The New F Word

Why is Lady Gaga's weight gain a top news story?  Even though she gained a bit of weight she is still far from obese.

I am so tired of this scrutiny about people's weight (primarily women).  I am not immune to the societal pressure to be thin.  But what are we striving for?  Because when I really examine it, it's not thin I'm chasing.  I am thin.  I wear a size 2-4, and yet every single day I feel like I need to lose weight, and am constantly aware of what I eat.  What I'm really chasing is being super skinny.  Underweight.  Stomach virus skinny.  I don't think I'm the only one either.  This is where we are now.  Women's bodies have downsized.  I recently saw Working Girl and was shocked at how fat Melanie Griffith was in it.  But she wasn't fat at all back then; she was thin.

 I don't know how fat became the new F word, but it really needs to stop.  I don't know how much thinner we can get.

New York Fashion Week--Final Day of S/S 2013

My final show of the week was a real treat.  Cynthia Rowley showed off site on Beekman St.  Her installation was lovely.  I adored the voluminous dresses and pants. 

 The collection was wearable, yet fashion forward at the same time; always a great combination.  I also liked her kitschy glasses with chain attached.  

Springtime will be sunny, as yellow was the clear color of the season.  

Other highlights this week included the debut of Marissa Webb, Marc Jacobs' (somewhat) restrained collection, Viktor Luna's line, DKNY, Calvin Klein Collection and Chado Ralph Rucci.  But the best pat of Fashion Week is running into friends you don't see often enough.  I was thrilled to spend time with Phillip Block, my Project Runway friends, the Edward and Eamon of fashionWATCH.com, Randy Brooke and James Aguiar.

James Aguiar and me at Jill Stuart

I also want to acknowledge my assistant, Mark A. Lyons, who made sure everything I needed was taken care of and made my week easy breezy.

I'm already looking forward to the fall collections in February!

New York Fashion Week--Day 7

Today seemed to be all about reality TV stars.  I covered the Whitney Eve show for fashionWATCH.com, so I spoke to Whitney Port (The Hills, The City).  Her show was really good.  Her clothing is girly, but not sweet.  If you like the way Whitney herself dresses, then you'll be a big fan of the line.  There was one top that, when it first came down the runway I thought it was fur.  As the model walked the fabric swung back and forth, and I realized I was wrong.  It was so striking and different from anything else I've seen this week.  I was happy to see that she used the same fabric for her final look; a white gown.  It was so gorgeous.  Whitney has absolutely made the transition from reality star to legit designer.

Running the show was PR legend Kelly Cutrone.  Kelly is now a full fledged TV star.  Her shows include True Life, The Hills, The City, Kell On Earth, Dr. Phil and America's Next Top Model.  Wow.  I had the pleasure of working with Kelly last year on my book, New York Fashion Week.  The help she gave me was transformative; she made the book 1000x better, and I am forever grateful.  Kelly is a rock star.

The crowd included Kelly Killoren Bensimon (The Real Housewives of New York) and actress Charlotte Ross.  Both women looked lovely wearing Whitney Eve.  I spoke with Caroline Manzo of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, who was so much fun.  Whitney's The City pal Joe Zee (Elle) was there to show support.  He was very proud of her.  Other recognizable faces in the crowd were Mya, Alexa Ray Joel, Nicole Trunfio and Jessica Hart.

This is a show I look forward to every season, and Whitney absolutely delivered.  I'm already looking forward to what she shows for Fall!

New York Fashion Week--Day 6

I arrived at Lincoln Center to find Fashion Police shooting inside.  It was so fun to see Joan Rivers and crew.  Kimora Lee Simmons was filling in for Giuliana Rancic.  You couldn't really hear what was going on, but every now and then you could hear the crowd cheer!

My favorite show of the day was Osklen.  I wasn't really familiar with the label before, but was impressed by the modern looks shown.  My favorite look is below.

Edward Norton at Osklen

New York Fashion Week--Day 5

The place to be on day 5 the Viktor Luna Spring 2013 presentation.  Viktor showed both women and men's clothing, and I'm not sure which was more impressive.  His prints are some of the best I've seen all week.  I especially loved the men's trench he did with a print he made from a photo he took.
What a fresh update to a traditional trench.  I hope he makes a version for women!!

