Fashion Week just came to a close, and all I can think about are indemnification agreements and easements.

Before you blame law school on turning me into a boring, poorly dressed student with a complex next to those beautiful breed of women called models, consider how fashion week takes over Lincoln Center’s public space, denies access to locals and inconveniences thousands of neighbors.

In 2009, Fashion Week moved to Damrosch Park after an agreement between ING, the producers of Fashion Week, and New York City.  And so, more complicated then following the messes of dresses posted instantly from the runway onto Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, is observing how Fashion week organizers deal with a host of legal issues. Part of the complication arises out of the intricacies of public and private space that coexist at Lincoln Square, including the City-owned iconic fountain plaza, all the perimeter sidewalks, the pockets of greenery and Damrosch Park.

One legal issue at dispute was whether or not ING would employ the union that oversees most activities at Lincoln Center. In what was seen as a way to curb protest, Fashion Week opted to contract with the union. However, there is no simple way to soothe the local community’s outrage over the limited access to their neighborhood park. As a Fordham Law School student, I particularly mourn the loss of my shortcut through the perimeter sidewalk that leads directly from 62^nd Street to the 66^th Street Train Station.

Some students know how to take advantage of Fashion Week. A 2011 study by Fordham Business School measured the economic impact of fashion week on the Lincoln Square neighborhood at an estimated $40 million. Clearly, there are many positive benefits to hosting Fashion Week. Maybe if designers would reserve a few front row seats for Fordham students and neighborhood locals, Fashion Week would experience a warmer community welcome.

Photo courtesy of freshnessmag.com