Democracy in Fashion--Fashion's Night Out: The Show

I think it's fair to say that fashion has never been more democratic than it is at this moment.

Much of that equalizing can and should be attributed to an unusual suspect: Anna Wintour.
Defamed as "Nuclear Wintour," this woman is blessed with incredible foresight and an imaginative vision for what New York's fashion industry should be, and what it must be to guarantee its survival, especially in a post-9/11 world.
If you need proof, skip "The September Issue," a great film that unfortunately perpetuates the legend of her enigmatic and aloof qualities, for another great documentary, "Seamless," that may well confirm for you--as it did for me--that Anna is the best woman to be calling the major shots in fashion.
(And did I ever tell you that she frequents my neighborhood Starbucks? She gets her coffee BY herself and FOR herself. Stars! Just like us...)

The success last year of her brain child, the inaugural Fashion's Night Out, paved the way for the event I attended this past Tuesday:
The Fashion's Night Out: The Show.

I snagged two tickets and MVG and I headed to Lincoln Center (Bryant Park tents no more!) for the christening of S/S 2011 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

The fountain in the center of Lincoln Center's plaza was the perfect set piece.

The show, which seated nearly 2,000 guests (making it the largest runway show in NYC history), was comprised of 171 looks from the Autumn/Winter 2010 collections, divided into categories (e.g. Jazz Age). Each look was assembled using pieces from various designers, as well as some high-low mixing, like the Monique Lhullier skirt with Payless shoes ensemble modeled by Gisele.

As one of my favorite models, Jacquelyn Jablonski, demonstrates (in Versus) above, red is BIG for Autumn 2010, and fittingly I wore my red Miu Mius to the show:


CBS filmed and fed a livecast of the show to their website (an edited version will broadcast on CBS proper next Tuesday, September 14th). MVG and I were fortuitously seated in a camera-heavy section of the plaza. Here are some snippets from the broadcast in which you can spot us (thanks to my red shoes!):




I admit that I have some minor complaints about the show, but none of them really matter.
Yes, it was overwhelming to see 171 looks in 20 minutes, and to see 171 models simultaneously rather than staggered.
But you know what?
It was unbelievable to be sharing in this extraordinary moment with Anna Wintour, the world's top models (Gisele, Naomi Campbell, Karolina Kurkova, Chanel Iman, Coco Rocha, Karlie Kloss, etc.), the glitterati (surprise musical guest Pharrell, Roger Federer, Michael Kors, Harvey Weinstein the cast of Gossip Girl, New York socialites, etc.).

An event that was created to benefit a single industry in a single city has spread to several continents and hundreds of cities in a year's time.
From top designers and editors to kids like me and MVG, everyone's welcomed to have a good time.

Vive the democracy!
And vive Anna!
Cxx.

New York Wonder Women: Donna Karan and Julie Gilhart

One of the things I love best about fashion is its history of propelling great women to prominence. This doesn't mean that the pioneering female designers, editors, directors had an easy ride. Rather, it seems to be an organic "fit" that people accept, even while they resist women in the boardroom and in the courtroom. Thus, with fewer impediments to the mere fact of their gender, these brilliant women are able to simply be PEOPLE WITH MASTERY OVER A CRAFT and an INDUSTRY.

Recently I was able to enjoy an audience with two such women. In honor of their new exhibition about design and sustainability, the Pratt Institute held a panel discussion featuring two designers of sustainable clothing lines, Caroline Priebe of Uluru and Mary Ping of Slow and Steady Wins the Race, along with Julie Gilhart, the Fashion Director of Barney's.

Julie has an amazing story, which my friend MVG would be happy to tell you. MVG positively idolizes Julie because they're both from Texas and both love fashion. Having seen Julie only briefly in "Seamless," a great documentary about the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Prize, I was anxious for her to prove her worthiness of being a high-powered woman at one of the most important department stores in the U.S. She absolutely delivered the goods.

In a Dries Van Noten jacket, embellished with fair trade beads from Africa, Julie Gilhart discusses sustainable fashion.

Julie went right to the heart of the matter of why sustainability matters: Basically it's an issue of prioritizing QUALITY over QUANTITY (something I've ranted about before). Fast fashion may serve a certain purpose, but it's incredibly wasteful because the clothes aren't designed for longevity; as my dear college friend, DAW, used to say "Yeah...those clothes WON'T last Forever...21." In addition to being wholly disposable, there's nothing LUXURIOUS about those pieces. Life is miserable and predictably awful much of the time. If we have the option and opportunity to inject a little luxury (and to effect conscientious change for our planet) then we should take full advantage. As Julie said,
"I want GOOD FOOD,
GOOD CLOTHES,
MORE SLEEP."
Amen.

