New York, September 12 – Anna Wintour seemed to really enjoy the performance by the Nittany Lions, Penn State University’s marching band, which opened the Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2006 fashion show. Anna smiled and tapped her foot, no doubt wondering if the band uniforms were the show. It was too crowded for Anna to turn around and see the band’s conductor, about six rows behind her, waving his arms, directing.

In a fashion week that has been thus far relatively light in the celebrity quotient, Jacobs had some aces up his sleeve. Kirsten Dunst crept out from backstage, surrounded by security, made her way through the pandemonium, only to get up and head back after a swarm of photographers surrounded her. Clearly, movie stars are not used to such treatment. Kirsten eventually ventured out again into the crowd, and had a huggy Virgin Suicides reunion with Sofia Coppola.

We were relieved, however, to see Sofia there, since Jacobs’ new muse, Lil’ Kim, is headed to prison momentarily. Sofia told us it had been a long time since she’d been to a fashion show. And Lil’ Kim did make her much gossiped-about appearance, and changed her outfit before hitting the after party at Cipriani 23rd Street.

Uma Thurman was there, but not there, smiling distractedly throughout the entire show. (Yes, we were directly across from her, and yes, we were staring.) Who wasn’t there? Everyone from Kristin Davis to Rufus Wainwright to photographer Cindy Sherman to Eva Longoria to Caroline Kennedy scoped out the frocks. Anna Sui was unmolested, even seated next to Naomi Campbell.

At show’s end, something opened up overhead, but instead of lighting fixtures crashing down, shiny silver confetti poured over the audience. And while the stuff found its way into every place imaginable on our bodies - in our hair, down our shirts, in our pockets, even inside of our closed bags - even confetti wouldn’t dare rustle Wintour's bob. As everyone got coated with the stuff - it stuck to sweaty skin – we looked in awe as Anna sat calmly, only a few flakes on one knee.