For us fashionistas, New York Fashion Week (which kicks off today!) is the highlight of the year (or at least the highlight of this dreary February we’re having). Our CollegeCandy hearts always skip a beat when we see those white tents going up in Bryant Park.  The clothes, the shoes, the celebrities, the glamour… Sigh. It’s almost too much to bear.

Until the day we’re rich, famous, and, oh yeah, invited to this exclusive event, we’ll have to live vicariously through TV and internet coverage.

Still, even if we don’t have Heidi Klum’s front row seat, we can’t wait! We’ve got our DVF wrap dress on (courtesy of some serious Ebay-ing), we’re sporting the Anna Wintour helmet bob, and we’re counting down the minutes for the fash-insanity to begin.

Below, the five things we’re looking forward to most about NYFW Fall 2010.

1. The Project Runway Finale

OK, so we don’t know quite yet which three (or four) designers will be walking their designs down the runway in Bryant Park, but who cares? This season is kinda boring, anyway. We just want to see what those little guys and girls are made of… and all the celebs/Project Runway all-stars from season’s past that show up to see it all go down.

2. The Designs! (Duh)

The excitement of just looking at the beautiful designs I’ll never be able to afford makes me weak in the knees. BCBG? La Perla? Badgley Mischka? Yes, yes, yes! But even though I will never own a Chanel LBD, I flip through every last runway photo to see what the new trends will be so I can load up on their more affordable knock-offs.  Will my leggings and skinny jeans still be OK? What about gladiator heels? And for God’s sake, please tell me I don’t need to invest in shoulder pads!

3. The Celebrities

While the focus of Fashion Week should be on the runway, I like to focus on the seats. As in, who is in them. Where are they sitting? What show are they at? What are they wearing? I mean, what would Fashion Week be without Rachel Zoe, Anne Hathaway, Chloe Sevigny, Nicole Richie, and…wait for it….

4. The Jersey Shore Cast???

It is rumored that our favorite Guidos will be rubbing elbows with Anna Wintour at Fashion Week, blowouts and spray tans intact. Although J-Woww’s breast-baring tops and ripped jeans don’t exactly scream “couture,” I love these guys and can’t wait to see them hob nobbing with this elite, high-fashion crowd.

5. Fashion Road Kill

Picture a beautiful model decked out in the most expensive designer clothes strutting her stuff down the runway.  It’s so easy to hate her….that is, until she eats it in front of thousands of people! It happened last year in New York, the year before in Milan, in 2006 in Paris, and with any luck (and Alexander McQueen’s Alien shoes) it will happen next week.

When you think of models, a mental image of composed, sophisticated women may come to mind. These women are wearing flawless outfits, have every strand on their head in perfect order and shine in their immaculate make-up.

Their physical “perfection” and high status in society makes them seem like some breed of ideal robotic woman.

Thanks to our friends at Best Week Ever, our attention has been turned to FashionTelevision.com which has come out with a series of model slip-ups to ensure us that models are real people too. Due to the hazardous conditions on the runway, this video shows models tripping, falling, and straight up flying down the runway.

The video highlights some of the possible hazards involved in parading down the catwalk. One of these dangers is the catwalk itself. The video shows a variety of catwalks that appear to be thin, slippery, and downright terrifying. One slip-up and a model’s butt will be on the lap of someone in the front row. The video also discusses the unsafe footwear models are forced to work in. Heels peak at unreasonable heights, with little support for the girls to balance on. I’m honestly surprised that more ankles aren’t snapped during fashion shows.

Jay Alexander, model coach from America’s Next Top Model, suggests that models don’t shake their hips while walking. He insists that a model must assess the situation on the runway and “do what’s best” for her.

The video shows the various reactions that models have to their spills. Some stare straight ahead and make no facial indication that anything out of the ordinary has occurred. Many opt to smile and others cover their face with their hands and hustle backstage as fast as they can.

This video should encourage even the most avid model-hater’s heart to go out to these girls just a little bit.

Perhaps being paid to walk in those tiny, tight outfits isn’t so easy after all.