CNN's Fashion Week Special Airs This Saturday

The New York Times' Eric Wilson writes about CNN Domestic's new special looking at New York Fashion Week. Hosted by correspondent Alina Cho, the 30 minute special will feature conversations with fashion designers and magazine editors.

“There is room for fashion in our coverage,” Ms. Cho said shortly after the Jason Wu show. “Our viewers crave hard news. They want the headlines about Egypt. But we shouldn’t discount the fact there are other topics we can cover, and I don’t think it makes me any less of a journalist to cover fashion.”

If all goes well with the special, called “Fashion Week: Backstage Pass,” Ms. Cho hopes the network will make it a recurring feature, but she is not under the illusion that CNN will fully revive the “Style” concept. Ms. Klensch covered something like 4,000 shows during her tenure, reporting from Milan and Paris in her trademark Sonia Rykiel jacket and glossy bob. Ms. Cho went to the Paris collections for the first time just last fall, on her own time, tagging along with her friend John Demsey, a group president for Estée Lauder. (Ms. Cho is not shy about pushing herself onto the social circuit, serving as a chairwoman, for example, of the New Yorkers for Children spring gala.)

"Fashion Week: Backstage Pass" airs 2:30p (eastern) this Saturday on CNN Domestic.