This week has been a little crazier than usual, but it's almost over. I'm at that point where there's nothing more that I want than to have it all end. The shows and parties are fun. Seeing all my friends who I don't normally see on a regular basis is even better, but it's time to get more than 3 hours of sleep a night!
We started the week with a presentation by Chris Benz, the industry golden child who you will remember designed one of the t-shirts for Just One Frickin' Day, the charity I started with our mutual friend, Elettra Wiedemann. The show was held in an old warehouse that normally is used to store mountains of salt with which the roads are coated during snow storms, but on that night, the music was pounding through the raw space, the models, in a sea of color, were perched on platforms against a black room and Benz was personally walking his guests through the collection.
Chris Benz Fall Winter 2009
What was his inspiration for this season? I had to ask. "I sort of started thinking about doing a really New York collection, one that is inspired by the last time that the city was in a state of financial flux," said Benz. "It's all about uptown ladies escaping to downtown, grabbing their furs and pounding the pavement."
On the way out, I ran into Benz BFF and actress Eva Amurri. What did she do to help her friend with the collection? "I'm the one who comes to the show and who is so surprised how calm and laid back he's been after having produced a collection as gorgeous as this. I just go to the studio and hang out. That's my job."
Vivienne Tam Fall Winter 2009
Vivienne Tam was next on the itinerary with a presentation shown at her boutique in the uber-chic Jean Nouvel designed 40 Mercer building in Soho. By far one of the most creative collection I've seen thus far, Tam's inspiration this season was the Chinese character for "nothingness". How can nothing can be inspiring? "In this economy, we need to empty ourselves in order to recreate ourselves. From nothing, you create everything. A blank slate," said Tam. The designer took the Chinese character and incorporated it into all of her silhouettes which mainly focused on cocktail dresses. "I'm not a pants person. I hardly wear pants." I'd prefer not to wear pants, but unfortunately, I have to leave the house in the morning, so I have no choice.
Anna Sui Fall Winter 2009
Running all the way from Soho back up to the tents was frantic. I had to make a 10 minute trip in under 5 minutes when I was 20 minutes away. That means I was going to be late for the 7:00pm start time, but luckily, no show starts on time, and I was counting on this to make it happen. The tent was in a state of frenzy when I got there. Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen, Brit rock spawn Peaches Geldof and Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas had created a media maelstrom with bulbs flashing, reporters clamoring for interviews and security trying to maintain order. Someone had taken my seat, but KCD power publicist, Megan Wood, took care of me and dropped me in the third row seconds before the lights went down.
The collection was decadent but romantic; a celebration of another time featuring a ton of black but embellished with lively prints, rhinestone accents and luminescent stockings that shimmered with every step. After the show, I caught up with the mesmerizing Sarah Sophie Flicker of The Citizen's Band and asked her what she thought. "I get lost in Anna's shows. She reminds me not to be afraid of dressing up. I'm running home now to pull out all my prints and flowers from my closet."
Then on Wednesday night, fashion icon, designer and CFDA President, Diane von Furstenberg, presented an encore showing of her Spring and Fall collections for American Express cardmembers who purchased tickets to attend. The Bryant Park tent complex is normally very heavily guarded by security and is usually only for fashion insiders, but that night von Furstenberg opened the doors and welcomed her fellow cardmembers to take part in the fashion foray. "I've always wanted to do a consumer show," she told me. "Normally, you do the shows for the press and the buyers, and so, I think it's fun to do a big show in the tents for the people who can then go and buy the clothes right away." When are you going to start making men's clothes, Diane? We're all waiting!
Only two more days to go. Stay tuned...