Label it: The Philadelphia Collection

Flanked by models and dressed in a navy-blue suit and green Nicole Miller tie, Mayor Nutter vogued for the cameras Wednesday afternoon and announced the first city-sponsored foray into fashion: The Philadelphia Collection.

The 10-day fashion party, which starts Sept. 23 and runs through Oct. 2, features more than 40 free runway presentations, cocktail parties, and trunk shows in boutiques throughout Center City, Germantown, and South Philadelphia.

Having already proven his in-the-know status by hosting Sex and the City screenings, Nutter comfortably talked up style, after arriving fashionably late.

"This is an event all about the look," Nutter said to about 50 of Philadelphia fashion insiders who gathered in front of the main stage in Northern Liberties' Piazza at Schmidts, one of the city's trendiest hang-out spots. "But retail is not just about fashion, it's about economics."

The city's announcement launched what promises to be a busy fashion season in the City of Brotherly Love.

And how can it not be? In the last two years, the city has seen new boutiques, designers, and even the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency claim it as home. Philadelphia has gone from a city whose hippest residents relied on New York for fashion entertainment to a city with a fashion calendar so packed that it can be confusing to the casual fashionista who wants to know where she should be seen.

"The city often gets passed over for things that are cool," said Jeff Glass, one of the owners of Boyds. "We're not just a city of cheesesteaks and the Eagles."

Thursday marks the seventh day of Philadelphia stylist Anthony Henderson and producer Tracy Johnson's 17 . . . Days of Fashion, which puts a spotlight on fall fashions sold at local boutiques.

Local businessmen Kevin Parker and Kerry Scott will host their fourth FBH Philadelphia Fashion Week, beginning Monday. Events include in-store parties at Center City's Kenneth Cole and Banana Republic stores, a host of fashion symposiums, and two evenings of runway shows.

It doesn't end there. King of Prussia mall as well as several local boutiques will be holding Fashion's Night Out parties on Sept. 10 as part of Vogue magazine's push to get people interested again in designer fall shopping.