To the tents!

With fashion week approaching, I can't wait to get back to the tents. Every other season I have attended fashion week, I've always covered the shows for one publication or another but this season, I'm hoping to take in a few shows just for myself. Although I am always dazzled with each catwalk I attend, it's definitely a different experience when you're anxiety is boiling throughout the show as you try to plan the best route to the front row celebs to get quotes/reactions/photos once the lights go up and the masses descend upon the runway. I am looking forward to entering the tents with my pen securely in my bag rather than nervously clicking in my fingers. And of course, I can't wait to see what the designers send down the runways for Bryant Park's last season. Below are the six designers to show in February that I am most excited about:

Toni Maticevski: I wasn't too familiar with Toni before I went to his show in the fall but I quickly fell in love with his collection. He is able to beautifully combine a high brow sophistication and elegance with a endearing practicality that makes his pieces become something just so new. Can't wait to see what he has in store for Fall 2010.

Charlotte Ronson: I've been to the Charlotte Ronson catwalk for the past two seasons and her shows are just fun. Your senses are totally rocked as your eyes are greeted with effortlessly cool look after look while you get a bit of a music education too as sister, Samantha Ronson, DJs the show.

ARISE Magazine African Collective: I love the "collective" shows that have been coming out of fashion week for the past couple of seasons. I was blown away by the Argentine Collective show this past fall and got a great story for NEWSWEEK ("The New Black") out of last Spring's African Collective show.

Diesel Black Gold: This show is always, in a word - a spectacle. From the hair and makeup (last year the models had a strangely cool, caught-in-a-fishing-net, look) to the stage (they had the shadows of a live brass band illuminated through a silk screen last year) to the A-list front row, this show never disappoints.

Badgley Mischka: Always classic and a constant reminder why we all got into fashion in the first place. I've only been to one Badgley Mischka show but its whimsical elegance will stay with me for years. I'm looking forward to another transformative experience.