frfashion1-8, Exercise 1: The Paris fashion calendar

Model answer (check the details):

Fashion houses show their collections in advance of the season, so that buyers, journalists and clients can order and write about them. In Paris there are two women's ready-to-wear weeks a year, one in spring that shows clothes for the next autumn and winter, and one in autumn that shows the next spring and summer. There are also two haute couture weeks, in January and July, and two menswear weeks, in January and June.

The "big four" fashion cities hold their weeks in a fixed order: New York, London, Milan and then Paris. Buyers and journalists travel from one to the next over about a month. The order matters because it shapes the schedule and the status: Paris comes last, so it can be seen as the climax of the season, and the big houses use it for their main shows. A designer who moves from one city to another is making a statement about status and market.

Care: the exact dates change from year to year and the federation sets them. Check the current calendar.