Archive for September, 2006

After eight days, 26 shows, and a handful of parties, we are reduced to a sputtering heap (not unlike that Zac Posen dress) on the floor of Newark Airport. But it was an amazing week — an education in celebrity-spotting, line-standing, champagne-guzzling, socialites, and fashion itself. So in honor of what a great, intriguing time we had — and as an homage to the man playing the Sound of Music soundtrack on the steel drum in the subway — we've decided to use our last Show & Talk post to highlight a few of our favorite memories from Fashion Week. Favorite Show: Our choices were Vena Cava and Brian Reyes. The latter showed unusual but still wearable cavalcade of dresses, skirts, and jackets in flirty fabrics and colors (we loved seeing olive on the runway), and Vena Cava did a modern spin on a twenties garden party, coupled with an unusual presentation. Rather than stomping down a catwalk, the models lounged for an hour on makeshift grassy knolls and mimed picnics in the park on a balmy spring afternoon. Plus, they gave us wine. You know how we feel about wine. Least Favorite Show: Luella Bartley's show on Sunday. It ran so late we missed our date with Thakoon; the seating was so clumsily arranged that you could barely see unless you were in the front row; the music — an obvious playlist of eighties hits — was poorly mixed; and the clothes were flat-out uninspiring. Frankly, we wish we'd gone to Thakoon instead.Show Most Likely To Kill Us, Literally: Although nearly all the crowded evening shows put the fear into us, doom was most imminent at Phillip Lim. Take 100 hairsprayed fashionistas, hand them champagne, pack them into a small, dark foyer, turn out the lights, and light lots of candles. Drunkenness plus open flames equal the headline "Tragic Warehouse Conflagration Mars Fashion Week." Show Most Likely To Kill Us, Emotionally: Alexandre Herchcovitch, whose models appeared to be wearing giant Live Strong bracelets as belts, bus conductor hats, and floaty tails made from sheer fabric. Such shenanigans demanded a sense of whimsy, which only means that Lindsay Lohan could show up somewhere with a giant plastic rubber band slung around her waist. If this happens, please know that we cannot be held responsible for our actions. Favorite Description By a Designer of His Inspiration: Jeanisis designer Anand Jon used the word "alchemiste" in the write-up of his new collection. We didn't see the show, but we love what adding "iste" to a word does, especially if you intone it dramatically. Try it at home. Loving your cheese grater? Make a meal that's grateriste. Want to dub somebody a sexual conqueror? Try rodgeriste. And so forth. Genius. Better Looking in Person Than We Expected: Chloë Sevigny, whom we saw at the Benjamin Cho show. We were anticipating giant freaky Elton John sunglasses, hot pants, aluminum-foil gladiator sandals, and some kind of kooky headgear. Instead, we got a sleek, sexy cocktail dress; hot shoes; and understated, pretty makeup. Well played, Sevigny. Damn you. Worse Looking in Person Than We Expected: Kevin Costner, who is inexplicably blond. Contrary to popular belief, he did not appear to be having more fun. Most Surprising Absence: Nicole Richie's absence was surprising indeed considering the fact that we spotted her stylist, Rachel Zoe, all over town (Look at that! We didn't say anything mean about Zoe at all. Maybe people can change). We definitely expected to see La Richie working the front rows, and we're disappointed we missed ogling her. We would have been willing to help her avoid Paris Hilton, if that was part of what kept her away. Just something to bear in mind for the future, Nicole. Most Likely To Have Us Killed: Stylist Rachel Zoe, to whom we are, we admit, really, really mean. We don't even know WHY. We just see her, and mean things come out of our mouths. We feel sort of bad about it, but we just can't stop doing it. Is there a support group for this? Secret Girl Crush: We are utterly enraptured by the dab, slightly wild gray bob and constant smoky eyes — day or night — of Lauren Ezersky. Seriously, we are infatuated with her and her kicky accent, her casual suggestion that she spackles her makeup on with a spatula (seriously, — watch her Video Look Book), and her kooky sense of style. And that is saying a lot, because we saw her one day committing the transgression of cuffed knee-length denim shorts paired with a jean jacket in a lighter wash. Even if it was head-to-toe Ralph Lauren, that's still crossing a line. So if our love can survive ridiculousness of that magnitude, then it's forever. Best Entrance: When the house lights at Proenza Schouler slowly crept down, Victoria Beckham, Demi Moore, and Ashton Kutcher blew in together from the back entrance in a whirl of handlers and flashbulbs. We'll say this for Posh — she may not have a career anymore, but she is a pro at knowing how to pump up the drama. Best Business Move: At the end of the Zac Posen show, Sean "Oh, Whatever" Combs conveniently leaped out of his seat to give the designer a standing ovation that we're sure was entirely spontaneous and merit-based and had nothing at ALL to do with the fact that Combs is a major financial backer of Posen's. Yes, we enjoyed the show, too, but we have to give a nod to Combs for acting fast and getting the rest of the front row on their feet to applaud his investment. Best Uncorroborated Celebrity Quote: At the Marc Jacobs party, we brushed past a Chris Robinson doppelgänger who was in mid-conversation with a pal and uttered the following: "What difference does it make? My wife already left me." Then he looked us square in the face and shrugged with a rueful smile. Obviously, this is dishy if indeed it was Chris Robinson; however, due to the lighting, and the fact that he was a tad shorter than we imagined the stringy Black Crowes front man to be, we have never been able to confirm it. So we're just throwing it out there and letting the grapevine do what it will. See? We are benevolent. Best Handling of an Awkward Moment by a Socialite: At the Zac Posen party, we found ourselves standing next to Alexandra Richards at the bar. A small, nondescript blonde woman approached her, tapped her on the shoulder, and said, "Hello! I've really been looking forward to meeting you. I'm [redacted]!" Alexandra smiled, shook the woman's hand, and said, "Hello, I'm Alexandra." At which point the woman's face fell and, with an aggrieved look, she said, "Oh, my God, I totally thought you were somebody else." Alexandra just laughed this off, patting the woman on the shoulder and saying that it was nice to meet her anyway. We would have thrown a drink in her face. Of course, we watch a lot of Dynasty. Most Overexposed: This would have been handed to Kristen Bell, if she'd kept up her early-week momentum (we saw her at Verrier, Brian Reyes, and Alice Roi right off the bat, and we know she took in at least one other show). But, she apparently got tired of seeing herself photographed with her stylist and toddled off home. That left this spot open forEmmy Rossum, whom it felt like we saw so often that by the end of the week we got bored of documenting it. There are only so many times you can wonder aloud if she's a real person or just an animated china doll. Biggest Unsolved Mystery: The identity of a particular man-about-the-tent gadfly, whom we refer to as Number Three. Say it in your best Austin Powers voice: "Who does Number Three work for?" Let us explain. On our first day, at the Verrier show, we spied an ebullient guy sitting in the front row next to Nina Garcia wearing a black Ralph Lauren shirt with a big white "3" emblazoned on each sleeve. He seemed quite friendly with her. Unable to recognize him, nor to understand why he would voluntarily number himself, we got punch-drunk and devised a pet theory that Nina makes all her assistants at Elle wear shirts with different digits on them. That way, she has only to snap her fingers and bark out a number to call them to arms: "Number One, coffee. Number Two, dry cleaning, and call Michael Kors's mother to see if I can borrow her glasses. Number Three, Bryant Park, immediately." But then we saw him again, with his number on but sans Garcia; throughout the week, we realized he was not only attending almost every show we did but that he was always sitting in a different person's front-row seat (once he replaced costumed man-diva Patrick McDonald). More than just a seat-filler, he had notebooks, he knew everyone (chatting animatedly with Jane editrix Brandon Holley at the Behnaz Sarafpour show about plans for that night that involved Kirsten Dunst), and he seemed constantly chipper and well liked. He never wore the infamous "3" shirt again after the first weekend — not that we saw, anyway — but in our hearts, that's forever his name. Although we realize other people almost certainly know who he is, his identity and affiliation remain a riddle to us. We salute you, Number Three, and the myriad mysteries of your cheerful front-row life. And with that, we bid New York adieu and head back to Los Angeles to observe celebrities in the wild. Thank you to all the friendly journalists and random spectators with whom we chatted all week, and everyone else who made our jaunt east so enjoyable. Eat a bagel for us. — The Fug Girls

