Our setting. (Photo: Yelp)

Back in June, we drew your attention to Project Pop-Up NYC, a city-backed contest for fashion and fashion-tech companies looking to prove their innovative bona fides. Well, the ballots are in and today the winners were announced in a press conference that must've taken quite a while, because there were a lot of winners.

A whopping eleven startups were honored including AHAlife, Of a Kind, and Shoptiques, and every one will get a spot at Chelsea-based pop-up specialist STORY for the month of September. With all those winners you'd be forgiven for wondering whether everyone got a trophy, but Crains reports that more than 130 companies applied. Clearly the fashionistas have been busy bees.

From the announcement, a gentle reminder that, whatever the levels of venture funding, New York will always be better dressed than Silicon Valley:

“Fashion Week puts the spotlight on our city’s entire fashion industry – and with good reason, since we’re the global fashion capital,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Project Pop-Up NYC will make sure we remain the leader by helping up-and-coming fashion companies in our city take off down the runway to success.”

Mayor of the city, president of the booster club.

Said STORY founder Rachel Shechtman:

“We are thrilled to not only partner with the City to bring this competition to life, but to see all of these online shopping destinations and digital technologies come to life in the real world, for consumers to experience for the first time."

Fashion tech just isn't the same unless it's IRL.