We arrived early for Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti at the Avery Fisher Hall. Plenty of time to take a breather and people watch. A familiar flank of top-level editors began to trickle in… Roberta Myers, Virginia Smith, Glenda Bailey—all the glossy women’s magazines were covered.
“Who’s hotter? Robbie Myers or Joanna Coles?” The Observer asked, Read More
For those not sated by the just-concluded Fashion Week—or those not savvy or suave enough to get an invitation to the front row—comes Williamsburg Fashion Weekend, in which a bunch of creatures from a nation known as “Brooklandia” staple rags to their desiccated bodies and wander, gutturally moaning, through the night. Tonight’s show includes a Read More
“Hello! I love your paper!” Michael Bastian’s warm greeting was more than we’d expect to hear from the fashion star at his own presentation for GANT by Michael Bastian. Though he was encircled by handlers and a pack of press wolves, the smiling, silver-haired designer projected the charm and ease of a dinner party host sending Read More
Outside, we were in SoHo.
A throng of hoisted cameras rushed an unmarked elevator, but a frenzied, red-lipped woman with a high ponytail and a clipboard acted as gatekeeper, keeping the onslaught at bay. Somehow, The Observer found ourselves inside.
One of the cameramen broke through to the elevator’s threshold, which was ready to depart for the Levi’s Fall 2012 collection preview. “I need to get my spot,” he told the woman.
“Absolutely,” she said, nodding. But it wasn’t an invitation to ride.
“No absolutely,” he said flatly. “I am Women’s Wear Daily.” He stepped in, gained clearance from someone else with a clipboard, and we ascended.
Inside, we were in Brooklyn. Read More
It’s a charmed life for Byrdie Bell… the beautiful model/actor jets between chic destinations— frequenting modish art parties and cosmopolitan hotspots.
You might catch her sipping a cocktail during Miami Art Basel or front row at Charlotte Ronson, but the girl works too! Miss Bell has been featured in several, well-received independent Read More
I used to think Fashion Week was fun. This was years ago, when “the tents” referred to actual tents. Back in the day (it must have been, oh, 2008) my friends and I would try to talk our way into Tommy and Oscar shows and blog about the experience. It was surprising how often our feigned frustration—“What do you mean I’m not on the list? Please call Eric and let him know that we’re here”—would get us in.
I’m still not sure if there was an Eric, but somehow he always came through.
Now, older and wiser and having recently embarked on a journalistic mission to embed myself among the social elite, I have actual invites (22, to be exact), a fresh Anna bob and a mission, should I choose to accept it, to treat Fashion Week not like a joke, but like a job.
Which is a lot harder than it looks. Read More
If we had the foresight to pick a week to fall into a nice, 168-hour hibernation, we might have chosen the one leading up to Valentine’s Day. Think of all the tragedy we might have missed: the passing of Whitney Houston, Chris Brown winning a Grammy, the exhaustion of Fashion Week. And on top of all that? We completely forgot to buy something for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s birthday yesterday. But what do you buy the man who has already bought everything? (Another term is a bit out of our price range.)
Do you think he has a #17 jersey from the New York Knicks yet? We don’t know a lot about this Jeremy Lin fellow—apparently he sleeps on a couch and survives off a diet of tweeted compliments from Chris Hayes—but we do know that the DSM-V is considering adding “Linsanity” in its updated edition. It refers to a pandemic wherein a nation collectively falls into a fugue state after Tebow-ing too hard, only to be woken up compelled to discuss the cultural importance of Asian-Americans and/or Harvard grads in the NBA at every social function.
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British designer Jenny Packham dresses the Duchess of Cambridge on a regular basis, but perhaps she wants to start attracting an edgier clientele. Read More
Designers are constantly looking for innovative ways to present their collections. From flash mobs to incorporating animals, Fashion Week-pro, Moncler, has earned a fantastic reputation for flashy and mildly ridiculous presentations. This year, for Moncler Grenoble, Wollman Rink became the label’s runway. Read More
Out of all the shows we’ve gone to during this longer-than-a-week Fashion extravaganza, Betsey Johnson‘s was by far the most fun. Does that come as a shocker to anyone? The 65-year-old knows how to give her legion of fans–who run the gauntlet from punk-rock 15-year-olds to Russell Simmons–what they want, and we’re not just talking about her infamous cartwheel/splits routine that she’s become infamous for. Read More
