Now Fashion Week’s future is once again up in the air, and, contrary to what you might think, the problem is not the venue itself—anyone who has picked up a copy of Vogue is surely familiar with the industry’s penchant for photographing leggy, designer-clad models in gritty environments, and what’s grungier than the Port Authority?

Real Estate Weekly reports that Port Authority officials realized that the southern portion of the bus terminal does not have enough elevators and escalators to ferry the 2,000-plus peanut gallery to the rooftop parking lot where the shows would take place.

The news will surely come as a blow to the nonprofit that manages the midtown plaza, the Bryant Park Corporation. The BPC has been trying to oust Fashion Week for years. In February, BPC president Daniel Biederman told The Observer that they were hopeful IMG might leave before their lease expires in 2010.

“Normally, we would not be involved in the search,” Mr. Biederman said, “but we’re so anxious to get rid of them that we’re working probably as hard as they are to find a new spot that fashion will like so we can run the ice rink through 2009-2010.”

Though the Port Authority said the deal is not quite dead in the water, IMG had not responded to their request for proposals to deal with the flow of fashionistas.

Here’s an idea: Have them use the stairs.

Dan Biederman said the Bryant Park Corporation decided in September to oust the twice-yearly Fashion Week because it was taking up too much time and space. A compromise reached by Mayor Bloomberg will keep the event in the park this February but force it to move in time for the following show next fall.

"It does damage at times," he told us. "It also takes away from the public two months of free skating that we would otherwise offer. The ice rink has to close down in mid-January and it also takes away the entire month of September and the last part of August. That is the best part of the summer.... They have outgrown us."

The skating rink, which is sponsored by Citibank, brings in $300,000 beyond expenses, he said. The park will be able to add one or two events in the time period freed up by Fashion Week's departure, and Biederman says that he can get away with charging more for each event. "But those events will be open to the public and the public doesn't even necessarily have to see those sponsorships."

He said Fashion Week is considering relocating to Lincoln Center or riverfront piers.

-Matthew Schuerman