Texting & Walking: When Models Check Their Phones On The Runway

From Chanel icebergs to intentional wardrobe malfunctions, designers will try just about any gimmick to outdo themselves and their competitors — or even just get a headline. Kenneth Cole has already been in the news quite a bit this week, since it's the brand's first show in five years, but those who actually saw the show go down might have noticed something even more headline-grabbing.

As an array of expectedly gorgeous, leggy models in vampy suiting strutted their way through the audience, but a few of them were doing something quite unorthodox: checking their phones. As you can see for yourself in this livestream, everyone in the front row is on their phones, too (typical).

So, we're wondering: Is this a statement on the fashion set's incessant preoccupation with Tweeting, Instagramming, and #hashtagging every little thing in real time, instead of focusing on the looks on display? Or is it just this label's attempt to reconcile a hip rebranding with its loyal customer base of sensibly dressed working women? One gentleman even carried what seemed to be a laptop case with him down the catwalk, so maybe that latter theory is a bit more likely.

Watch for yourself and help us understand what's going on here. And, of course, weigh in on the ultimate question: iPhone or Blackberry? We're thinking the former.