Tweens Hit NY Fashion Week, Rely on ‘Gossip Girl’ For Fashion Inspiration

Fashion Week rolls on, despite less-than-clement weather. I hit the Vena Cava SS09 show in Chelsea this afternoon, moments before drizzle turned into torrential downpour. Downstairs, inside the Chelsea Art Museum, I found a sizeable crowd of fashion industry alums, spotted with designer Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock's families and close friends. Positioned at varying spots on a three-tier stage were nearly two dozen models clothed in Vena Cava's Egyptian-themed collection (think black and silver silk bibs giving the impression of breastplates and long, silk dresses decorated with phrases like Ramses, in homage to the infamous ruler). Outfitted in a mustard-colored silk dress, plus long necklace by jewelry designer Jill Butler, was none other than Model.Live cast member Melanie, who we'd spotted at the Vogue/IMG party for the show just a few nights earlier at Gemma. The fledgling model was most likely as excited to be there as the four tweens I met, wide-eyed and grinning about getting to see their very first fashion show.

“I think the clothes are really cool,” Ally, 14, told me. Her friends, Emma, Cydney, and Kayla (all likewise 14 years old), all nodded in unison. Emma’s dad, who is friends with Buhai and Mayock, was the in. And, they assured me, if he could finagle any other Fashion Week tickets, they’d surely be attending more shows. So, where do these Tenafly (New Jersey) teens find their fashion inspiration? When in doubt they turn to family: Ally asks her “fashionable” cousin, and Emma relies on her mom. “I watch television for clothes that I like,” Cydney told me, adding ”Gossip Girl is the best.” While NYC fashionistas might be focused on tween fashion bloggers, tweens themselves are unsurprisingly looking to Blair, Serena, et al for the next best thing.