New Jersey Fashion Week Is A Thing That Happened and Real Housewives of New Jersey Were There

And you thought fashion month was over. Not true! New Jersey’s inaugural fashion week (ahem, NJFW) kicked off this week to showcase emerging designers from the Garden State. “I want people to understand that New Jersey Fashion Week is the next great destination to showcase global emerging talent,” Donnella Tilery, the co-founder of NJFW told MSNBC.

While the Jersey Shore crew was a no show (not that they were expected but a girl can only hope for more Snooki, right?), there was a reality TV star presence at NJFW, thank goodness. The Manzo sisters, Caroline and Dina, from the Real Housewives of New Jersey were front row and opened up about Jersey style stereotypes.

“We dare to be ourselves — whatever makes us happy,” big sis Caroline, always reasonable, told Tonic. “I definitely feel the stereotypes,” Dina told MSNBC, “But tonight we’ll see the more elegant side of New Jersey.”

Hmm…”Elegant” isn’t exactly the word I’d use to describe the near-crotch-revealing numbers that came down the runway at New Jersey Fashion Week. There were also some fun chiffon guys with big bracelet-like rings attached to the trains so you could loop the bracelets over your wrists and make like a bird. But judge for yourself. Or judge from the reactions of the front row which vary from open-mouthed shock (of horror? delight?) to a guy on his cell phone. Here is what NJFW looked like:

All photos by Al Chaudhri/www.studio25inc.com