Throughout the week, buyers from Barneys, Intermix, and Kirna Zabête told us which runway looks they planned to stock for spring. Julie Gilhart, senior vice-president and fashion director of Barneys New York, files her final picks. Marc Jacobs A backdrop of rolling hills and a green runway? Could Marc be tapping into the current trend of incorporating organic and environmental issues in our everyday lifestyle? It certainly looked like it by the lightness of colors, the bird motifs, and the sunset prints. This collection will be Barneys' favorite show of New York Fashion Week as it is filled with so many good pieces that we will have a hard time editing it. (Browse the collection or watch a video of the runway show.)Trovata If a Wes Anderson movie were a fashion collection, it would be Trovata. The story behind this sprin's collection was an underwater diving adventure, which is perfect in a season where navy is stronger than black. My favorite pieces were the navy-and-white-stripe asymmetric sweater and the navy strapless dress made in a filmy cotton batiste with deep pockets and big white buttons. They did handbags for the first time — big, doctorlike bags in canvas with patent trims in great colors. (Browse the collection.) Derek Lam Barneys has been buying Derek Lam for years, and this collection was his best to date. The runway presentation was not the trendiest but the label will attract beautiful women who want to wear clothes instead of the clothes wearing them. The soft-hued patchwork coat will be a collectible item for any woman's wardrobe. I loved the McCardell popover dress that had a thick rope lace-up neckline and looked extra cool over a pair of full-leg pants. (Browse the collection.) Who's stocking what? Buyers at Intermix and Kirna Zabête let us know what will be on their shelves come spring. Look at Julie's previous picks for Barneys.

