You might say that Pegah Anvarian is looking for some Big Apple validation.

A sketch of one of Pegah Anvarian's looks for fall.
Click photo for larger image.

The Los Angeles-based fashion designer has made a name for herself on the West Coast and sells her collection in upward of 70 specialty stores nationwide.

But New York confers a certain legitimacy -- as well as greater access to department store buyers -- and Ms. Anvarian aims to get both.

So the former fashion stylist, who began designing four years ago, applied to show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, which opens in Manhattan on Friday. She was accepted and has been assigned a Feb. 6 slot at the Bryant Park tents between presentations by Jason Wu and Heatherette.

"I'm so excited," said Ms. Anvarian, who was born in Iran and never attended design school. "I've always wanted to show in New York. It's exciting to have the opportunity to do it the right way. I've shown in L.A. for four seasons, and I'm ready to be seen wider and shown properly at Bryant Park in New York.

"I just feel like in L.A., you're not really taken that seriously like the way you would be taken in New York. And I'm just really ready to be taken seriously."

Over the course of eight days, thousands of fashion industry insiders and outsiders will flock to Bryant Park and other Manhattan venues to check out the fall 2007 collections of more than 100 emerging and established designers.

Bryant Park after this season may no longer be the central location for the twice-a-year event. However, most people's minds will be on what America's most influential designers say about how people should dress next autumn and winter.

Menswear designer John Bartlett officially kicks off the week at 10 a.m. Friday and Costello Tagliapietra wraps things up at 6 p.m. Feb. 9 (for those able to endure to the end). In between are scores of names famous and obscure, from Michael Kors and Donna Karan to Buckler and Michon Schur.

Many designers are talking about a moodier feel to collections, with deeper color, more prints and more of the visible layering that has been a growing trend.

"I have been inspired by the Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano," said designer Stephanie Schur of Michon Schur. "His work is beautiful and fresh, yet has a moody undercurrent. I infused this feeling into the collection using custom prints in lavenders, deep blues and dark, pure blacks."

It's all about thoughtful ensemble dressing for designer Doo-Ri Chung of Doo.Ri.

"Each look," she said, "is an intricately designed package balancing ideas of layering jerseys, crystal work, embroideries and prints in a tightly executed style."

"The Heart Truth" red dress collection show returns for its fifth year to raise awareness of heart disease among women. More than 20 celebrities -- among them Angela Bassett, Billie Jean King, Paula Zahn and Rihanna -- will wear custom-designed red dresses in the runway show Friday morning.

In conjunction with "National Wear Red Day," on Friday local Macy's stores will donate a portion of proceeds from three limited-edition products to the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign. Customers who wear red on Friday will receive a 15 percent discount; those not wearing red can buy the discount pass for $2, which will be donated to the charity.

Meanwhile, dozens of designers will preview collections away from Bryant Park, some independent of Fashion Week organizer 7th on Sixth. Miss Sixty and Tahari get a jump on the week with showings on Thursday (Eve performs at Miss Sixty's after-party), while former Project Runway contestant Zulema Griffin shows Friday in Chelsea.

Several labels, including Miss Sixty and John Varvatos, will preview collections at 7 World Trade Center. That's near Ground Zero, where the September 2001 terrorist attacks leveled WTC towers 1 and 2 and killed more than 2,700 people.

Some designers chose the venue to support the resurgence of lower Manhattan. Building 7 was damaged in the attacks and the first to be reconstructed. However, the strong emotions still evoked by the site, its relatively far distance from Bryant Park and an elevator ride higher than 40 floors for both shows might hurt attendance.

While most events are all about apparel and accessories, some are not.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America will host a panel discussion Monday morning on health and beauty in the fashion industry. Foreign countries have acted in recent months to address problems with sickly thin models, but the council recently issued a list of recommendations that fall short of specific guidelines instituted elsewhere, such as minimum body-mass-index thresholds.

Fragrance launches have become the norm each season, and at least two are scheduled this time. Reed Krakoff, design director for Coach, will introduce the brand's first scent to an exclusive gathering at one of his homes.

Meanwhile, Bond No. 9, which has emerged as a fragrance powerhouse in recent years with scent names after New York places, will informally debut its 28th and newest scent with free samples at select events throughout the week. Bryant Park, an eau de parfum that pays homage to the fashion week venue, hits stores March 1 in a Pucci-inspired flacon with notes of rhubarb, rose and raspberry.

Still, when all is said and done, fashion week is about clothes and the ideas their creators have about how Americans should dress.

Ms. Anvarian's collection for women, inspired by a trip to London, focuses on colors, shapes and silhouettes that she described as "wearable" and "timeless." She used a print for the first time and created layered looks in shades of gray, dark green, wine, navy, silver and black.

The line is "drapey, sophisticated, edgy," said Ms. Anvarian, 32. "It's fashion-forward, but to the point that it's not just fashion-forward runway but fashion-forward every day for the confident woman."

Pegah Anvarian, a Los Angeles-based designer, will be debuting a collection in New York Fashion Week for the first time.
Click photo for larger image.

First Published: January 29, 2007, 5:00 a.m.