New York Today: Fashion Week, With a Twist

Good morning on this still-hot-less-humid Wednesday.

New York Fashion Week, which starts Thursday, is going beyond the catwalk this year.

The Times's fashion columnist, Vanessa Friedman tells us, 'There are a lot of performance pieces happening.'

The design house opening ceremony, for instance, is producing a 30-minute one-act play directed and co-written by Spike Jonze on Sunday, instead of a show. (The performers also wear the ' Opening Ceremony ' brand.)

Ms. Friedman describes other performances in her 'Unbuttoned' column.

She cited several reasons for the rise of nontraditional shows.

The Hollywood agency William Morris Endeavor recently acquired IMG, which owns New York Fashion Week.

Fashion is playing a bigger role in reality television and entertainment in general.

And then there's the viral factor.

'All this is driven by social media and the need to create content that can be caught on video and shared,' she said. 'Shows go way beyond the tent.'

The transformation could raise big fashion world questions.

'What is the purpose of shows?' Ms. Friedman wondered. 'Is it to sell clothes? Or is that the purpose of a showroom and the shows' purpose is to communicate an idea?'

This evening, the designer Victor de Souza provides the first performance - by presenting a fashion show by horse-drawn carriages at the base of Central Park, which will draw out animal rights demonstrators.

Of course, there will also be scads of traditional shows at Lincoln Center and beyond.

There is a live webstream, a guide to eating and drinking downtown, and for armchair fashionistas, a Fashion Week quiz.

Here's what else is happening.

WEATHER

Happy belated hottest day of the year! Tuesday hit 92.

Today looks hot too, with a high of 88, but the humidity drops.

Less steamy, more toasty.

A Canadian air mass may arrive early next week, cooling things down considerably.

'A hint of things to come,' said Nelson Vaz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

COMING UP TODAY

* Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu, seeking the democratic party's nomination for governor and lieutenant governor, speak in Chinatown's Chatham Square. 8:30 a.m.

* The state attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman, campaigning for re-election, makes an announcement about environmental protection at a forum at Pace University. 9:45 a.m.

* A public hearing about legislation that would increase civil penalties for fatal hit-and-run accidents, at City Hall. 10 a.m.

* Could it be? The transportation commissioner makes an announcement with the editor of Bicycling Magazine, which ranks the best cycling cities in the U.S. 10:30 a.m.

* The mayor makes an unspecified announcement at City Hall. Noon.

* S.O.S., we're melting: Wax figures of ABBA in the white costumes from its 1975 video of S.O.S. are unveiled at Madame Tussauds. 1:30 p.m.

* Perfect name alert: The Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt offers a training session outside the Puma store in Midtown. 5:30 p.m.

* A panel at New York University addresses the question, 'Is de Blasio truly a 'progressive mayor'?' 6:30 p.m. [Free]

* Last day to ponder what to do with the kids. Take them to free dance classes in Brooklyn or a tween book club in TriBeCa.

* For more events, see The New York Times Arts & Entertainment guide.

COMMUTE

* L.I.R.R., Metro-North, N.J. Transit, Amtrak

* Roads: Check traffic map or radio report on the 1s or the 8s.

* Alternate-side parking: in effect till Sept. 25.

Kenneth Rosen contributed reporting. New York Today is a weekday roundup that stays live from 6 a.m. till late morning. You can receive it via email. What would you like to see here to start your day? Post a comment, email us at nytoday@nytimes.com, or reach us via Twitter using #NYToday. Follow the New York Today columnists, Annie Correal and Andy Newman, on Twitter. You can always find the latest New York Today at nytoday.com.