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!).

Oscar de la Renta

Today was really cool.  I had the extreme pleasure of having a meeting with Oscar de la Renta.  He is really lovely.  It's pretty amazing to think about all the awards he's won, all the women he's dressed, including first ladies.  I can't imagine a designer with a more successful career.  His show is about two weeks away, and he was super busy with preparations.  I was able to glimpse a preview of what he's going to show, and it is just gorgeous.  I would have loved to try everything on, but I didn't think it would have gone over so well.  I am completely in love with his Fall 2012 collection and can't wait to see the Spring show.

September Issues

One of the best things about the month of August for me is the arrival of the September issues of the fashion magazines.  It is such a thrill finding these huge issues stuffed into my mailbox.  I love everything about them.  The ads are gorgeous, the editorials are exciting.  Just today I got both Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.  Both in one day is like Christmas morning for me.  Seeing who is on the cover is another bonus.  This September the major fashion mags have Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Victoria Beckham, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry.  Some are great choices, some are pretty boring.  I actually miss models being on the covers.  I always thought that was more fun.  Then it was about enhancing the clothing, not the career of a celebrity.  Vogue has an especially fun September issue this year, as it's the 120th anniversary issue.  There are some fun old photos.  Vanity Fair's Style issue is also pretty great.  It's their annual best dressed list, and they have some fantastic picks this year, especially Poppy Delevingne.  That's all for now.  I have to go and check my mailbox.

Would You Wear This?

Okay ladies, Scottevest is trying to make our lives easier by designing a dress with three hidden pockets to hold your belongings.  What I want to know is, do we want this?  I personally don't mind carrying a bag.  In fact, I love my bags!  I think I would feel much more comfortable with my things tucked away in a Chanel 2.55 rather than in the seams of my dress.  But maybe that's just me.  Your thoughts please.

Aldrian Diaz

I met someone really special very recently.  Our paths crossed because of my Project Runway book (Project Runway: The Show That Changed Fashion).  Aldrian Diaz was the first person on line to have his book signed at Barnes & Noble.  He showed up four hours before the event and waited patiently.  During that time he was snapped by a photographer from WWD (Women's Wear Daily).  The two photos they ran of the event were one of Heidi Klum and one of Aldrian.  I decided to get to know him.  First thing you should know, Aldrian is 14.  We exchanged Facebook messages, and I suggested we meet up to chat.  I soon realized I might be coming off like a potential Chris Hanson predator, so I made sure to invite his mother too!  Let me tell you, this is one cool kid.  Not only is he a fan of Project Runway, but he has aspirations to be a designer.  And he really knows his stuff.  I asked him who he was inspired by, and he said Alexander McQueen,and John Galliano.  Aldrian loves their creativity and boldness.  He showed me some of his sketches, and I was really impressed.  His designs are so cool, and don't look like anyone else's.  What I especially like about him is that he goes after what he wants.  He made sure he got to the Project Runway signing first, he has done his research and gotten himself invited to shows during Fashion Week, he goes out and meets designers when they're making appearances.  Not bad for someone going into 10th grade.