Young labels like the Row, Jason Wu, Nellie Partow, Waris Ahluwalia and Prabal Gurung are trumpeting their New York roots on apparel and labels in an effort to create a sartorial version of the locavore movement. The idea: to link locally-made clothes with artisanal values to promote stitched-in-New York sales.

As New York's Garment District struggles to survive, a June report independently conducted by the Design Trust for Public Space has outlined the economic impact of New York's apparel manufacturing industry.

In "Four Play," Christina Ricci's latest cinematic effort, the actress plays four sides of the same woman in downtown Manhattan. Her co-star: Donna Karan's Spring 2010 Eldridge bag, which has convertible straps so it can be carried in four different ways.

Released to blogs and to YouTube in December, the two-minute film has been viewed more than 100,000 times; it's now viewable only at the Donna Karan Web site. "You need all these different avenues to get your message out there," says Patti Cohen, Donna Karan's global communications executive.

Charlotte Ronson's shows are gaining a reputation not just for her downtown cool clothes but also for the music played at her shows by her twin sister, DJ Samantha Ronson. The music for a runway show sets the stage for the collection, and designers often turn to music consultants and deejays to find the best songs to frame their clothes.

Here's how the soundtrack for the Charlotte Ronson Fall 2010 collection was created:

Dress-making at design house Chado Ralph Rucci means exacting fine details. Ostrich feathers, for example, arrive chemically treated so that they are not uniformly fluffy. Assistants sort the feathers one at a time, then glue them individually. Feathering one dress can take several days, and several assistants, to complete. For all the work involved -- each feathered dress is also hand-finished -- the dresses are expected to sell at upwards of $10,000.

View how an ivory georgette and guinea hen-feathered dress went from a sketch to the runway.

New York City's fashion week begins with a somber note on news that iconoclast designer Alexander McQueen had died. WSJ's Elva Ramirez gets reaction from the fashion-show attendees at Bryant Park.

In a nod to growing power of digital word-of-mouth, the Donna Karan company has released two Web-only videos to social networks and blogs. The DKNY ad directed by Kai Regan features leggy models wearing the fall 2009 "Cozy" sweater parading through New York in a runway-cum-Abbey Road lineup. The second ad, "Four Play," stars Christina Ricci and the Donna Karan Eldridge bag; the nearly two-minute long spot was directed by filmmaker Jake Sumner, known to music fans as Sting's son.

Fashion brands like Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, and Ralph Lauren have released new iPhone apps that allow users to browse collections, watch runway footage and in the case of Gucci, mix their own music. Elva Ramirez reports.

Famed shoemaker Christian Louboutin has turned out heels in leather and silk, but he's adding a new material to his portfolio: glass.

For a new collaboration with champagne-maker Piper-Heidsieck, Louboutin created a glass slipper that evokes both Cinderella fantasy and Parisian decadence. The shoe flute is packaged as part of the $500 Le Rituel gift set, which also includes a bottle of champagne. It will only be sold in select Neiman Marcus stores and online at www.le-rituel.com.

The once-private fashion show generates enormous public interest. But the near-instant exposure comes with a side-effect: Designers are finding that the immediacy of runway images can make clothes feel dated by the time they hit stores.

"It's bittersweet," Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough says. "[Accessibility] gets more people interested in fashion because it's more reachable. But at the same time, it's there faster so people get bored of it quickly." He adds that knock-off companies get a jump-start on sending out copies before the originals even hit the market.

There are no easy answers.

Reporter: Vanessa O'Connell
Multimedia Producers: Matt Rivera, Elva Ramirez, Matthew Lynch

A luxury fashion shoot and retail operation is set inside a Brooklyn warehouse. WSJ Magazine's Vanessa O'Connell goes behind the scenes at Gilt Groupe.

Even with sharp discounts and aggressive marketing, this holiday season has been tough for retailers.

Department store Macy's is tapping into celebrity star power as a way to bring shoppers inside. On a recent Monday, Olympic gold-medalist Nastia Luikin promoted her new youth line, "Nastia Gold by Vanilla Star" to a line of starry-eyed girls and a few boys.

