn Designs, Shahedah Textiles, Tertu Designs, Burning Guitars, Shrutis Designs, Steel Pony, Clarence Clottey London, and Laura Gomez, Dominique Albertini and Amira Myers from the Moore College of Art.

Most of the outfits on the catwalk were way over the top. In other words, I can't picture too many average people who would wear them out in public, although I don't want to generalize. There were definitely many that would look stylish, flattering and smart on the under-35 population. I attended the fashion show with my two daughters, so every other outfit or so, I would have to lean in to ask what these younger-than-me ladies thought of a piece on stage. I did this to confirm that it wasn't just my age preventing me from fully understanding the beauty of certain pieces.

In all honesty, some of these designers presented hats that had to be 2 feet tall, women's shirts that were completely see-through, dresses that looked like sewn-together shredded rags, men's jumpsuits that were brightly colored and patterned (Thinking as hard as I could, I could not come up with a single guy that I know who would wear one), and a men's outfit that consisted of two blankets sewn together. I felt stupid as I watched the room erupt into a standing ovation and applause, because I just didn't get how the blanket outfit worn on top of a pulled-around-the-face hoodie was a fashion statement. This is the night that I learned a valuable lesson.

I always wondered why designers had so many outfits in a show that seemed unpractical, ridiculous, outrageous and — do I dare say — often quite hideous. It was at this show that I learned from the experts sitting near me, that fashion designers purposely make these outlandish fashion statements on the runways because they get people to pay attention and talk about them and their collections. They take the risk because they want to entertain, be remembered, stand out from the others and create publicity and noise by their outrageousness, their out-of-the-box, off-the-charts creativity. Designers rarely get noticed by parading hum-drum ensembles on the runway. I had never realized that designers created some of these fashions just to get noticed and get people talking about them, not really for the clothes' street value wearability.

Runway designs are a form of wearable artwork, I was told. The emphasis is supposed to be on beauty and innovation, not functionality. Now I know.