Lincoln Center’s neighbors want in on Fashion Week shows

Imagine the world’s biggest party at your doorstep — but you’re not invited.

Residents and workers around Lincoln Center are psyched that hundreds of thousands of fashionistas will be descending on their neighborhood over the next 10 days as Fashion Week unfurls in Damrosch Park.

They’d just appreciate a seat.

“I’ve always wanted to go to a fashion show,” sighed Kevon Carter, a waiter at Ed’s Chowder House, just steps from where dozens of shows will be held.

“I would love, love, love to see a Diane von Furstenberg show; I love her dresses,” chimed in a Chowder House waitress, Leidy Rodriguez, of the Bronx.

More people are feeling slighted by Fashion Week this time around because it’s being held in a more residential area compared with its prior home in Bryant Park, the event’s headquarters since 1993.

“I’m excited about it. I would love to participate,” exclaimed Abdoulaye Niang, a salesman at the Lincoln Center Brooks Brothers. Niang, who lives in Harlem, yearns for an invitation to a Fashion Week party and, at minimum, a glimpse of the models.

Fashion Week unofficially kicks off tonight with the Fashion’s Night Out Runway Show. While the public could attend the event, tickets sold out in a heartbeat.

But the shows put on by the 87 participating designers, which start Thursday and run through Sept. 16, are invitation-only.

“It seems very glamorous and exciting, but it’s really a working event” for retailers, buyers
and the fashion press, explained Alison Levy, the public relations manager for the event’s producer, IMG Fashion.

Waitstaffs at restaurants consoled themselves that they’ll no doubt receive a huge bump in business — and tips.

“Lincoln Center is our bread and butter: 100,000 fashionistas across the street can’t be anything but good for the neighborhood,” said David Jones, manager of the restaurant Josephina.

Sheila Anne Feeney writes for amNew York.