The New York Observer

Scene (and Overheard) in the Front Row of Fashion Week: Tommy Hilfiger’s Women Show

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By Drew Grant 2/13/12 10:40am

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Walking up the graveled path leading to the lush and beautifulVersailles-inspired courtyard that would set the stage for Tommy Hilfiger‘s Fall 2012 Women’s Collection, we could almost forget for a moment that the temperature last night was almost in the single digits.

Held in the Park Avenue Armory–Mr. Hilfiger always has to be contrary, sending legions of Lincoln Center and West Side Highway fashion throngs across town to the East side of Central Park–the show capped off a long, freezing and foodless Sunday, so forgive us if our account of the event (which was really like a short, beautiful period play) was a little hazy. Especially since we were almost lulled to sleep with the soothing Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack the accompanied the pre-show mingling, and was anachronistic in more ways than one.
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The secret garden of Tommy Hilfiger's Women's Collection show (Patrick McMullan)

Runway== Tommy Hilfiger Womens Fall 2012 Fashion Show== Park Avenue Armory N.Y.C.== February 12, 2012== Â© Patrick McMullan== Photo - CHANCE YEH/PatrickMcMullan.com== ==
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Anna Wintour (Patrick McMullan)

We were sitting close enough behind the queen of Vogue that we could have touched the back of her bob. We probably would have been kicked out, but it would have been worth it. She might not have even noticed, as after the 100th gawker with a camera pointed their flash directly in her face, Ms. Wintour's head began to droop. It was impossible to tell if she was being uncooperative or had fallen asleep.
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Uma Thurman (Patrick McMullan)

The movie star sat directly across from The New York Observer's section and kept making eye contact before the show. Was it because we were staring, confused if we were looking at the star of Gattaca or Connie Britton? No, her eyes seemed to be screaming "Help me!" not "Stop looking, peon."
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Amy Astley and Hamish Bowles (Patrick McMullan)

The EIC for Teen Vogue chose not to sit with her employees, Fashion Editor Andrew Bevan and Fashion News Director Jane Keltner deValle, opting for front row seats with the International Editor at Large for her big brother publication, Hamish Bowles. Mr. Bevan and Ms. Keltner deValle sat three rows back
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Krysten Ritter and Beth Riesgraf (Getty Images)

After so many spottings of Rose McGowan, it was just nice to see a black-haired beauty that hadn't starred in Jawbreaker. Ms. Riesgraf, star of TNT's Leverage was also momentarily confused for Connie Britton.
We told you, we were basically hallucinating half of this show.
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The collection (Getty Images)

Scanning the fashion booklet in our seats, words like "the sixties," "classic," and "military" jumped off the page to describe the new line. Comedian Max Silvestri, also at the show, had a more pragmatic take on the look:
"Coats and clothes and shoes are IN in 2012!" he tweeted at us.