The final model steps off the runway at the conclusion of the Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 show during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo, center, celebrates backstage after his Spring 2014 collection was shown during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
The Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
The Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
The Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
The Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Frank Pulice, vice president of communications for fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo takes a phone call on the runway before their Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo, in black, poses for a photograph with his models backstage before the Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is shown during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo is interviewed backstage before his Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
A model is prepared for a wig backstage before the Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo takes a phone call backstage before his Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Carmen Marc Valvo's creative director Il Park prepares a model backstage before the Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is shown during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo, center, is interviewed backstage before his Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
Make-up is applied to models backstage before the Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2014 collection is modeled during Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 5, 2013 photo, fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo carries a dress to the workroom in his New York studio two days before his Spring 2014 runway show at Lincoln Center. Runway shows at New York Fashion Week are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 5, 2013 photo, Carmen Marc Valvo's creative director Il Park, left, and muse Taylor Foster pack the designer's Spring 2014 looks at their New York studio for transport to Lincoln Center for their Fashion Week runway show. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 5, 2013 photo, fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo packs shoes that will be featured the next morning in his Spring 2014 collection for their New York Fashion Week runway show at Lincoln Center. Runway shows at New York Fashion Week are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 4, 2013 photo, designer Carmen Marc Valvo watches as make-up is applied to Taylor Foster in his New York studio two days before his Spring 2014 runway show is debuted. Runway shows at New York Fashion Week are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 4, 2013 photo, Carmen Marc Valvo's creative director Il Park sequences their Spring 2014 runway show on a look board in their New York studio. The designer debuted his spring fashions on Sept. 6 during Fashion Week in New York. Runway shows are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 4, 2013 photo, a model walks the main hallway in Carmen Marc Valvo's New York studio after being fitted to her look two days before their Spring 2014 runway show during Fashion Week at Lincoln Center. Runway shows at New York Fashion Week are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 4, 2013 photo, muse Taylor Foster is fitted into a wig by celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson in Carmen Marc Valvo's New York studio in preparation for the designer's Spring 2014 runway show during Fashion Week at Lincoln Center. Runway shows at New York Fashion Week are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — AP 
In this Sept. 5, 2013 photo, fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo takes a break from his Spring 2014 collection preparations to fit a client in his New York studio two days before his Fashion Week runway show at Lincoln Center. Runway shows at New York Fashion Week are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) — APNEW YORK — Before all things, fashion is a business and victory laps are showered in dollars. There are those whose goals are green to the bone while some have other plans.
In the days leading up to New York Fashion Week, Carmen Marc Valvo painstakingly alters clothes to fit his models. But he doesn't have to. Some designers "fit to confirm," meaning if the model doesn't fit the moment she tries on a look, she won't get the job. Alterations cost money, after all.
Valvo does things differently.
"We've always fit the clothes on the models," explains Frank Pulice, a member of Valvo's inner-circle. "Carmen just always wants everything to look as perfect as possible, so I don't think you're ever going to get the fit that he wants with a fit and confirm situation. He's known for his fit and he wants to make sure that everything that comes down the runway is perfect. It's the only way he's ever done it and the only way he'll ever do it."
Runway shows at New York Fashion Week are 15 minutes of glamour, but for the designer, each one is a labor of love that takes weeks of work.
"I'm always happy when it's done and I feel great that it's finished, and I feel like I've done the right thing," said Valvo, who's been in the business for nearly 40 years.
"But you're still never sure. You still sometimes question yourself. People say, `Oh no, you've been doing it for so long, you don't,' but to be relevant you have to push the envelopes every season, just ever so slightly, and hopefully take your customer along for the ride. You run the risk. You may, like, alienate a few or they may think, `He's crazy.' We'll see."
What's next for Valvo after Friday's show? "I'm feeling exhilarated and exhausted. It's always amazing to see the collection finally come together with the hair and makeup combined with the energy of the audience. Now it's time to start thinking about the next one," Valvo said.
Valvo opened his studio to John Minchillo, a freelance photojournalist for The Associated Press, over 19 days, from inception of the spring collection to final runway.
What he found: No divas. No tantrums. No catastrophes. Plenty of stress, but laughs to go with it.
"The group seems to like each other too much to undermine one another and scuttle the operation," Minchillo said. "Maybe that was the overall takeaway from this assignment for me, that when one cares to look a little deeper the world is full of people who may surprise you."
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See the first installment of the Insider's Eye here: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-photos-ny-fashion-week-straight-lens[1]
The Associated Press
References
- ^ http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-photos-ny-fashion-week-straight-lens (bigstory.ap.org)
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