Fashion Week Alert: Standing is Chic and Just Plain Better!

It's safe to say that I've been to enough fashion week shows (mainly in New York) to call myself a pro at this. I used to attend shows at Bryant Park all the time, asking for standing room. Okay, okay I was a crasher. But this year I was lucky enough to actually get invitations for Japan Fashion Week (JFW) in Tokyo. I was excited that this time around I was one hundred percent legit. I had a press pass and a handful of pretty invitations. So it was hard to swallow a realization I made by day two of JFW; sitting feels good, but if you really want to see the show standing room is better.

Most folks are envious of the seated guests. They're standing behind them wondering if he's a buyer for some big store, if she's fashion editor of a famous magazine, or a wealthy social elite who actually has money to afford the clothes. What they don't realize is unless these people are in the front row then they probably can't see well. Now don't get me wrong, front row is the best spot to see the show and standing room is problematic for photos unless you have an awesome zoom lens for your camera. But unless you're front row or the designer was gracious enough to have the runway on a raised platform (thank you Theatre Products, as I was in the second row)-even with tier seating, I'd rather stand.

I've been in rows 2-4 (and if there's more than four-do I even need to go on?) and they're no fun. I've had to worry about where to stuff my gigantic bag and jacket-which I can easily stick between my legs if I'm standing. I've also had to worry about neck craning. I feel guilty possibly blocking the view of the person behind me. When you've got standing room you're the back of the row-there's no need to crane, you can already see above everyone's heads. If you're against the wall too you can scan the entire room.

Besides the nasty photo angles, there can be down sides to standing room. You're standing. When you have a seat you're escorted right in and you sit before the show starts as well as throughout the show. With standing room you are the last to be let in. You have to stand and wait until the seat holding guests are accommodated. Then you stand for the 20 or so minutes that the show lasts. I made the mistake of wearing four-inch heels to day one of JFW. After running (literally) around Tokyo my feet were swollen. I got standing room at matohu, a show I really wanted to attend, and I truly thought my entire lower body was going to give out on me. The lesson here: be patient and wear comfortable shoes-especially in places like New York where shows start late; who knows how long you'll be standing.

In places like New York standing room is a gamble because you are essentially the bottom of the barrel. Not the bottom of the list-you're not even on the list. If the show is so full that even buyers can't get in, a la Heatherette, then you are certainly not getting entry. But that doesn't happen all the time. And if you're smart then you know which shows are likely to get that packed and you plan accordingly. In Japan you need an invitation just to get standing room. The culture of fashion week is more formal than the West. So if you have an invite for standing room you're definitely in (and fortunately the shows tend to start within 15 minutes of the publicized time). And beautifully you're the first one out (which is crucial if you're rushing to the next show).

Front row is king and that isn't likely to change. There's nothing like feeling like the models can feel you breathing on them-and being able to sit while you do it (bring on the Louboutins!), but standing isn't to be counted out. So next time you get standing room (whether you crashed a show or were invited) don't look at it as a dead giveaway that you're unimportant as you stare down the bald spot of that powerful editor. Be glad, take it all in, value everything you see, and strive to stand yet another show.