The Spring/Summer 2013 collections start coming down the runways on Thursday when New York Fashion Week shifts into high gear with nearly 300 shows and presentations over eight days.

Nicholas K, BCBG Max Azria, Richard Chai and Japan’s Tadashi Shoji are among the first to show at Lincoln Center, ground zero for a dizzying array of events around Manhattan.

Veterans on the schedule include Helmut Lang on Friday; Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta on Monday and Tuesday, and Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein when fashion week winds up next Thursday.

Younger designers and labels are prominent as well, among them Jason Wu on Friday; Alexander Wang and Altuzarra on Saturday; Thakoon, Zac Posen and Rad Hourani on Sunday; Phillip Lim on Monday; and Rodarte on Tuesday.

Newcomers include actress Katie Holmes, embarking on a new life as a part-time designer after her much-publicized divorce from film star Tom Cruise, with a collection put together with full-timer Jeanne Yang.

Running alongside fashion week is Fashion’s Night Out, on Thursday, spearheaded by Vogue magazine in 2009 to sustain shoppers’ interest in fashion in the wake of the post-2007 financial crisis.

Hundreds of stores and boutiques around Manhattan will be trying to outdo each other with the most original events, from tarot-card readings at Christian Louboutin to homemade charity cookies baked by model Karlie Kloss at DKNY.

New York Fashion Week is followed by London on September 14-18, Milan on September 19-25 and Paris on September 27 to October 3.

The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City.

New York Fashion Week is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world (along with those in Paris, London, and Milan).

Dates for 2013 have been set for September 6 – 13, 2012 (Spring/Summer 2013) and February 7 – 14, 2013 (Fall/Winter 2013).

New York Fashion Week kicks off the global calendar of Fashion Weeks, and is immediately followed by Fashion Weeks in London, Milan and Paris.

Twice a year – in February’s snow-covered chill and then again in September’s sunshine – New York’s streets overflow with models, buyers and fashion editors alike. For both the Spring / Summer and the Fall / Winter collections, New York Fashion Week (NYFW) promotes America’s fashion talent to the world, from big name designers to up-and-coming talents. With official runways, after parties, and off-schedule events scattered across the city, New York Fashion Week brings a packed program year after year.

New York Fashion Week shifts into high gear with nearly 300 shows and presentations over eight days

September 05

• 5 PM

JOSEPH ABBOUD at NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, CELESTE BARTOS FORUM

• 6:00 PM

9TH ANNUAL STYLE AWARDS at STAGE

September 06

• 9:00 AM

NICHOLAS K at STUDIO

• 10:00 AM

BCBGMAXAZRIA at THEATRE

• 10:30-11:30 AM

KAELEN at BOX

• 11:00 AM

RICHARD CHAI at STAGE

• 1:00 PM

CHADWICK BELL at STUDIO

• 2:00 PM

TADASHI SHOJI at STAGE

• 2:30-3:30 PM

MONIKA CHIANG at BOX

• 3:00 PM

ARISE MAGAZINE PRESENTS: AFRICAN ICONS at THEATRE

• 4:00 PM

SUPIMA, KATE WILKOFF, JACKIE SIEFERT, EDUARDO CALVO, ABBEY GLASS, KYLE PEARSON, MEREDITH LYON, NATALIE YEPES, YVONNE LUONG at STUDIO

• 6:00-11:00 PM

FASHION’S NIGHT OUT at WORLDWIDE

• 7:00 PM

THE ART INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK CITY at STUDIO

September 07

• 8:30-10:30 AM

FASHION LAW INSTITUTE at BOX

• 9:00 AM

CZAR BY CESAR GALINDO at STUDIO

• 10:00 AM

PROJECT RUNWAY at THEATRE

• 10:30-11:30 AM

CONCEPT KOREA at STAGE

• 12:00 PM

NOON BY NOOR at STUDIO

• 2:00-3:30 PM

W118 BY WALTER BAKER at BOX

• 3:00 PM

REBECCA MINKOFF at THEATRE

• 3:30-5:00 PM

PAMELLA ROLAND at AVERY FISHER HALL, GRAND PROMENADE

• 5:30 PM

TOMMY HILFIGER at 363 W 16th St

• 6:00 PM

NICOLE MILLER at STUDIO

• 7:00-8:00PM

TODD SNYDER at BOX

• 7:00 PM

CHARLOTTE RONSON at STAGE

• 7:00 PM

ELLE FASHION | NEXT at DAVID H. KOCH THEATER

• 8:00 PM

ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY at THEATRE

• 9:00 PM

PARKCHOONMOO at STUDIO

September 08

• 9:00 AM

RUFFIAN at STUDIO

• 9:30-10:30 AM

MARISSA WEBB at BOX

• 10:00 AM

LACOSTE at THEATRE

• 11:00 AM

JILL STUART at STAGE

• 12:00 PM

SON JUNG WAN at STUDIO

• 1:00-5:00 PM

MM6 MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA at 220 WEST 19TH STREET, 9TH FLOOR

