You might be wondering how on earth someone can delve into something as materialistic as Olympus Fashion Week when there's such tragedy going on in our country right now. Yes, even though Kate Moss has managed to snort her way through three fashion-house contracts, Burberry, Chanel, and H&M have all rocked the nation by severing ties with the model. Apparently they forgot that Kate was behind the "heroin chic" look of the early '90s. Stay tuned to see if Dior and Rimmel will just say no too.

Friday, September 9, 2005

It should have come as no surprise that there would be tons of T&A at the Gottex show, but a plus-sized model? What does designer Gideon Oberson think this is, America's Next Top Model? The jiggle fest was a veritable pu-pu platter of, well, poo poo. (Or as my editor put it: "Cocaine and AIDS in 1982.") The hodgepodge of sexy and romantic print swimsuits gave way to Max Hedrum-era maillots, with models donning post-laser eye surgery sunglasses, presumably to keep from seeing the pained expressions on our faces. The show eventually circled back to more elegant black-and-white numbers before taking a nosedive à la James Bond: Goldfinger. Looking to get some air, I headed out of the tents and across town to the Manhattan Center for the Gen Art show. With the edible Queer Eye Kyan Douglas emceeing the event, I was looking forward to breaking the news on some genius emerging talent. Alas, the only thing I broke was a fingernail fighting with some ghetto-maximus thing for a cab back to Bryant Park. Did I mention I had to ask for program notes twice? Perhaps my anger at the GA staff was misplaced. I honestly enjoyed Rodebjer's striking take on womenswear, but c'mon…twice?! Back at the Tent I witnessed massive front row star wattage at Tommy Hilfiger. The brand celebrated its 20th anniversary; there was a reference to The Cut but nary a mention of a potential takeover by none other than Wal-Mart. There was a shoddily edited retrospective chronicling Mr. Hilfiger's work prefacing a long, 100-look show. Fresh-faced and barefoot, "all-American" models worked the prepster designs that the fashion icon is famous for. Although Hilfiger stuck with the seersucker, plaid, and khaki visions that have served him so well in years past, I kinda wanted to be dazzled. And, no, beaded blazers don't count. But Cinita Dicker's tour on the catwalk did.

HIGHLIGHTS: A black spider web bathing suit at Gottex. A nicely cut Thomas Cunningham white suit at Gen Art. A navy mohair anchor jacket for women and a navy wool jacket with beaded lapels for men at Tommy.
LOWLIGHTS: The gold painted model with the 18k gold bikini at Gottex. The Beckerman and Martin Andersson collections at Gen Art.
SIGHTINGS: Ex-Sex hunk Jason Lewis, Jesse Metcalfe, Tyson Beckford, Allan Houston, Nas, Lil' Jon, Molly Sims, Paris Hilton, Kate Bosworth, Garcelle Beauvais, Black Eyed Peas' Fergie with Josh Duhamel, Katherine Heigl, and Sophia Bush at Tommy.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Off-site at a People's Revolution-produced event (which is the sole reason one could ever confidently venture off-site) at the Altman building, I was elated by the work of Zaldy Goco. It's inconceivable how the 39-year-old Filipino mastermind has time to breathe. Busy with his own line, Zaldy is also the head designer for Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. I watched in awe as model after model walked down the runway in elegantly draped wonders. A red-hooded caftan had me daydreaming of walking through an eerie forest only to be approached by a viral young wolf, while a smartly cut black suit evoked visions of me making shrewd boardroom deals. Delusions aside, Zaldy churned out the best looks of spring 2006 but I was ordered by my editor to journey uptown for more. I like the Turks. Really, I do. But Atil Kutoglu just isn't cutting it, literally. Taking away from the flowing caftans with a "vacationing in the Mediterranean" attractiveness were bulky dresses and jackets that injections of Arabic music and hot models (Naomi, Cintia, and newcomer Davina) couldn't salvage.

