Today's Guest: Eila Mell, author, New York Fashion Week. Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of women who were pumped up by today’s topic only to be deflated when they discovered the show is still hosted by me… in the NEW new media–and FASHION–capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! Order 'New York Fashion Week' by Eila Mell, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! No one is less qualified to host a show about fashion of any kind than me. I’m still wearing T-shirts that were cool in 1984. My idea of appropriate apparel for a Saturday night on the town is a pair of Levis and a well-worn polo shirt—preferably one with a University of Florida Gator, not the Lacoste brand. EILA MELL podcast excerpt: "In the age of social media, fashion has become very fast... Fashion is much more open to everyone now. And it wasn't like that in the beginning." If I have to wear a tie, it likely features a cartoon character created in the 1930s. As for socks, I prefer white—even after Labor Day. But I understood there is a compelling mystique and magic surrounding New York’s annual Fashion Week event, which runs this year from September 8-15. Besides drawing the latest fashions and top designers from the world over, it also attracts tons of media and celebrities, making it an event that appeals to me on a certain level. And since I am LLMM—you know, Ladies Love Mr. Media—I must fulfill the needs of my audience. All that, and I’ve seen episodes of “Ugly Betty” and “Sex and the City” that were filmed on location at Fashion Week over the years. Eila Mell’s new book, New York Fashion Week: The Designers, The Models, The Fashions of the Bryant Park Era, does a brilliant job of capturing the atmosphere and changing styles and faces of the event since it was centralized in 1994 at one location. She breaks down each year in easy to digest buckets, include the overriding fashion theme, the trends, a snapshot of the scene, its fresh faces and celebrity attendee photographs. I thought it would be interesting to talk with her and see if she could put the event in perspective for me. Eila Mell • • • • Order 'Project Runway: The Show That Changed Fashion' by Eila Mell, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!