the semi-annual Fashion Week in New York…which now precedes even Milan and Paris, dictating the trends for next Spring. As we are beginning to page through the September issues of Vogue, Bazaar, W, Elle and Marie Claire for ideas for our Fall wardrobe, the style trendsetters and designers are preparing us for next Spring in these high-profile extravaganzas starting today in the Big Apple!
On Tuesday night, CBS.com provided us with a ringside seat to the first-ever Fashion Week festivities in the plaza of Lincoln Center, blocks away from the traditional Bryant Park location, where hundreds of specatactors as well as thousands of on-line viewers witnessed the fabulous Anna Wintour inspired fashion show, kicking off this year’s weekend of style and shopping. Tomorrow night will be the second annual Fashion’s Night Out, orchestrated by Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the city of New York, to kick-start consumers out of their recession-induced shopping doldrums and into the stores. Shops all over New York’s five boroughs stay open late on Friday to host shows, complete with designer appearances, entertainment, art and music.
Andre Leon Tally, Vogue’s editor-at-large, hosted the event at Lincoln Center, along with fellow blogger, Hanneli Mustaparta. Together, they interviewed designers Vera Wang, Donna Karan, Diane Von Furstenberg and Michael Kors before the much anticipated event. Music, lights, action! An English-style double decker bus pulled up to Lincoln Center, and out paraded the world’s top super-models. Giselle Bundchen led the girls, wearing variations of the coveted Fashion Night Out tee-shirts topping off sumptuous ball-skirts. As they strutted through the crowd, 170 models grouped in the major styles for the season circled around the guests repeatedly, accompanied by the driving rhythms of singer Pharrell Williams.
The 50’s look, highlighted by Donna Reed style shirtwaist dresses, interpreted beautifully by Prada and Fendi, with models wearing beehive and French twist hairstyles, the rocker and James Dean biker looks with assymetrically zipped leather jackets, military double-breasted silhouettes, always done perfectly by Christopher Bailey at Burberry, jazz age vamp looks a la twenties, nomadic bohemian looks and the new re-visited color for Fall, camel, in classic reefer style chesterfields and trenchcoats all were represented in 470 looks. Naomi Campbell escorted Williams back onto the bus along with the elite group of models, this time wearing couture gowns from the world’s top designers.
Even the world’s top tennis top players took a break to catch this show, with Roger Federer and wife attending this once-in-a-lifetime ace of a show, along with Serena Williams, sidelined this year from the U.S. Open by injuries, who took a moment to speak with Talley. She loves the tweed business looks. Does this mean she’ll be wearing herringbone form-fitting tennis togs at her next tournament? Andre summed up the season by saying, “It’s a return to polish- sleek chic!” Michael Kors called the show an explosion of style – style x a zillion!”
If you’re in New York tomorrow night, go shopping! You can even shop on your Blackberry…go crazy! From $10 to $10,000 the latest styles can be yours…locally, there will be events at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus in Denver tomorrow night to coincide with the New York spectacle. If you missed the event on-line on Tuesday, CBS will be airing an hour-long special about Friday’s event, next Tuesday, 14th, at 8 pm. Stay tuned…there’ll be more from yours truly over this exciting weekend. Next year, this blogger wants to sit next to the glorious Mr. Talley. And yes, Andre, I do know the difference between an A-line and and a circular skirt. I grew up with Jackie Kennedy as my major fashionista who re-invented the A-line skirt…and how exquisitely she wore them.
Fashionista in Aspen & Nantucket 