Head of Fashion Week Lays the Smack Down

So we were in the middle of talking to Fern Mallis, head of Fashion Week, about her favorite shows so far (Michael Kors, Richard Chai, Vera Wang, and Sabyasachi) and trends for spring (the high waists, the pale tones, the transparency) when a woman who has apparently been the scourge of Mallis’s week sat down in an empty front-row seat nearby. Mallis was on the case immediately: “Excuse me, you can’t sit there.” The woman, skinny enough to be an editor but wearing an unfortunate floral dress and hair that looked like it hadn’t been cut since the eighties, was determined. “They told us to start seat filling.” “Not yet they didn’t,” said Mallis. “That’s someone’s seat.” Mallis turned to us. “They just asked her to move! She’s been jumping into seats in the front row all day.”

We’d always thought that Mallis could just take it easy and watch shows once the machine of the tents started rolling, but it’s kind of refreshing to know that she’s a true regulator, keeping seat-stealing riffraff far away from Anna Wintour and her kind. She’s also working hard to defend the honor of her beloved Fashion Week in the press. “Unlike the New York Post’s prediction that there would be no celebrities at Fashion Week, it’s been a blockbuster season so far.” She did admit that Demi Moore may have become ubiquitous. “I think they’re over Demi already. She’s been to a couple shows, and this industry is very unforgiving. You wear out a welcome very quickly.” But Mallis got giddy for one hot man: “I did get my picture taken with Clive Owen.” —Jada Yuan