Mirror, Mirror: The Philadelphia Collection begins this week

Five years ago when the city partnered with its various booster organizations to launch the Philadelphia Collection, I was wary.

How did these bureaucrats plan to unite such a disparate group of boutique owners and fashion show producers under one umbrella? The only thing most of them knew about Fashion Week was what they saw on Sex and the City.

Well not only did they pull it off, but their efforts are starting to pay off - and they are slightly better-dressed to boot.

Wednesday marks the start of the Philadelphia Collection: eight days of shopping, cocktail parties, fashion shows, and trunk-show presentations at dozens of area boutiques and trendy loft spaces. There are more than 40 events in all.

Collectively, the city of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Retail Marketing Alliance, and the Center City District spend just $20,000 on the marketing and promotion of TPC - as referred to by its organizers - that includes a kickoff party.

Yet its goals - unifying the fashion community and upping the city's fashion cred - have a much larger economic impact.

After all, if Philadelphians are perceived as both well-dressed and fashion-forward, then we have a shot at drawing major retailers to the city. Organizers credit the energy of TPC for luring Vogue-worthy brands like Vince and Theory to Walnut Street last year.

You can't ignore the fact that only national retailers can pay the rising rents - but you can bet those storefronts would be filled with more banks and drugstores had there been no fashion vibe here, some of which TPC has fostered.

"We have come pretty far," said Michelle Shannon, vice president of marketing and communications at the Center City District, one of TPC's founding organizations. "We have gotten national and international recognition for our efforts, and retailers want to come to Philadelphia."

Also, destination stores like Century 21 - slated to open at the Gallery East in October - encourage visitors to spend their cash not just on shoe-booties but at restaurants and hotels.

In addition to establishing a much-needed fashion calendar for fashion junkies, TPC has spawned a handful of signature events, such as Nicole Miller's annual salute to the city's most influential women, who happen to be the snazziest of dressers, hosted by Philadelphia franchise owner Mary K. Dougherty.

Also: Phashion Phest, Philadelphia's longest-running fashion show and cocktail party, celebrates its 21st year at the Shops at Liberty Place. And Philadelphia Fashion Week, two days of runway presentations produced by FBH-The Agency that features mostly Philadelphia-based designers, is in its ninth year.

Of the more than 40 TPC events, new ones include the StylePOP pop-up market housed at the just renovated Dilworth Park at City Hall. There, five Philly designers, including Manayunk-based Paula Hian and Macy's incubator designer Terese Sydonna, will sell apparel. The once-a-week fall series kicks off in earnest with a DJ and happy hour Thursday.

TPC, typically Center City-focused, is extending its geographic reach, too. The South Street Headhouse District will produce Fashion Under the Shambles Tuesday, a runway show hosted by America's Next Top Model alumni Cory Wade Hindorff, that will showcase clothing sold in South Street boutiques including Bus Stop Boutique and Pnk Elephant, co-owned by Kijafa Vick (Michael Vick's wife).

Another marquee event to debut this week is an Italian fashion show courtesy of Uomo Moderno, a men's magazine based in Rome. The traveling show - Philadelphia is its second stop after New York Fashion Week - will showcase the work of Italian designers, including Nico Didonna and Rumjungle Italia.

Most of the events included in The Philadelphia Collection are free, but ones that charge are at most $25 per ticket. And unlike New York Fashion Week and the European runway shows underway now, you will not be bombarded with next spring's fashions at a time when you've barely started fall shopping.

In that regard, TPC was ahead of the curve. The industry is slowly readjusting as consumers yearn to shop on-season. Also, younger designers are scoffing at the always-season-ahead rule. You may have noticed that recent fashion weeks are showcasing transitional pieces - pastel furs in spring, for instance - rather than season-specific ones.

That said, the Philadelphia Collection allows us to shop and take part in the rarefied fun. And although we are shopping full price, that's reason to celebrate, too. Five years ago, that didn't sound quite doable, either.

ewellington@phillynews.com