When the lights went down at Grey Ant's show, a group of models filed into the room, faintly visible in the shadows. Suddenly, one of them contorted himself into a twisted claw shape and stood motionless. It was then that we heard a whispered, "Oh, no," emanating from a few seats away. This was no ordinary runway show. This was interpretive dance. Herky-jerky, half-naked interpretive dance. And judging by the woman in the front row who watched the entire first half with her eyes saucer-wide and her hand clamped over her gaping mouth, we knew not everybody was quite prepared for it. The information sheet claimed that the Grey Ant aesthetic this season was inspired in part by "the back cover of Bette Midler's album Songs for the New Depression." And if indeed that cover features Bette convulsing in a shredded white mask, then the enterprise was a totally rousing success. In the first segment, dancers lurched and gyrated in lavender-and-cream pajama-themed skivvies. And, yes, masks. Shredded white masks. We affixed our very best nothing-in-this-room-surprises-us expressions on our faces throughout, but seriously, the entire routine was as if designer Grant Krajecki got hopped up on NyQuil one night, fell asleep during a Yoga Booty Ballet TV infomercial, and had a fiendish nightmare about a deranged Jazzercise student who lived in the studio basement and demanded an appearance on one of the DVDs. It was so bizarre and so far out of left field that it came back around to being amazing — loopy as Heatherette, but without those boys' need to pat themselves on the backs for their non-conformity. We never wanted it to end. It did after a very long minute or so, at which point eight models came out and walked the catwalk two by two in high-waisted denim cut several ways — boot-cut, flared, tapered, you name it — and tiny, skintight early-eighties leotards. All we could think of was the girl in The Warriors who decides she wants to join the intrepid titular gang as it runs for its life from the Baseball Furies. Woefully, the uniformed, face-painted Furies didn't make an appearance in the final segment of the show, but it was special nonetheless. This much-longer dance piece featured thong bathing suits; a wan, shaggy man in a nightdress; and a dude in black spankies and a ruffled shirt who could have been the lost, sweaty love child of Martha Graham and Freddie Mercury. It was hypnotic. The outfits were again more like something you'd wear to sleep or underneath your actual clothes on a cold day, but by now everyone knew that the garments themselves were completely and utterly beside the point. Why should the audience focus on the clothes when instead they could walk away with the memory of Nightgown Boy leaping skyward from the floor? Well, maybe one person. "I thought Grey Ant did menswear," mused the woman next to us. Then she pursed her lips and said, in deliciously soft, enunciated tones, "I am underwhelmed." We were not. — The Fug Girls

Stars are everywhere at Fashion Week, and so it seemed a good idea to glean some wisdom from our betters. Here's what they had to tell us. They have feelings! "I've made a worst-dressed list, and I totally disagreed with it! There were a couple times that I thought it was fair, but there were others that I thought, No! I stand by the stuff that I wear, unless there's a momentary lapse of thought or judgment. And there have been a couple of those." — Mischa Barton "Oh, yes, I made the one in Us Weekly. What happened was I performed on the BET runway, and I took a picture in my performance outfit. And the thing was that my top was supposed to be closed and it opened, and I had a belt wrapped around it. So I kind of looked like a hoochie mama. But it was fair. I understood it." — Christina Milian "I did it on purpose. At the Billboard Awards last year, I had on a yellow cashmere sweater with some yellow argyle and brown shorts, and I was like, 'Aw, I love it!' and then everybody else was like, 'What the hell do you have on?' Every time I wear something, I try to make a statement. But, hey, I was the only guy in Us Weekly that week, so it wasn't bad." — Nick CannonThey hate photographers! "All the stress! All the paparazzi and photographers! They're all over you! You want to come and support a designer and it's not that big a deal, and they make it a HUGE deal — like it's the end of the world because people are coming to watch people walk down the runway in clothes." — Mischa Barton "I've only been to a Marc Jacobs show twice in my entire life. And it's just that everyone crushes upon anybody who's anybody. Having my picture taken is not something I enjoy." — Kirsten Dunst They pity us! "You didn't eat? You want some of my steak?" [Shoves steak toward us with knife. We shake head no.] "Are you sure?" [Grandmotherly look of concern, inches steak closer and closer.] "It's really good." — Kirsten Dunst [At very fancy dinner, looking at our shoes, then laughing] "Hey, I wore flip-flops to the Prada party." — Lily Cole They pity the models! "I spend a lot of time during the show thinking about the girls, watching their faces, wondering what's going through their heads, wondering how old they are." — Maggie Gyllenhaal And they're just like us! "What am I going to do after all this? Sleep." — Milla Jovovich, Wednesday night — Jada Yuan and Shira Levine

