Francis Hendy shows his menswear and womenswear collection at the same time.

That is not surprising in New York, where designers are wont to mix their collections.

Backstage, it is a pleasure to watch the models being made up - the men and the women, at the same time.

Both of them get made up. (Yes Virginia, male models wear make-up on the runway.) The difference - the men get finished first before the women.

With the men, it's the hair, the face (a little foundation and color so that they don't look like ghosts under the spotlights) and they are done.

For the women, the process is longer. Their hair takes longer to do, plus they get manicures.

Their make-up is more involved - from the eyes, to the lips. Their hair and their make-up has to be "coordinate" so that the total look that the designer envisioned will be achieved.

Like in real life, the women's look define the "atmosphere." The men compliment the women.

Yes, backstage actually mirrors real life on this one.

But don't think for a moment that the women get more attention. When it comes to a show, all the models and their clothes get the same amount of attention from the stylists and the make-up artists.

The organizer and the designer look at the total picture, and when these models walk the runway, every item on the collection is scrutinized by the editors and the retail buyers.

The idea of Fashion Week in general, and a fashion show in particular is to sell and promote the designer and his collection.

Every article of clothing and every piece of accessory can be "best seller," hence it is important that all of them are shown on the best light possible.

It's just that men are easier to "dress up" than women.

But you know that already!

Backstage: Francis Hendy