There was a suit made of neoprene that was incredible.  What a smart idea!  This is great for men who don't like to wear suits, because while it looks completely polished, it's super comfortable.

Viktor's version of an LBD was simple, yet the cut and embellishment made it truly special.

I was knocked out by this black gown.   I don't think the picture communicates how absolutely stunning this dress is.  This is a red carpet gown.  Actresses call your stylists!  This will get the Fashion Police's stamp of approval.

I you want a bolder choice here's another jaw dropping look from the collection:

This was a fantastic collection styled by the incredible Nole Marin.  The models were so gorgeous, and they all were from Aim Model Management.

Many of Viktor's Project Runway friends showed, including the adorable Michael Costello, Casanova and Jason Troisi.  Also in the crowd was Manila Luzon from RuPaul's Drag Race.  Manila looked great in a custom Viktor Luna dress.  As for me, I felt like the belle of the ball in my Viktor Luna gown.  Thank you Viktor for such a great show.

Viktor and me

Michael Costello and his partner Richard with me and my son and Viktor

Manila Luzon

New York Fashion Week--Day 4

For me today was all about Chado Ralph Rucci.  I met Ralph about a year ago when I interviewed him for my book, New York Fashion Week.  I knew of his work before then, but not much about the man himself.  It is still one of my favorite interviews I've ever done, especially because we were surrounded by his stunningly beautiful clothing.  I found him to be humble, good humored and passionate about his work and the fashion industry. He is not one to follow the pack, and does things his own way.  I was amazed to learn that his clothes are produced in house.  He is a throwback in certain ways, yet his work is completely current.

Ralph Rucci is more than a designer; he is an artist.  He is actually a painter, and will hand paint some of his garments.  People may say his clothing is expensive, and it is, but buying a garment of his is truly like buying a work of fine art.  I'm spending the week reporting about Fashion Week for fashionWATCH Canada, and had the opportunity to interview many of his clients tonight including Martha Stewart, Carmen Dell'Orrefice (who was breathtaking in a long red Chado Ralph Rucci coat) and Deeda Blair.  They all spoke about Ralph's unmatched craftsmanship, and of their loyalty to him.  Other Chado Ralph Rucci fans I interviewed tonight include Paula Abdul, Hamish Bowles, Ken Downing, Fern Mallis, Linda Fargo, and Jay Manuel.

The show was stunning.  I absolutely loved his use of color.  When he showed pink dresses, and then yellow dresses I started to think I should clear my closet of my black dresses.  But then he sent out so many black dresses that were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.  The models were so fortunate to wear them, even just for the show!  His standing ovation was well deserved, in fact it seemed like not enough of a thank you.  This is always one of my favorite shows of the season, but this one was even beyond what I could imagine.

I can't write about Ralph Rucci without mentioning his wonderful sister Rosina.  Rosina plays a major role at Chado Ralph Rucci, as I learned when she took care of everything I needed for Ralph's inclusion in my New York Fashion Week book.  She went above and beyond to make sure the section I wrote about him was perfect, and I continue to be impressed by her every time I see her.

Ladies, if you have the means, I highly recommend going to Berdorf Goodman or Neiman Marcus as soon as this collection comes in!

New York Fashion Week--Day 3

This morning I had the pleasure of seeing the debut collection of Marissa Webb.  What a fantastic way to start the day.  Her clothes are effortless cool and I would be thrilled to have this entire collection in my wardrobe.

A look from Marissa Webb

Other notable shows today included Lacoste, Jill Stuart and Herve Leger.  I was quite surprised to see Kris Humphries in the front row at Lacoste.  Rose Byrne caused a stir at Jill Stuart, and Odette Yustman (or is it Annable?) was stunning at Herve Leger wearing a green dress from the label.  But there was one guest at Lincoln Center that caused more excitement than any other.  The one and only Miss Piggy.

