Somewhere hearts are happy. Somewhere people shout, but there is no joy in Debville. New York Fashion Week show is going on without her and the view from the midwest sidelines is bittersweet. Mostly bitter.

As I pine over the useless stack of show invitations littering my desk like unrequited Valentines, I can only catch glimpses of the action on YouTube, Style.com and the blogs of friends — most notably Heard on the Runway by Cheryl Tan and her colleagues at the Wall Street Journal, Cliff Notes by Cliff Hugh at the Houston Chronicle, and New York Magazine’s The Cut blog

It’s just not the same. Models are falling. In this case, 15-year-old Polish model Monica “Jac” Jagaciak during the fall 2009 collection of Herve Leger by Max Azria on Sunday, (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano). She was apparently one of about three who fell and a handful more who slipped on the high-gloss wooden runway. I could have been there.

Trends are emerging: Perhaps, most notably the use of liquid gold fabrics in the shiniest of hues, like these gowns by Georges Chakra (above left) modeled during his show on Saturday (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano). Are designers foreseeing an end to the economic woes making shoppers timids and anticipating shoppers looking for a little opulence come fall?

Gold metallic looks also graced the runway of Diane von Furstenberg, Erin Feterston and the bottom half of all the models during the BCBG Max Azria which showcased dipped in gold leg wear (at right).

Our friendly neighborhood supermodel, Karlie Kloss of Webster Groves (as in, she’s still going to high school here) continues to dominate runways. That’s her at left in some zany get-up at the Miss Sixty show Sunday (AP Photo/Seth Wenig). Got that invite too.

Random celebs are on hand. Is Kanye really wearing a jean jacket underneath his coat at Calvin Klein? Sigh. Perhaps, it’s better I wasn’t there to tsk, tsk in person. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig).

And then, of course there’s the uber-glitterati attending shows that I likely wouldn’t have been able to snag an invite to (but could very likely have snuck in), such as this happy pairing of Sarah Jessica Parker and Anna Wintour at the Alexander Wang showing on Saturday.

Don’t they look cozy. I do wonder what they are talking about. I doubt, it’s hem lengths and trends. I always imagine it’s “juicy g” (that gossip for the uninitiated) and I do wonder what the dish is, but those venues are so noisy and crowded that they wouldn’t risk being overheard so it’s probably perfunctory talk about who’s show they saw last and what they liked, yawn.

And then there’s Jason Wu. Riding a wave of Michelle Obama-fueled fame, he packed the house for a showing of his fall collection that built on his standards of stylish sheaths in bold colors and embellished chiffon numbers that are both grown-up and girly. The chartruese dress at left is among his princess-worth frocks sure to please.

But of all the things I’ll miss as the week continues without me, it’s the nonstop hustle and flow, the madness and mishaps, the aggravation and the bliss. The hurry-hurry and the mind-numbing waiting. And, of course, silly moments like the model photographed at right behind-the-scenes at the Miss Sixty show holding a cell phone to her ear as someone sticks a brush near her eye and two stylists work on her hair (AP Photo/Seth Wenig).

It only our very own St. Louis Fashion Week weren’t a month away, I’d be a wreck.