Soon after fighting through the velvet ropes to get into Narciso Rodriguez's after-party at the Gramercy Park Hotel, we encountered the man himself. At first, we weren’t sure all the effort had been worth it. When we asked what inspired him this year, we were told, "Everything from football to the body in motion, from the tropics to shadows. I'm looking to the future and making things that are new." Uh-huh. Yawn.

But when we asked why he's been showing off-site for so long, he snapped out of the designer-speak. "Bryant Park felt like a cattle call. There were too many celebrities at the tents so I figured I’d let the clowns show in the tents and I’d show off-site." Now that's what we're talking about! Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera — your fellow Latino just called you clowns. What we’d give to see that fight. — Jocelyn Guest