New York Fashion Week-Day 2

Today was all about Project Runway for me.  Today was the big finale show at Lincoln Center.  So many past contestants were there, all the way back from Season 1 (Jay McCarroll).  I was very lucky to be wearing Season 9's Viktor Luna.  Viktor is such a great designer, and you feel so good wearing his clothes.  I highly recommend it.  It was fun to see fans come up to their favorite designers like Michael Costello, Bert Keeter, Nick Verreos, Andrae Gonzalo, Kimberly Goldson, Casanova, Anthony Ryan Auld, Nicolas D'Aurizio, Uli Herzner, Laura Kathleen, Seth Aaron Henderson, Joshua McKinley, Joshua Christensen, Mondo Guerra, Anya Ayoung-Chee, Christopher Straub, Olivier Green, Valerie Mayen, Peach Carr, etc.

The show itself was really fun.  The 8 designers left on the show all showed, so the audience doesn't know who the finalists are.  Christopher had a great collection.  He made this fabulous cropped snakeskin jacket that was a show stopper.  Ven's collection was really beautiful.  He did a lot of his signature rose pieces, which were stunning, but then there was this delicate black top with these incredible white pants.  The pants were embellished with what looked like crystals, maybe.  I know it sounds kind of tacky, but let me tell you they were possibly the most beautiful pants I've ever seen.  And listen people, Ven is a very nice guy.  I got the clear impression he felt pretty bad about the whole makeover episode controversy.  Other standout collections were Melissa and Elena.  Perhaps the biggest highlight of the show was Heidi Klum.  Wait until you see the finale.  She had on this great gold dress, and looked as beautiful as anyone could possibly look.  I'm keeping mum on who the guest judge was.  I'll just say it was someone fantastic, and you definitely won't be disappointed when you see who it is. Oh, and look for Debra Messing in the front row.

Speaking of Project Runway, Wednesday night was the wrap party at Lord & Taylor.  Project Runway is a family that adds new members every season, so the room was filled with former contestants.  It was fun to see Tim Gunn arrive with this season's cast all lined up (minus Andrea Katz).  They looked like they were on a school trip!  Some of the show's former guest judges were there too, including Tiki Barber and Carmen Marc Valvo.  Other fabulous guests were Kristi Yamaguchi, Coco Rocha and the incomparable Fern Mallis.  There was a mini runway set up where guests could have their picture taken.  When they received their photos they had the judges in their seats, so it looked like it was from the show.  How fun!!

I don't know if any other show this week will be able to top this one.  But it's only day 2!  I'll be back tomorrow to let you know.

New York Fashion Week-Day 1

New York Fashion Week officially started today.  As the author of the book New York Fashion Week, this event is dear to my heart.  My first show of the season was BCBG Max Azria.  I ran into the extremely lovely Constance White on the way in.  One of the best parts of the week is getting to catch up with people you don't get to see often enough.  Inside was crazy!  On the way to my seat I gt caught in a major crunch.  People were just stopped and photographers and camera crews were going nuts trying to get a shot of Whitney Port.  I have to say she looked really good.  She wore a black top with a long blue skirt and had a great red lipstick on.  The media was so caught up in their Whitney frenzy that they didn't even notice Estelle was also stuck in the crunch--and she was wearing a bright green turban!!  And right behind me was Daisy Fuentes.  I couldn't understand why she had sunglasses on inside, but she looked good anyway.  For me though, the real rock stars of the week are the editors.  They are always the best dressed, and can style themselves.  Joanna Coles, the brand new editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, had on a to die for leather top, and was stunning.  Elle's Kate Davidson Hudson looked fantastic in a white dress with a brown jacket.  Anne Slowey was lovely.  I had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time today.  The always charming Joe Zee was one of the best dressed men, as was InStyle's Ariel Foxman.  Ariel is so sweet, and super cute.  The show itself was my favorite of the day.  The was a lot of black and white, and harnesses.  At more than one show today I saw belts which closed on the side, which was pretty cool.  This was one of my favorite BCBG shows.  The clothes were sexy and so wearable at the same time.  The best part is that women of all shapes and sized can shop this collection.

BCBG Max Azria

The rest of the day was spent running around the city.  I stopped in to see Viktor Luna at his atelier.  I got a preview of his upcoming show (this Monday).  His collection is outstanding.  He is one of the most talented new designers around.  Viktor's menswear is every bit as good as his womenswear.  I don't want to give anything away, but I will have a detailed review on Tuesday.

I will be back tomorrow with notes from the Project Runway finale (and maybe a little gossip about the wrap party!).