Political power dressing at New York Fashion Week

The catwalk throbbed with politics in New York on Thursday as designers threw their weight behind a campaign to promote tolerance and La Perla gave women's freedom a boost with a ready-to-wear debut. The white bandanas worn by models strutting the runway for Tommy Hilfiger in Los Angeles were ubiquitous on the first official day of the new season as the glitterati battled near blizzard-like conditions and a winter snow storm in New York for the fashion week kickoff.