At the Saks Fifth Avenue "Want It!" shopping event Wednesday night, we were wandering around, lazily stalking celebs, when a hand grabbed us. "Hi, I'm Lauren." Hi, Lauren Hutton, we said, startled to be bum-rushed by the sixties supermodel. Why are you talking to us? She thought we were from the Times. We corrected her. She insisted we were from the Times. We went with it, and, boy, are we glad we did.Have you been going to many shows? I flew in last night from Flat Town, which is what I call L.A. Now I'm in Tall Town. It refers to both the architecture and the people. Because L.A. is so spread out. It's become one giant suburb. And what's interesting to me is that flying to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which used to be all these scattered villages surrounded by vast tracks of land, has become like flying into L.A., where you start seeing buildings 25 minutes outside the city and it's just this continuous wall of construction until you land. If you understand the difference between a million, a billion, and a trillion, you'll understand what's happened to the world's population. Excuse me? I was sitting on a plane, and I saw a Nobel Prize winner. And I recognized him, and I said to him, "Explain the difference to me between a million, a billion, and a trillion." Wait. You recognized a Nobel Prize winner? Well, he'd just won a Nobel Prize, and I'd seen his picture. Did he recognize you? I don't remember. This was ten years ago. But he was very happy I'd asked him about math. Anyway, I asked him, "What's the difference between a million, a billion, and a trillion?" And he said, "Well, that's easy. You understand time and money, don't you?" I said, "Well, yeah. I used to work for a dollar a minute." And he said, "Great. If I gave you a million dollars and you spent a dollar a second 24/7, you'd be out of money in less than 11 days. If you had a billion, you'd be out in 30 years. And if you had a trillion, you'd be out in 30,000 years." And I thought, Kids should know that by the second grade! And then I thought, Maybe that's why we're not taught that, because that's the national debt. You go to Africa a lot. Why? I used to see Tarzan movies. That's why I came to New York. I've been going to Africa for two or three months ever since 1965. The first time I went to black Africa was 1967. I'd been going to north Africa at first, and then I'd go every year for two or three months. What's interesting is seeing Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, on opposite ends of the Serengeti and just how big and spread out they both are. Can you get the fashion girls to talk about Africa? I haven't tried. I was trying to see Narciso last night, but I was just too tired when I got in. And I want to see Zac tomorrow, and I want to see Calvin just so I can see Natalia walk. I just met her now, and she invited me along. Is it weird for you to watch shows, having once been in them? When I was a model, a photography model wouldn't be caught dead doing runway. As far as I know, I was the first photography model from my time to be in a show, and I only did it because I knew Halston and he asked me to model his clothes onstage for the CFDA Awards. He was getting lifetime achievement. Was runway modeling seen as gauche? No, it was just they had different agencies. Listen. It was a different world. It wasn't gauche. It's just that the photography girls made much more money. It wasn't an idea about what was déclassé. It was artificial, arbitrary. You went where the money was. — Jada Yuan

Throughout the week, New York's Harriet Mays Powell and Amy Larocca selected ten things they liked each day. Now, they share their ten Fashion Week favorites.

• 1. Vera Wang's collection, especially the delicately draped and layered "need to have now" tops.
• 2. Both Marc Jacobs collections: We're glad the quintessential New York designer remains a major influence.
• 3. The subtly metallic evening dresses at Ralph Lauren.

• 4. Sari Gueron's firm grasp of what glamorous and cool New York girls want to wear.
• 5. All the white at Phillip Lim, BCBG, and Narciso Rodriguez.
• 6. The great easy T-shirt dresses from Peter Som, Marc Jacobs, and Zero Maria Cornejo.
• 7. Even more crazy heels especially Derek Lam's.
• 8. Michael Kors jersey and cashmere knits.
• 9. Proenza's tomato-and-gray stretch top with charcoal moiré skirt.
• 10. The fact that New York designers really gave their all this week. They're holding their own against the Europeans.

Read Harriet and Amy's daily picks.