Gawking from the trenches

Day One at Fashion Week.

Friday dawns with an ominous beginning - I washed one of my contact lenses down the drain just before the first official show. Is this a sign that I'll be clearer eyed since I'm forced now to wear my unfashionable specs, or is this a sign that Fashion Week is going to be one big headache?

I resolve to keep an open mind and forge ahead, specs perched on my nose.

Well, thankfully, the rest of Day One turned out to be a good one - good shows, good celebrity sightings and good vibes (well, for the most part, but why dwell on the negative, right?).

Before I go on, I should explain that my view of Fashion Week is as a grunt. I don't do backstage mingling with the stars, I don't do swilling of champagne and I don't usually do the front row seat thing either. In this world, I am but a mere pen-toting, notebook-carrying grunt. That means a good part of my Fashion Week is spent waiting in line and getting jostled in crowds.

Given this lot in life, one is grateful for even the smallest gestures of kindness and civility. So yes, I almost cried with joy - really - when I entered the Fashion Week tents at Bryant Park and discovered that I would not have to schlep my coat around for the entire day, or find a couch in a corner somewhere where I could possibly shove said coat.

The saviour for the day, really for the week, it turns out is Chambord, one of the tent's sponsors, which is offering ... drum roll please, a coat check. To say I and my fellow grunts were grateful is an understatement. Bravo and merci !!

From there it was on with the show.

Most fun show of the day: The Red Dress Collection hands down. The ladies walking in this show, like Mary Hart of "Entertainment Tonight," were having such a ball being on the catwalk that you just had to smile. You go girls!

Most improved for the day: Baby Phat. Miss Kimora and company really pulled together a good, mostly cohesive collection. Yes, it's fabulous and flashy with lots of gold (loved the gold puffer hooded jacket and the gold braid trim on the jeans) , silver, bronze and copper. But there were also some great touches of urban sophistication including several pieces in brown glen plaid.

Most sleek and stylish: Marc Bouwer. If I were a rich girl (and a single digit size!), these are the kinds of gowns and cocktail dresses I'd wear.

Celebs of the day: Besides the fabulous ladies of the Red Dress collection, we spotted Vivica Fox, a brunette Britney Spears, Russell Simmons, Nigel Barker, Carson Kressley, Bebe Neuwirth and Tommy Tune.

Hometown connection: Matthew Henson, 23, of Long Branch, working the seat assignment line for the Akiko Ogawa showing. Henson is an assistant with Seventh House public relations. He'll also be working at the Charlotte Ronson, Benjamin Cho and Issa shows later in the week.