For those of us who will never witness a great runway show firsthand, the Web has become a sort of fashion paradise, a place where people from all walks of life can pretend that they have any real reason whatsoever for poring through the latest designer collections. If such a pastime has any appeal to you, you must hurry as fast as you can to firstview.com, where you will find not only the latest collections, but archives of old ones -- from literally hundreds of designers. Because there are too many designers to cover at one time, I'm going to guide you through some of the better sites at FirstView, so that you too may be able to enjoy fashion in the equal-opportunity way it was meant to be enjoyed. The one caveat: uh, you'll have to pay to enjoy if you want to see the very latest collection a designer has to offer ($5.95 for one hour). But if you don't mind looking at last season's looks, then click to your heart's content, for free. Today, we'll check out a traditionalist, Giorgio Armani, and the Minimalist, Richard Tyler.

The Armani FirstView site is one of the best at FirstView -- with clear, sharp photographs that allow you to see a great deal of the detail in the clothing. Granted, Armani isn't exactly known for bright colors and unusual shapes, so there isn't that much "detail" to see. The point, however, is that the photographs, which are all runway shots of moving models, are taken well enough to really capture the fluidity of his designs. When you click on one of the many photos in the collection (there are 91 in the Spring 1999 show alone), the photo enlarges to full screen size, allowing you to really take in the clothing (yes, I know, it's not the same as actually being there, but this will have to do.). The site goes all the way back to 1995, in case you, you know, want to go retro -- but the most recent collections are so beautiful that they will probably be fashion inspiration enough.

Unlike the Armani site, FirstView's Richard Tyler site features photographs taken from the runway in some instances and from backstage in others. The backstage ones, which are basically replicas of the shots that are taken to dress the models, are neither as interesting nor as flattering of the designs as the runway shots. Not to despair, though. The Tyler collections are captured very well at First View, and generally give you a good idea of the look and feel of Richard Tyler, even if you don't always get to "see the show." The collections feature everything from suits to eveningwear to more casual designs, and really give you a good sense of Tyler's style. The collections date back to 1996, in case you'd like to study the evolution of Tyler's designs (hint: you may or may not find the changes all that dramatic1x).

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