The Business Behind Fashion's Front Row

Some of the celebrities with their crossed Louboutined legs in the front row who are hitting the Paris fashion shows (which run until Oct. 3) and already have shown up in Milan and New York might actually be fans of the brands, but spoiler alert: Few stars are attending just for the love of it anymore. There's a reason A-listers plant their fashionable fannies at fashion shows (center front is the celebrity zone; editors get side front seats). It's all about green -- and we're not talking the color of the season. Behind every Birkin bag is an agenda -- and most are negotiated in advance, in a more corporate way than ever before. With major Hollywood talent agencies hiring personal appearance agents to negotiate these deals, stars promoting fashion shows have become a business similar to Olympians endorsing cereal.