Paris and Milan have nothing on Dallas. This week the biggest thing in fashion is Fashion at the Park at NorthPark Center. The advertising promised a “shop the shows” event, and that’s exactly what we got.

The day started out with a bang: Barneys New York. The show was quite the production; everyone in the fashion world was there, and that doesn’t even begin to describe the phenomenal clothes. Creative director Simon Doonan commentated on the clothes and the crowd, saying things Dallasites wouldn’t dare think or say, and did it in an utterly hilarious fashion. Barneys showed everything from Balenciaga to Doo-ri to Proenza Schooler: all-in-all, one of the best shows I’ve been to.

Barneys was followed CH Carolina Herrera. Here we saw lots of banana yellow, vibrant green and the color the season: beige. In the show was SMU’s very own Ricky Bennick, sporting a rather fetching sky-blue blazer and dark boot-cut jeans.

Following CH, Billy Reid showed his down-south, home-style line. When asked what inspires him, Reid replied, “It’s better to just do what’s in your gut,” which came though in his rustic-comfy line with genuine vintage accessories. In the Lily Pulitzer show, bright colors and girly prints were the name of the game. The all-American line featured sweet looks and even a few little girls to mix it up. Not quite high fashion, Lily is the wearable line for every woman.

In contrast to the Lily show, Custo featured bold looks and the hair and makeup to match. The uber avant garde collection was dazzling and vivid: I felt as though I were floating though a dream world. The night was capped off with drinks and a Diesel show that was most definitely praiseworthy; the perfect way to wrap up day two.

After watching the runway, it’s hard to believe that everything is available now in the stores. What makes the “shop the shows” mentality believable are the women who walk back into the tents with their hands full of shopping bags. Shows and shopping– what a way to spend the day.