Talk of the Tents

A model’s work can be pretty darned treacherous on the best of days, but there was real runway peril at Thursday night’s Earth Pledge show. To keep to the message (earth-friendly at all costs) organizers built the catwalk out of rough wood planks.

The troubles multiplied as the show progressed. Models dressed by some of fashion’s most notable names (Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, so on and so on) could barely keep vertical on one particularly slippery patch. By the finale, they all simply stepped off at that spot and walked around.

Even worse, the planks didn’t meet up in several spots--causing a gap that only the Long Island Rail Road could rival. And it’s not so easy to jump over when you’re wearing the likes of a floor-length Versace with significant train. Oh, well.

— Barbara Schuler