French luxury jeweler Boucheron is hoping its bespoke jewelry will thrive despite the decline in luxury goods sales.

Video reporter: Rachel Dodes
Multimedia producer: Elva Ramirez

With the economy in a downturn and world financial markets in meltdown mode, Macy's will try to woo shoppers this holiday season with a simple message: Believe. The 813-store behemoth's "Million Reasons to Believe" campaign, highlighting the iconic "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" newspaper editorial first published in the New York Sun in 1897, will appear in 300 newspapers, on TV and online starting Nov. 9. Two-page newspaper ads will include reprints of the original letter by Virginia Hanlon and the New York Sun's reply, along with blank forms for children to use to write their own letters to Santa.

It should come as no surprise that the Chanel Mobile Art Installation, a traveling exhibit that opened in New York's Central Park today, features this homage to a classic Chanel quilted purse.

The exhibit, honoring the 50th anniversary of the iconic Chanel purse, is housed in a temporary structure that some observers have said looks like an architectural handbag, or a spaceship or a pavilion from a long-past World's Fair. Conceived by Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, the structure required nearly two years of planning to come to life. The exhibit premiered in Hong Kong in March, then traveled to Tokyo. It will spend three weeks in New York, before heading off to London, Moscow and Paris.

There are few things that the fashion industry agrees on. One of them is Polaroid film.

Polaroid is used daily across the industry, among publicists, model agencies, casting directors and designers, to capture and file instant images. But Polaroid announced in January that the company would stop producing its instant film.

Is this the Fashion Week when diversity comes back into style?

It's been nearly nine months since CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg urged designers to create "truly multicultural" runway shows. Media reviews of last season's shows, however, suggested that the CFDA's suggestion was not always heeded. When Jezebel counted up last February's New York shows, they found that about black models were used only about 5% of the time.

About three weeks before fashion week starts, the offices of casting directors, stylists and designers are flooded with show packages containing cards of models that agencies want to promote for the bi-annual runway shows. Model cards are meant to provide basic stats on available models for hire: A typical card features photos of a model, his or her measurements and contact information.

In the last few years, the show package has evolved from a simple informational tool to an industry art form.

This fall, the biggest change in womenswear is the return the hourglass silhouette. After seasons of flowing gowns and baby-doll dresses, designers bring clothes back to the body, with cinched skirts and waist-defining silhouettes.

Some of this year's fashion trends look hard to wear for women who aren't long and lean. But Jose Solis, the designer of Bill Blass New York, likes to figure out ways that women with all kinds of figures can wear current styles.

Reporter: Elva Ramirez
Multimedia Producer: Michael Kofsky
New Yorkers weigh in on whether dressing younger makes one more employable in the job market.

At New York Fashion Week, senior fashion reporter Teri Agins spoke to retailers and executives about how the luxury market is adapting to a possible economic slowdown.

How are designers and retailers responding to warmer global temperatures? Senior fashion reporter Teri Agins spoke to executives and designers during New York fashion week.

The buzz from New York fashion week was that young American designers are now just as respected in the industry as the long-established names from Europe.

Victorya Hong may have been eliminated from "Project Runway" before fellow contestants, but she beat them to the runway with the debut of her line at New York Fashion Week.

Even as designers debuted their newest looks, some worried that their work would be copied as soon as runway photos hit the Internet. Last year, a group of designers, including Nicole Miller, lobbied Washington for laws to protect original designs. During New York fashion week, Teri Agins spoke to designers and executives, including Ms. Miller and Oscar de la Renta, about copyright legislation.

Typically the clothes seen this week on the runways won't appear in stores for another six months. But the newly revived Halston brand decided to use a different merchandising strategy: The label, backed by investor and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, teamed with online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter to sell two outfits the day after the runway show.

During New York fashion week, senior fashion reporter Teri Agins caught up with designer Marc Jacobs after his Marc by Marc Jacobs show. The designer discusses his latest collections, his Hillary Clinton fundraiser T-shirts and how he juggles planning for three different shows.

Despite jittery economic markets, Gucci unveiled its largest store yet on Wednesday -- a 46,000-sq.-ft. empire on New York's Fifth Ave.