• 1:00 PM

EDUN at 360 WEST 33RD STREET

• 1:00 PM

NINA SKARRA at AVERY FISHER HALL, GRAND PROMENADE

• 2:00 PM

MARA HOFFMAN at STAGE

• 2:00 PM

MARLON GOBEL at NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, LINCOLN CENTER

• 2:30-3:30 PM

RAFAEL CENNAMO at BOX

• 3:00 PM

HERVÉ LÉGER BY MAX AZRIA at THEATRE

• 4:00 PM

KATYA LEONOVICH at STUDIO

• 6:00 PM

VLOV – QINGQING WU at STAGE

• 6:30-7:30 PM

CHRISTOPHER ESBER, E L L E R Y at BOX

• 7:00 PM

MONIQUE LHUILLIER at THEATRE

• 9:00 PM

VENEXIANA at STUDIO

September 09

• 10:30-11:30 AM

BESPOKEN at NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, LINCOLN CENTER

• 11:00 AM

LELA ROSE at STUDIO

• 1:00 PM

DKNY at 547 WEST 26TH STREET

• 2:00 PM

TRACY REESE at STUDIO

• 2:30-4:00 PM

ERICKSON BEAMON at BOX

• 3:00 PM

CUSTO BARCELONA at STAGE

• 4:00 PM

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG at THEATRE

• 5:00 PM

CARMEN MARC VALVO at 575 7TH AVENUE

• 5:00 PM

Y-3 at 330 WEST STREET

• 6:00 PM

TIMO WEILAND at STUDIO

• 7:00 PM

ZANG TOI at STAGE

• 7:00 PM

ZAC POSEN at AVERY FISHER HALL, GRAND PROMENADE

• 7:30-8:30 PM

DAVID TLALE at BOX

• 8:00 PM

CHADO RALPH RUCCI at THEATRE

• 9:00 PM

EMERSON at STUDIO

September 10

• 9:00 AM

NORISOL FERRARI at STUDIO

• 9:30-10:30 AM

JOY CIOCI at BOX

• 10:00 AM

CAROLINA HERRERA at THEATRE

• 11:00 AM

CARLOS MIELE at STAGE

• 11:30AM

MARK MCNAIRY at NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, LINCOLN CENTER

• 1:00 PM

FARAH ANGSANA at STUDIO

• 1:00 PM

MARIMEKKO at 441 WEST 14TH ST

• 2:00 PM

DONNA KARAN NEW YORK at 547 WEST 26TH STREET

• 2:30-3:30 PM

ANGEL SANCHEZ at BOX

• 3:00 PM

REEM ACRA at STAGE

• 3:30-5:00PM

GILDED AGE at NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, LINCOLN CENTER

• 4:30-5:30 PM

CHRIS BENZ at AVERY FISHER HALL, GRAND PROMENADE

• 5:00 PM

JOANNA MASTROIANNI at STUDIO

• 6:30-7:30 PM

MATHIEU MIRANO at BOX

September 11

• 9:00 AM

TORY BURCH at AVERY FISHER HALL, GRAND PROMENADE

• 9:30-10:30 AM

J.CREW at STUDIO

• 9:30-10:30 AM

BRANDON SUN at BOX

• 10:00 AM

BADGLEY MISCHKA at THEATRE

• 11:00 AM

VERA WANG at STAGE

• 12:00 PM

JOHN BARTLETT at NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, LINCOLN CENTER

• 1:00 PM

JENNY PACKHAM at STUDIO

• 1:00 PM

DIESEL BLACK GOLD at 15TH STREET @ WEST SIDE HIGHWAY

• 2:00 PM

NAEEM KHAN at THEATRE

• 2:30-3:30 PM

CANDELA at BOX

• 3:00 PM

OSKLEN at STAGE

• 5:00 PM

FALGUNI AND SHANE PEACOCK at STUDIO

September 12

• 9:00 AM

BIBHU MOHAPATRA at STUDIO

• 9:30-10:30 AM

HOLMES & YANG at BOX

• 10:00 AM

MICHAEL KORS at THEATRE

• 11:00 AM

NANETTE LEPORE at STAGE

• 1:00 PM

RACHEL ZOE at STUDIO

• 2:00 PM

J. MENDEL at THEATRE

• 2:30-3:30 PM

FOTINI at BOX

• 3:00 PM

MILLY BY MICHELLE SMITH at STAGE

• 5:00 PM

WHITNEY EVE at STUDIO

• 6:00 PM

ANNA SUI at THEATRE

• 6:30-7:30 PM

CLOVER CANYON at BOX

• 7:00 PM

VIVIENNE TAM at STAGE

• 7:00-8:30 PM

JUICY COUTURE at JOSIE ROBERTSON PLAZA

• 8:00 PM

B MICHAEL AMERICA at TBA

September 13

• 10:00 AM

RALPH LAUREN at 275 Hudson St.

• 11:00 AM

RALPH LAUREN at 275 Hudson St.

• 2:00 PM

CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION at 205 W. 39th St.

• 3:00 PM

CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION at 205 W. 39th St.

• 4:00 PM

CESAR GALINDO COLLECTION at 71 W. 23rd St., 18th Fl.