Last night in Florence, something spectacular happened. At 9pm I boarded a bus that drove through the snaking streets in the hills above the city to the magnificent Villa Grand Petraia, where the boys from Proenza Schouler -- Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez -- staged a fashion-meets-art-world spectacular. The event was held to debut their 2010 pre-spring collection and to launch the new issue of A Magazine the designers guest-edited. And while their traditional fashion shows held in New York every season may be the hottest tickets in town, the duo opted to present their collection with a multimedia extravaganza as they took to the international stage for the first time. Working in conjunction with Pitti Immagine (the organization responsible for Florence's fashionable trade fair that takes place twice a year) and with Art Production Fund, the designers invited three of their favorite artists to present their collection using various mediums.

Fashion Week, as you may already know, is that special time of fall in New York when good friends gather to swap tales of summer fun in faraway places, amuse ourselves with skinny immigrant girls playing dress-up, drink our way through open bars, fight blonde Penn grads with powerful clipboards, and nonchalantly mention how lame the Marc Jacobs after-party was the next day. Great fun, say you? Of course. But lately, there’s been some grumbling from the normally exuberant party peoples who make the fashion magic happen. Stories of jaded fashion scenesters glumly sipping Vodka-of-the-Week & Sodas at drab lounges, whispers of widespread discontent at the tents -- a general sourness has befallen the festivities.