Senior fashion writer Teri Agins spoke to Gucci Group president and CEO Robert Polet about his label's new flagship shop and his plans for maintaining a strong brand.

Some of the world's largest luxury brands are betting that the new luxury consumer is increasingly aware of design in conjunction with earth-friendliness.

At Thursday's FutureFashion show at Gotham Hall, the industry's top designers, including Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, Doo-Ri and Stella McCartney, created and exhibited one-of-a-kind looks using materials such as organic cotton and cashmere.

David Hamilton was 25 years old before he knew what shirt size he wore. Mr. Hamilton grew up wearing the bespoke button-down shirts that his family business, Hamilton Shirts, has sold since 1883.

"I've never had to buy a shirt off the rack," says Mr. Hamilton, 29 years old. He is partner, with his sister, Kelly, in the Houston-based custom-shirt-making company. One time when he did bring home an off-the-rack shirt, he says, "my dad took it apart and said, 'No. You can have that fit but we're making it.' "

Set in a third-floor suite in New York's Plaza Athenee, the Yuta Powell salon offers a selection of hand-picked, limited-run designer clothes and the type of personal tailoring normally associated with French couture houses.

This season, designers are showcasing intricate construction techniques. Experts explain the differences in the making of a luxury and a more affordable garment. See the video report.

During fashion week, a typical model might work up to 18 hours a day, running from castings to fittings to shows. For all the long hours and constant chaos, though, most models don't get paid.
Because new designers often lack funds, models many times work for "trade," meaning that they will receive clothing from the designer in exchange for their work, or for "image," meaning that they receive nothing but the addition to their resumes. Douglas Perrett, a casting director who worked for designers Benjamin Cho, Vena Cava and Verrier this New York fashion week, estimates that of over 200 shows each season, only 20 might pay with actual dollars.

Marc Jacob's reputation for theatrical openings surprised even his audience last night when the designer took his bows before showing any clothes.
The show then ran backwards, opening with the parade of looks, then moving into evening dresses and daytime wear. The collection's theme was an off-kilter, shattered glass perspective featuring gowns with unfinished skirts, suits with sheer panels and dresses missing sleeves.

Oscar de la Renta's spring collection stayed true to the designer's reputation for elegant and sophisticated womenswear. Daytime looks evoked the early Givenchy dresses that Audrey Hepburn made famous, while evening gowns were refined, glamorous and ready for the red carpet.

Proenza Schouler's Spring 2008 collection drew a packed crowd to the Armory this past Friday night. The A-list crowd included Anna Wintour and her daughter, Bee Shaffer, actresses Demi Moore and Kyra Sedgwick, beauty executive Aerin Lauder and photographer Terry Richardson.
For their newest collection, designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez contrasted masculine detailing such as bold uniform buttons, samurai leather belts and closely cut vests against cinched-waist jackets, short bubble skirts, metallic mini-dresses. The military-inflected show harnessed a tension between sharp men's tailoring and flirtatious female silhouettes.

Narciso Rodriguez's Spring 2008 collection turned away from the figure-skimming gowns that established his brand towards sporty dresses and frocks that move the body. The women's collection featured kimono-inspired cuts, loose jackets and sheer dresses that turned structural elements into ornament.

Column dresses inspired by ancient Rome. Skirts with mid-century New Look volume. Chunky jeweled necklaces over sheer gowns. These are some of the looks Vera Wang sent down the runway. See the video report.

While much of the attention- and pressure - surrounding fashion week is focused on the designers and their clothes, the week can be just as defining a moment for models. And few assignments signal a model's success like walking the runways at New York's fashion week. But it's a long, competitive process the leads up to the first stiletto hitting the catwalk.

Fashionistas flocked to New York Pet Fashion Week to catch a glimpse of four-legged models and scope out the latest in ready-to-wear leashes and couture ballgowns.

The work of the fashion photographer might seem glamorous, but during the most-watched fashion event of the season, the work is grueling, chaotic and occasionally even boring. We take a look behind the scenes of Fashion Week as photographers rush from one show to another, and prepare to take on Fashion Week's biggest assignment: the Marc Jacobs show.