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Fashion Week Marred by Dirty Bathrooms, Patrons Say

By Della Hasselle | September 15, 2011 11:47am

LINCOLN CENTER — Fashion Week can be a swanky affair, but for some fashionistas, the experience was tarnished by some less-than-perfect facilities inside the tents.

Fashionable figures looking for glamour, or at least hygiene, were extremely disappointed and even disgusted by the tents' bathrooms, complaining about unsanitary toilets, noxious smells and debris strewn about the sink and counter including strands of hair.

"My first thought was that Anna Wintour definitely does not use this facility," said stay-at-home mom Bridget Hintze, said after using the toilets Wednesday afternoon. She had come to Fashion Week after being invited by a friend.

 "I was a little bit surprised, it was kind of like a porta-potty," added Maria Giron, a financial consultant who works Downtown, added. She was at Fashion Week thanks to a cousin who works in the industry.

"I would have expected something a little more graceful, since it's fashion — maybe a little bit more color?"

Fashionistas picked their way through the temporary units, which had approximately 4 stalls and two sinks apiece, dodging puddles of water on the floor and toilet paper strewn about the ground.

Other complaints included the confusing flush mechanism on the toilets, which required fashionistas to step on a lever near the floor. Some pointed out that the facilities could be a hindrance to women's Fashion Week wardrobes.

"I was really glad that I wasn't wearing anything floor-length, because I wouldn't want it to touch the ground," fashion journalist Liz Black pointed out.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week spokesman Andrew Serrano declined to comment on patrons' complaints about the dirty bathrooms, and wouldn't say how often the bathrooms were cleaned.

For more Fashion Week news, click here.