NEW YORK — I
kicked off Fashion Week with a visit to church. I hadn’t been in
so long I was afraid the building might fall. It didn’t.
What’s
church got to do with
Fashion Week? I needed to pray that I’d have the energy to get through
this
week in the Big Apple – only kidding!
My
first show was Diane von Furstenberg. Her show was held at the “big” tent in
Bryant Park, and it was packed. Walking into the entrance of Mercedes Benz
Fashion week you feel like a star. There are literally hundreds of people and
paparazzi standing outside the entrance waiting to get a glimpse of any
celebrity who might make and entrance. As you stroll into the building, think catwalk, people stare, wondering who you are.
In
attendance for the DVF show were the fashion Who’s Who. I spotted fashion
stylist, Rachel Zoe (the second season of her show is on Bravo) and her preppy
assistant, Brad; Fashion royalty Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large for Vogue
magazine; fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison (she’s also actor Kadeem Hardison’s
mother); Nina Garcia, fashion director for Marie Claire magazine and former “Project Runway” judge; Patricia
Fields, costume designer for Sex in the City and the movie “The Devil Wears
Prada” and actresses Catherine Deneuve and Mariska Hargitay from the show
“Law and Order Special Victims Unit.”
DVF stayed true to her classic design
style roots and showcased beautiful printed dresses in lively colors such as
yellow and blues. My favorite was an African beaded chiffon dress. A large
portion of her dresses were adorned with African beads.
Not all the shows at fashion week are
shown in one location, so Ashaka Givens and I made a mad dash to Rachel Roy’s
show (she’s music mogul Damon Dash’s ex-wife) about 30 minutes away. Her
collection was a presentation. Unlike a runway show, in a presentation, designers
block off a limited time and models show the clothing in a showroom setting for
the entire time.
I like the presentations better than
runway shows so far because they’re less formal. You also get to view the
garments up close.
When we arrived, we were greeted at the
door with glasses of Moet Champagne. We loved that!
We immediately looked at Roy’s
beautiful ‘40s-inspired collection and took photos.
I spotted singer Alice Smith, model
Veronica Webb, and Constance White, EBay’s style director. I love to see black
women supporting each other. Bethann Hardison made her way from the DVF show to
Roy’s but never made it inside. She stood beside her car in deep conversation
with two other people.
The cuts and color combinations of
Roy’s collection were to die for! The pieces were very elegant and chic. I especially
admired the cuts of her “power suits.” She previewed lively colors such as
teal, deep canary yellow, cream and black for Spring 2010. Ashaka especially
love the shoes that were designed by Roy for Manolo Blahnik. Go Rachel!
When we left the Roy show in Chelsea, we spotted actor Shia
LaBeouf from the movie “Transformers” filming a scene with director Oliver Stone for the movie “Wall
Street 2.” Only in New York!
