Growing pains

With increased support and a broader fan base, young designers here are starting to flourish. And it’s nice to see that these budding Zac Posens and Vera Wangs are no longer packing their sewing machines and steamer trunks and trotting off to New York.

The problem, however, is that our fashion week isn’t always a proper showcase for their fine work. In fact, Boston Fashion Week isn’t so much a fashion week as it is an unwieldy series of parties, fund-raisers, and panel discussions.

Scan through the 22-page schedule and events include Dr. Bill Adams offering a seminar on nonsurgical cosmetic procedures or a lingerie chain store putting models in teddys and parading them around through the aisles. I may be old-fashioned, but this doesn’t scream “fashion’’ to me.

Since Boston Fashion Week is reaching an awkward stage, I will now assume the unpopular role of benevolent parent and offer some advice to this fledgling on how it can grow.

Fashion Week needs a home: New York has the Bryant Park tents, but we’re lacking a central hot spot. Boston needs a proper space to stage fashion shows. As much as I love the fact that the Liberty Hotel has embraced the local fashion scene, it lacks a decent location for a runway. Placing a platform in each corner of the lobby does not constitute a runway, and it’s cumbersome for models. It would be wonderful to see the city recognize the importance of Fashion Week and erect a proper tent at Copley Square. But because this is as likely as Will Ferrell making a Merchant Ivory-style costume drama, perhaps other institutions might offer up their space (I’m looking at you, soon-to-open W Hotel, Boston Public Library, Museum of Fine Arts, and Institute of Contemporary Arts).

A fashion show should not be the same length as a movie: Bless you, ambitious designers of Boston. If you have enough clothes to fill an hourlong show, you’ve been working quite hard. But please bear in mind that fashion shows in New York, Paris, and Milan seldom run more than 15 minutes.

Schedule shows in one-hour blocks: We all love a good cocktail and a chance to rub shoulders with the city’s fashionable set, but there’s an advantage to keeping shows short and fashion-focused rather than turning them into all-night parties. Instead of seeing one designer in a single night, a designated one-hour block of time would leave the opportunity to see many shows in a night, which is good for everybody.

Coordinate shows to cut down on overlap: Last week, I came close to a stylistic meltdown when, on several nights, I was forced to choose between multiple shows happening at the same time. While Boston Fashion Week has grown, it’s not that big. It would be fantastic to take a Saturday or Sunday, and schedule a series of single-designer, hourlong shows in a couple of central locations. Stay with me on this one, kids. Think of it, Alan Rouleau for Women at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the ICA, followed by Sam Mendoza at 4 p.m. at the ICA, followed by Michael DePaulo at 5 p.m. at the ICA. Break, and then stage a party/fashion show that evening at the W. The next day, a similar schedule of three more designers at the Boston Public Library, then throw a party that night at the Liberty. Sound good?

We need sponsors: I’m not advocating blatant commercialism, but planning professional runway shows does not come cheap. Sponsors would get a chance to spread their name among Boston’s tastemakers, and in exchange, Boston Fashion Week would have a budget.

Bring in a few big names: The focus, as Boston Fashion Week executive director Jay Calderin wisely points out, should always be local. But bringing in Cynthia Rowley or Marc Jacobs (hey, a boy can dream) for a night would not only create a focal point for the week, but also energy, publicity, and a sliver of aspiration - and inspiration - for all of us.

Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com.