NEW YORK, Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - To fit or not to fit, that is the question. When it comes to hose, that is.

Over lunch today, post Michael Kors, the conversation turned to the runway phenomenon of tights that perceptibly bag and wrinkle at the knees and the ankles (Rodarte, Koi Sunnawagate).

Frankly, after there has also already been a preponderance of reveal-every-flaw easily snaggable sheer hose on the runways the last few days (and first seen at last month's Chanel haute couture show), I think women everywhere have the right to be asking: "What fresh hell is this?"

Oh celebrity: You will have no doubt seen that while the scriptwriter strike continues, there has been much talk of off-duty stars killing time by clogging up the front rows of the shows. But what about all those not-a-bit of-free-time designers who have been dropping by each other's presentations? In a week of such sightings, yes, that was Phillip Lim sitting at Richard Chai's show an hour - I repeat, an hour - before his own was due to start. Chai returned the compliment sitting at Lim's show.