Daily Front Row

2009 February 25

Milano Cookies: Day One

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(MILAN) Tuesday night at Newark, the waiting area for Continental #44 to Milan was essentially a ghost town. Gone was the usual assault of merciless crowding, deskside altercations, and even excess bags that accompany this near-mandatory leg of the Fashion Express that shuttles editors from New York to Milan to Paris...and then home again nearly a month later. Once boarded, each American editor--including representatives from Lucky, Glamour and InStyle--was given an entire row to herself in the eerily empty 747. (A few even scored seats in business class!) Granted, the revised show schedule allowed editors to fly mid-week instead of taking the usual Friday night flight, but last season, the notorious #44 drew at least a dozen editors on the eve of Milan's first official day of Fashion Week. Did the last-minute cancellation of Just Cavalli's show (traditionally the week's first big draw) tempt top types to stay home one more day?

Although Vogue is sending fewer editors this season, Anna Wintour arrived on the early side, taking a 5:15 p.m. Delta flight out of JFK and arriving in Milan early this morning. Let the meetings begin!

Tout bien consideré, Milan's Fashion Week is shaping up to be as frenzied as ever. With the exception of Just Cavalli, the shows are most certainly going on, beginning tomorrow afternoon with Blugirl, followed by Emporio Armani, Missoni and Moschino Cheap & Chic. And fear not--there are plenty of late-night gatherings to sustain you through those interminable dinners avec boss at Le Langhe and Da Giacomo. Roberto Cavalli, no slouch in the fête department, is throwing a dinner party on Sunday, the day of his Roberto Cavalli show. Fellow titan Donatella Versace will host an intimate (as in 10-person) dinner for editors--which she hasn't done in nearly a decade. And apologies for opacity, but someone--or something--will be toasted with an outrageous surprise bash. (We keep your secrets.) Lastly, all sorts of after-hours Principe gatherings are already deep in orchestration. As usual, The Daily will report from the front lines.
ASHLEY BAKER