1. Louis Vuitton Alzer 70 -For just $6,000 you can show up at your room at the Ritz in ultimate luxury.  This timeless suitcase is a staple in anyone who travels’ arsenal of luggage.  The classic monogram canvas lining, trimmed with leather edges and secured with subtle riveting is guaranteed to impress.  Plus, it’s always nice to leave your oversized LV trunk at home but bring a little bit of home with you with this hard-sided leather handled suitcase.
2. If you’re looking for something a bit more functional and a lot less fancy (and a lot cheaper) then maybe the Samsonite Black Label X’lite is for you.  With a price tag of just $595 you can feel comfortable knowing that this rolling suitcase will most likely last a lifetime.  This bad boy of luggage can hold up to the surliest luggage handler trip after trip.

Watches:

1. Fashion Week in NYC is probably one of the craziest times of the year, especially when you’re racing around to all the different shows.  To make sure you’re on time, you need a nice time keeper.  The Rolex Deepsea is a perfect option to keep you punctual and looking your best.  With the self-winding functionality, a sapphire crystal, and an oyster fliplock clasp, this watch is not only functional, it’s a piece of art.
2. If a Rolex is not your style, or in your budget, I highly recommend the Mother of Pearl Chrono by Toy Watch.  With the clear acrylic band, this watch is pretty much guaranteed to match any outfit and keeps time just as well as the Rolex.  The face comes in many different colors, and ringing in at just $275, you can pick up all the colors for the price of one Rolex.  Their logo even looks like the classic Rolex Crown.

Sunglasses:

1. Tom Ford ‘Miranda’ Open Temple Sunglasses – As seen on Angelina Jolie, these $360 sunglasses are the hottest thing to hit the market since Chanel’s big black frames!  You’ll need something to protect your eyes from all the flashing paparazzi, and these metal frames will do the trick.  They’re a bit of a cross between the big black frames and the classic Ray Bans.  Speaking of Ray Bans, check out the uber hot aviators below.
2. I’m pretty sure Top Gun had something to do with making these sunglasses famous…either way, the Large Metal Aviators by Ray Ban are a MUST in anyone’s collection of eye-wear, especially when strutting your stuff at Fashion Week.  With a price tag of just $129, you can use the money you saved to afford the $15 cocktails at all the after parties!  If the classic gold frames are not your style, don’t worry, Ray Ban has managed to offer literally hundreds of colored frames and lenses…surely you’ll find one that you like.

This list is pretty short, so I’m counting on you to add more essential items to make the most of your time at Fashion Week.  Leave a comment below and let your fashion flag fly!

You know, just in case you bump into her.
Trashion
Using recycled material for clothing. A favorite term of eco-chic bloggers.

Bong
Quite literally, the “Business Sarong,” or, Fiji’s answer to comfort in the workplace.

1090
A 1090, for those of you not from the American South, is another name for a mullet (i.e., the haircut with 10 percent in front and 90 percent in the back).

Athleisure
Shoes and clothing that go seamlessly from the workplace to the gym, from sitting to skipping. From meetings to marching. From…

Anti-fit
Coined in 2007, this term refers to loose, flowing silhouettes. See also: Baggy.

Androg
Short for “androgynous,” this term works for both clothing or models caught between the male and female aesthetic. This makes sense, when you consider the number of flat-chested women and makeup-wearing men that abound at fashion week.

Jersey Fringe Convertible
A shawl or throw-like article of clothing.
Made out of jersey.
With a fringe.

Shboot
Also known as “shooties,” this footwear is a hybrid shoe and heeled boot, hitting at the ankle. Flattering on a very select portion of the population.

BCG’s
An unofficial acronym for Birth Control Glasses (i.e., really, really terrible frames). Not to be confused with BCBG the clothing brand. Or BC (British Columbia).

Utah Claw
A hairstyle popular in the 1980s, the “Utah Claw” refers to sky-high bangs, held in place with a combination of hairspray, teasing and hope.

Want a more exhaustive list? Check it out here.

Is there an obscure fashion term we left off the list? Please, please comment and let us know.

[Photos:  Utah Claw by 80stees.com; Trashion by treehugger.com; Androg by the sartorialist; BCG by OrigamiKid; Creative Commons]

The “Take the steak, leave the cannoli” trend
Of all the fad diets out there, the Atkins craze of 2003 impacted international eating habits more so than any other diet (cabbage soup menus didn’t exactly take off). Italian restaurants scrambled to provide a low carbohydrate alternative to piles of pasta, eaters everywhere banished rice to the other side of their plates, and bagel lovers quit cold turkey. Although the protein good, carbs bad diet is not nearly as popular as it once was, there are still dining destinations for Atkins adherents in the first phase.

