Fashion

Exclusive Punk-inspired collection from Moda Operandi.

Update: Moda Operandi, Punk Participants of the Met’s Costume Exhibit, to Sell Couture Chaos in Time for Gala

Already have your invitation to the 2013 Costume Institute’s Benefit, but can’t figure out how to turn your epic ballgowns from years prior to fit this year’s theme of “Punk”? No worries, digital luxury retailer Moda Operandi has your back: Starting on May 2nd, the site will be selling 100 one-of-a-kind, punk-inspired clothes and accoutrements from famed fashion houses.

Problem solved! Now you just have to figure out which designer you are pretending brought you to the event. Read More

The Transom

A smiling staffer presents John Demsey with his cake.

A Fishy Fete: Trio Throws Pisces Party at John Demsey’s UES Townhouse

Last Thursday evening, the stars aligned—both metaphorically and astrologically—for a special party in a luxury Upper East Side townhouse. Estée Lauder’s John Demsey, CNN’s Alina Cho and the Marilyn Agency’s Marilyn Gauthier—all close friends, and all Pisces—came together, as they’ve done for the past four years, to celebrate their March birthdays and their shared astrological Read More

The Transom

Models wearing Prabal Gurung's "Regiment" collection at Fashion Week.

Prabal Gurung’s New Model Army

As New Yorkers woke up under a blanket of snow Saturday morning, the Transom braved the ice-lined streets of Soho en route to St. John’s Studio, where—inside the unmarked brick building—a battalion of models had assembled in preparation for the launch of Prabal Gurung’s fall 2013 collection, “Regiment.”

Just before the chic soldier-models marched down Read More

Shindigger

Eve rocks DSquared2. (Paul Bruinooge/ PatrickMcMullan.com)

DSquared2 Soirée Leaves Fashion’s Finest Seeing Double at The Copa

Although Nemo assailed our city with buckets of snow, threatening to grind Fashion Week to an unfashionable halt, The Observer would not be stopped. Shindigger was front and center at all the best New York Fashion Week had to offer. Who could forget Jason Wu’s billowy evening wear? Or Prabal Gurung’s must-buy Cesare Casadei military knee-high boots with python? What about Moncler’s stunning Star Wars-inspired fashion presentation?

Between the fabulously overpriced couture and the Oscar-worthy production values, the circus that is Fashion Week doesn’t just entertain us, it makes us whole again. With the desperate posing and the mere pleasure of sitting next to some of the most heinously obnoxious fashions mavens ever to breathe, it’s just consummate bliss!  Read More

Fashion Week

An exclusive backstage photo from The Observer's Wang-insider/tipster.

Does the Sensationalism of Alexander Wang and Other Designers Overshadow Their Fashion?

American fashion design has seen an exciting new crop of talented youngsters creep onto the scene. Creatives such as Joseph Altuzarra, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu and Prabal Gurung have received a great deal of attention—and rightfully so. The majority of this bunch thrive on fanfare—not always on the design of their clothes, but on their front-rows, frantic check-ins and backstage dramas.

The Proenza Schouler duo, after several seemingly shaky years, have quickly become darlings of the global fashion elite, continually present interesting and attractive collections. Now sitting more comfortably with financial investments from Theory Group’s Andrew Rosen and a glossy new David Adjaye-designed boutique (albeit too damn dark to see any of the merch), its safe to say they are no longer emerging.

Mr. Altuzarra’s nomadic, opulent materials and prints seem to satiate the critics. Since PR Consulting has never invited us to one of his magical shows, we’ll let him be.

Jason Wu’s nearly flawless technique and practical glamour—not to mention being a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama—means he’s fine and dandy.

Same for Thakoon Panichgul. Read More

Fashion Week Observed

14 Photos

Tess Giberson's goat fur is precisely what we'd wear to our next art opening to piss off Stacy Engman! We're gonna steal your fire betch!

Fashion Week Ends, Fur Lives On!

New York fashion week has finally come to a close. Amen! For those less-fortunate editors and fashion authorities (or perhaps we are the lucky ones) that have not jetted off to London or Milan, we finally get a moment to recover.

In retrospect, we relished the young talents of Prabal Gurung and Jason Wu. The Read More

Fashion Week Observed

KCD's darling, Hallie Chrisman.

KCD’s Hallie Chrisman Runs a Tight Ship and Spots Crashers Like a Hawk

Navigating the realm of fashion publication relations can be a difficult job. For in-house publicists and leading New York PR firms, such as KCD, PR Consulting, Karla Otto, Starworks, Bismarck Phillips and HL Group—fashion week is a marathon: RSVP-management, developing press releases, endless email chains, photography and artistic direction, event and runway production, front-of-house organization, Read More

Fashion Week Observed

11 Photos

I'm going to wear this to Whitney's memorial service.

Ed Filipowski Pardons the Fashion Week Delays and Prabal Gurung Throws One Hell of a Party

Forty-Five! That was the approximate tardiness of Prabal Gurung‘s runway show at the Gehry-designed IAC building. The Observer, having misread our schedule, arrived on time (that’s a first). We even had a few moments to kiss-kiss Mary Alice Stephenson and compliment her Naeem Khan. Who to blame? Surely not front-of-house PR behemoth KCD, they have Read More

Fashion Week 2011

Feathers and Fun at Prabal Gurung

It is always interesting to imagine who a designer has in mind as their ideal customer. For Prabal Gurung it must be a rock star’s wife who has to go to a dinner with Hollywood director after spending a week at Burning Man (we think the black featherweight leather dress with a hand-laced bodice). Or maybe Read More