After the discussion ended, MVG finally chatted with her hero! Feeling like a proud mother, I snapped this shot of the two of them walking down the stairs together. MVG even snagged Julie's last business card before JG jetted off to see the Paris shows.

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Last night, MVG and I rendezvoused at Parsons to celebrate their new MFA program and to hear Donna Karan speak about her life experiences.



I had previously seen, but not heard, DK at Fashion's Night Out. I grew up loving DK's gorgeous draperies and her distinctly urban style: to me, she is the personification of New York City. She spoke of working for Anne Klein, and creating her first collection when she was pregnant and Anne was diagnosed with cancer and dying in the hospital. Donna literally worked on the collection until she was 9 days overdue, gave birth, and then Anne died the next day. It aroused in me the awareness (that I have yet to fully experience myself) of how bittersweet the struggles to be a successful woman can be: to lose a mother-figure, to become a mother yourself, and to have to fight to keep your business afloat. But Donna did it all, and in that particular instance she did it in the course of a few days.

As a natural caregiver she also touched on the ideas of socially responsible and sustainable clothing, and, even more importantly, about social consciousness itself. She said that it wasn't enough to join a charity in which you can be abstractly involved, but rather that social consciousness means being aware of the person sitting next to you and respecting their life and their story and the things that are happening to them. In a way, it's a QUALITY vs. quantity approach to human relations and one's day-to-day existence.

On a less serious note, she admitted to failing her "Draping" course at Parsons and being forced to take the summer school course; obviously she has more than compensated for that short-coming!
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Sometimes I allow myself to be confused and incorrectly believe that New York is dominated and driven by the social set. Discussions like these with Julie and Donna remind me that women with sharp minds, a keen eye, and a clear voice are truly the ladies who rule New York.

Thank God.
Cxx.

Beautiful Home - 01.06.10

I have fallen in love with this Southampton, New York home designed by Steven Gambrel (whose work I just love).  Photos by Eric Pisecki, featured in Elle Decor.

The simple drama of the entryway really speaks to me. The block wall treatment, inspired by George Washington's Mount Vernon, reminds me of the look of my parents' foyer. In their case the look of the blocks was all created by hand.

Loving the black ceiling in the living room and the variety of fabrics used on the furniture (club chairs, sofa, love seat, and ottoman upholstered in fabrcis by Schumacher, Scalamandré and Pierre Frey, respectively). The limestone mantel was custom made by Jamb. The gorgeous chandeliers are by Holly Hunt.

I would love to have an octagonal dining table like the Gambrel-designed one in this room.  I also really like the light fixture and console table.

Another great table in the dining room - a Swedish Grace from H. M. Luther Antiques - with chairs by McGuire Furniture.  There are great little touches in this room like the 19-century gilded mirror and the antique terra-cotta vases.

Great light in the kitchen, which is decorated with French floor tiles and benches from the estate of Bill Blass. The 19th-century Belgian oak table gives the room an earthy, romantic vibe.

I adore this bathroom and the travertine on the floor and in the shower.  Gorgeous vanities, too.

Beautiful antique steel fireplace surround, found in Paris, in the master bathroom.  I think it meshes perfectly with the large round mirror and the neutral, but luxurious, travertine.

Master bedroom, bed designed by Gambrel.  I think the built-in shelving is great.

Custom cabinetry and 60s light fixtures bring the red-and-white dressing room to life.

Alla Prossima

Beautiful Home - 01.05.10

I love the personality of Charles and Olya Thompson's Brooklyn brownstone.  I find the ecclectic fantasy of the interior design so charming.

Russian Socialist Realist drawings hang in the library.  Love the colours and architectural details.  And how great are the mirror and that bust? 

I adore the contrast of the Farrow & Ball wallpaper with the white furniture in the aptly named Blue Room.

The Thompsons' three daughters at play.  Summer Bubbles (2008) by Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky on the wall behind them.  What a great statement piece.

A very chic nursery.

Little girls' bedroom that is not at all juvenile.  Loving the light fixture.

I love interiors that really seem to say something about the people that live in the home.

Photos:  Vogue.com

Alla Prossima