MSN Lifestyle has a very interesting slide show chronicling the history of fashion week. Here’s a quote, briefly explaining the history of fashion week, from the site:

Fashion Week originally began as “Press Week” when a well-known fashion publicist named Eleanor Lambert organized the event in 1943. During the 1970s and ‘80s, designers began to show their collections in lofts, restaurants and clubs across New York City. It wasn’t until Fern Mallis, vice president of IMG, the company that produces Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, searched for a venue where all of the shows could be held in a single location. In Spring 1994, Fashion Week as we know it was held in the tents at Bryant Park. Read further to see the evolution of the American runway from 1955 through today.