For a low carb trip, the steakhouses of San Antonio will not disappoint. Owned and operated by Executive Chef Mark Bohanan, Bohanan’s Prime Steak and Seafood is famous for the restaurant’s Texas hospitality and attention to detail. Consistently rated one of the best steakhouses in San Antonio (and a AAA Four Diamond Award winner to boot!), Bohanan’s corn-fed 16 oz New York Strip will make you forget just how badly you want to eat the potatoes that come with it. While in San Antonio, also try Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ – a half pound of their dry-rub beef brisket or a half roast chicken will fill any carb-deprived belly.

The “Ooh La La!” Movement
For some, French food is synonymous with old people and money, complicated sauces and indecipherable accents. Recently, energetic chefs around the world have supplemented their french culinary training with an ounce of fresh air and a dash of sass, drawing hungry masses to cuisine Française. With the release of the feature film Julie and Julia, Julia Child’s 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking finds itself once again on the best seller’s lists.
Wanna emulate Amélie? Hop a plane to Paris and linger in cafes around Montmartre. For those stateside, Las Vegas promises far more than just roulette and broken dreams. Recently featured on the awesome French episode of Top Chef, Daniel Boulud’s Brasserie in the Wynn Hotel features Country Paté, beaucoup de fromages, and, of course, escargot.

The “Security Blanket” Diet
One used to spend a special occasion dinner amongst white table clothes and an abundance of difficult to decipher cutlery. Now, food that once seemed relegated to Mom’s Sunday Dinner has become de rigueur on the most talked about menus, and international dining mecca New York has led the charge towards dishes you last consumed alongside a sippy cup.  Graydon Cartyer’s The Waverly Inn and Garden in New York raised a few foodie eyebrows when it featured a decadent interpretation of the childhood favorite – USD $55 Truffled Macaroni and Cheese. For those lacking the Vanity Fair connections and endless amounts of cash required for the Waverly Inn, revisit a youthful lunchtime favorite at Peanut Butter & Co, where your inner child can ruin your actual diet by demanding a Fluffernutter or a Peanut Butter BLT.

The “Local or Else” Trend
Guru Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, started it all – retiring the frequent flyer card for her confit and celebrating locally sourced staples in her renowned kitchen. Beyond the Bay Area, you’ll find 100 mile diets on many the international menu. Locavores will not go hungry in Berlin, especially after chowing down on the Brandenburg Potato Stew at Berlin’s first Carbon Neutral restaurant, Foodorama.

[Photos: Steak by Basheertome; Cheese by cwbuecheler; Salad byf zoha_n; All Creative Commons]

Fashion Week shows take place mainly in large tents set up in Bryant Park (Sixth Avenue at 41st Street), though some designers hold shows in separate locations throughout the city. In the tents, shows start at 9 am each morning and are held practically every hour until the late evening-not to mention the after-parties, during which the tall, skinny and beautiful (and those who love them) spill out of Bryant Park into the equally fabulous nightlife of New York.

New York Fashion Week has gotten even more well-known in recent years with the blockbuster success of the reality TV competition Project Runway. Each season, three finalists compete in a super-secret runway show at Bryant Park for the chance to start their own fashion line. All Fashion Week shows are technically closed to the public, as tickets are said to be “for the private use of each designer” and his/her guests. However, in the past American Express (a sponsor) has offered its cardholders access to VIP Fashion Week packages that include sky-box seats in the Bryant Park tents. W Hotels have also sold Fashion Week packages, including a suite and two VIP passes to one show.

Designer Toni Maticevski's runway

Even if you miss out on the action in the tents, you can feed off Fashion Week energy by doing a little window-shopping (or actual buying) on Madison Avenue or in SoHo/Nolita. During this year’s Fashion Week, New York was one of a number of cities around the world celebrating Fashion’s Night Out, an initiative driven by Vogue magazine, NYC & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America with more than 700 participating retailers and designers open late and hosting exhibits and other incentives designed to “promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion.” Shopping is just doing your part for the economy.

In addition to-or instead of-celebrating fashion through shopping, you can also take in a “Fashion and Politics” tour or check out a major exhibition dedicated to the work of Isabel Toledo (the designer behind Michelle Obama’s Inauguration Day outfit) at the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.). With four nights left, try and scope out the spillover from Fashion Week after-parties at hotspots like Tenjune, or just enjoy a burger and frozen custard at the Shake Shack in celebration of your non-model status.

[Photos: Art Comments/Creative Commons]