NEW YORK–I experienced an adrenaline rush as soon as I walked inside the tents at Bryant Park on Saturday.
Although
fashion shows are held in different areas inside the tents, the real
show was underway in the main lobby, where industry insiders sipped cocktails.
Television
crews were everywhere. Paparazzi were busy snapping random photographs,
and security guards dressed in black rushed to usher celebs, socialites
and magazine editors through the velvet ropes to their front-row seats.
I love to people-watch, and my mind went into overload as I
took in what I was seeing –fashion at its best and worst. Everyone is
a star at Fashion Week, and people came dressed to represent their
personal take on the hottest trends.
It’s cold in New York, so, of course, there are people wearing furs everywhere — real and faux (I saw a turquoise dyed coat!)
Rule
No. 1. Don’t dare take off your fur while waiting; it would be a
fashion faux pas. And, yes, women are walking around effortlessly in
five-inch heels and tiny skirts. The range of fashion is endless, and
as I have observed, the good, the bad and the downright ugly.
The
ARISE Magazine Africa Collective III show brought African fashion to
the states. The show featured lines from three designers: South
Africa’s Black Coffee, Tanzania’s Loin Cloth & Ashes and Nigeria’s
Deola Sagoe.
Each designer’s take on fall 2010 was different.
Black Coffee chose muted-colored coats, as well as structured coats in
taupe, peach and pale blue with geometric designs.
Lion Cloth
& Ashes’ monochromatic collection featured textured pencil skirts,
cape-like blouses and dresses in black and gray.
My favorites
were Deola Sagoe’s garments. They were a feminine take on military-like
jackets with embroidery and lots of texture and appliques.
It’s
no secret that black models don’t get to represent on the runway. It
was refreshing to see so many strutting the catwalk in this show, and,
of course, black supermodels Chanel Iman and Sessalie Lopez were there.
Celeb
sightings: model Veronica Webb, Dwight Eubanks from Atlanta Housewives,
Writer Nelson George, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, Essence editor
Emil Wilkerson, model Liya Kebede, and celeb stylist June Ambrose.
