Star Power

New York Fashion Week's high wattage comes from the celebs as much as the clothes.

Celebrity and New York Fashion Week are inseparable. Nowhere else on the planet is there an expectation that with fashion comes A-list cred not in Milan, or even Paris despite the glamorous "It" girls that frequent the haute couture shows.

For those who live outside the insular sphere of fashion and media, the chance of spotting a famous movie starlet or pop star is the sole reason to visit Bryant Park in February and September. As you approach the imposing white tents from Sixth Avenue, hordes of celebrity watchers can be found milling about the front steps, snapping finger poised at the ready.

They'll usually encounter Lindsay Lohan or Mischa Barton who are never afraid of a moment in the limelight. This week, the terminally unemployed actresses were making the rounds at Charlotte Ronson and Miss Sixty before making a highly publicised appearance at the opening of English designer Matthew Williamson's new boutique in the hip Meatpacking district.

The bar is raised however, when trying to meet anyone above the D-list. There's a common misconception that the famous hang out in the entry foyer of the main tent, swapping wardrobe tips with the general fashion riff-raff. But it's rare to see any real celebrity reading a copy of The Daily Front Row and lining up for a free latte at the on-site McCafe.

Just like everywhere else in New York, anyone truly worth their Grammy, Emmy or Oscar are likely to be found in the VIP room. At Bryant Park it's found backstage and the W Hotel group is its exclusive gatekeeper. The swanky hotelier, which is soon launching properties in the Middle East (Doha in April and Dubai Festival City in 2011) spares no detail ensuring the visiting celebrities have plush surrounds to seek refuge from the exhausting task of looking chic in the front row.

The room is a sensory popping experience - walls are lined with leather trunks, while seating alcoves are upholstered in white leather and studded with giant Ws. Digital screens poke through keyhole shaped partitions and cupcakes from Billy's bakery, gourmet burgers and free flowing Veuve Clicquot are all on hand to help take the edge off.

Designers and celebrities have converged in this tiny space since the start of fashion week, and on Monday night it was the venue for designer Peter James Lee of the under-hyped street label, The House of Cassette, to unveil his latest collection of masculine wares. Held just before the William Rast show, the label created by Justin Timberlake Lee could not have hoped for a more star-studded audience for his presentation of fire-engine red jeans and jackets with interesting design quirks at the sleeve.

When the eminent guests were ready to trade the white marquees for their private penthouse, they escaped through a side entrance into waiting black SUVs. It's in this side alley where the true purveyors of celebrity - aka the paparazzi - congregate. Witnessing the snapper pack in action makes for some of the most colourful moments of fashion week - partly due to their lively banter.

Case in point: when the arrival of a minor singer was announced by her driver, she had the misfortune of possessing a name that sounded similar to Rihanna. The excitement of capturing the first glimpse of the Barbados beauty post her alleged altercation with Chris Brown was felt immediately - but was quickly quashed when the actual identity of the passenger of the blackened vehicle was revealed.

"Who is she?" some bystanders enquired. "Do you see me even raising my camera?," one member of the paparazzi replied.