While waiting outside, this Dorothy walked around and checked out the crowd.

You forget how much of fashion week is just spent waiting in line. It's like an amusement park. After half an hour I forgot what I was waiting for. At least I was in the shadow of Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

There were Ruby Slippers on the sign in the elevator!

Once inside, I was mesmerized by the shoes. The special Ruby Slippers were all under glass.

You can see the "yellow brick carpet" here.

These shoes were going to be in The Wizard Of Oz but… Oh, just read the text:

Okay so, on to the partying. So weird to be drinking around shoes. Expensive designer shoes. Gucci, Louboutin, Dior. But! It's all about the celebs, right?

Josh Radnor plays Ted on How I Met Your Mother. When I realized that this picture had no flash, I asked him if I could take another. That's when the mini burgers went by.

So when I did get a better shot, he was gleefully holding a mini burger. Josh was there "with" Lindsay Price from Lipstick Jungle. I say "with" because it was less like a date and more like she was the only person he knew there or they had the same publicist or something.

This is Paige Davis from Trading Spaces. I forget why we were so psyched.

Next I saw ProjRun alum Santino Rice, who insisted on taking this picture himself and declared it "sweet."

Another ProjRun alum: Kevin Christiana. He questioned whether he should be holding the crabcake in the photo but I said it was fine.

Again, from ProjRun: Jack Mackenroth.

It was really hard to get close to Nigel Barker. He was swarmed, then a whole bunch of young kids wanted their pictures taken with him. I think he thought I was with the kids. Anyway. My pic of him turned out crappy.

But he was very gracious and very tall.

The truth is, some of the best people at events like this are the non-famous peeps:

(Well, Patrick McDonald is regionally famous.)

Eventually, something was telling me "There's no place like home."

As I left, I made sure to get a shot of the store windows…

Then I clicked my heels three times… and took the subway.

Earlier: The Power Of Ruby Slippers
Patricia Field For Payless: Shoes, Booze & Drag Queens

According to the Times, she once designed a collection with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and Dorothy (played by her daughter, Lulu) leading a rented Toto. What's the appeal of this 1939 Sepiatone/Technicolor fantasy about a farmgirl from Kansas? I've asked myself that question so many times.

I'm almost always Dorothy for Halloween. Partially because I already have the dress, which a friend made for me when I was in high school. The shoes I made (with the help of a friend) out of old suede Mary-Jane flats using lots and lots of glue, spray mount and glitter; they leave a trail of "rubies" wherever I go.

But it's also because I really, really, unapologetically love her. She's a dreamer, but she's feisty. She's friendly and adventurous, but focused on her goal. And in traveling with her dog and a bunch of misfits with issues, she unknowingly proves that the journey is the destination. Sure, the Wizard is a disappointment: Because you can't rely on other people for your happiness. The answers to your questions and powers to make your dreams come true are inside of you.

Of course, it does come back to the shoes. The shoes! Has there ever been a more beautiful, iconic fashion item? Magic slippers made of rubies. Red, the color of power. Glittering like hot coals. They look just as great with black and white stockings as they do with blue ankle socks. Shoes with the power to transform and transport, who doesn't dream of such a thing? Don't we always want our shoes and clothes to infuse us with energy, charisma and strength? Throughout my life, I have definitely closed my eyes and clicked my heels three times. It's tons of fun staying out all night and getting smashed with the Munchkins and the Tin Man in downtown Emerald City, but there's no place like home.

We’re Off To See The Ruby Slippers [NY Times]