HIGHLIGHTS: The entire Zaldy collection, including the gorgeous Christian Louboutin shoes.
LOWLIGHTS: The entire Atil collection, save for the ivory and gold silk chiffon looks.
SIGHTINGS: Gwen, Rufus Wainwright, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Lauren Ezerski (a.k.a. Cruella Deville), Patrick McDonald, Mickey Boardman, and Karen Elson (on the runway) at Zaldy. Theodora Richards modeling in the Atil show.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Here we are, the third day of fashion week and I can't help but wonder why I'm here. I really believed that the flawlessness of Zaldy couldn't be matched-until, that is, I observed heaping portions of romance served up by the Korean husband and wife team of Y & Kei. Unlike the stiffness seen in the first quarter of Atil's production, Hanii Yoon and Gene Kang were obviously concerned with the movement of their ethereal creations. From beginning to end, the show was pure, unadulterated perfection! Back at the Altman, Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra, the duo behind Costello Tagliapietra channeled simplistic femininity with a disclaimer, the disclaimer being: if you don't have a slammin' bod, don't you dare think of wearing this. Over at Tracey Reese was a womanliness of different sorts. Evident by the horn-heavy music, Reese was influenced by the coquettishness of New Orleans fashion circa 1917. Reese's fixation with pink and brocade nearly brought up the brownie I snatched up at the UPS booth in the tents. Frilliness aside, there were a few military-style jackets and floral tiered frocks worthy of a visit south of the Mason-Dixon line. Later that day, British designer Andrew Buckler displayed his creations at his Gansevoort Street store. After baking outside in the sun for what felt like an eternity, we were finally funneled down a narrow staircase (a dashing male model in a top hat was curiously propped on the wall) only to find an empty room with a bar. Was it happy hour already? Just as suddenly as the irritating soundtrack of church bells stopped, caged male models clad in modified punk-rock gear appeared. Armed with a drink in each hand, I made my way around the room and examining the men, err, clothes. The Englishman definitely has a progressive approach to menswear, deconstructing suits with a CBGB flair. Nice job, old chap. Separately, may I add how fortunate I am to not have made it to the Diane von Furstenberg show? Apparently a lighting fixture fell down and struck four fashion editors.

HIGHLIGHTS: A sand-colored hand-embroidered linen gown and a navy pleated dress with gold underlay at Y & Kei. A putty petal dress and a clay pleated gown at Costello Tagliapietra. A buttercup 3/4 coat and pecan/cream colored ensemble complete with halter vest at Tracy Reese. White swan leather pants and a pair of dirty battalion pants at Buckler.
LOWLIGHTS: The over-embellishment at Tracy Reese. A Buckler model on a cell phone-um, unless you're calling me, you shouldn't be on the phone.
SIGHTINGS: Lynn Whitfield, Zoe Saldana, and Jamie Lynn-DiScala in the audience and heiress Lydia Hearst walking at Tracey Reese.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Inspired by modernists such as Le Corbusier and architect Frank Gehry, Cynthia Steffe started off my day with a bevy of bold, controlled looks. The designer, opting for an overall paired down opulence, added color and a Piet Mondrian-influenced print for pop. The extremely well-tailored collection's only hiccup were retro black lacquered jackets and coats. Downtown in the East Village, the applause from the Charles Nolan show is still ringing in my ears. On hand were models from ages 7 to 75, traipsing about in huge hats and oversized papier-mâché pearls. The work of the former Anne Klein creative director included the omnipresent pouf look that's been seen everywhere this season, perfect for the "ladies who lunch" crowd. After a glass of wine and some contrived small talk, I schlepped back to the tents for the BCBG collection. Max Azria's clothing personifies fashion-forward wearablilty, blurring the lines between comfort and luxury. The muted collection, which played on proportions, almost came to a halt when Estonian model Tiiu nearly became fashion road kill. Catching her balance, the 6-foot model broke out in a stunning smile and just kept on going…unlike elephant-lipped Sarah on America's Next Top Model.

HIGHLIGHTS: A white cotton crochet eyelet tank and tiered halter dresses at Cynthia Steffe. A pale blue silk taffeta empire dress and a blush pink silk taffeta camisole dress at Charles Nolan. A white cotton balloon hem dress, a plum cotton knit dress and a black silk habotai dress with macramé detailing at BCBG.
LOWLIGHTS: Bee Shafer, Anna Wintour's daughter, practically doubling over in laughter because of Tiiu's misstep.
SIGHTINGS: Rosario Dawson, Jason Lewis, Jaime King, Mya, and Amerie at BCBG.

You're probably wondering, "What the hell happened to the second half of fashion week?" I blacked out. That's right. I blacked out. Someone slipped me a ruffie at the BCBG afterparty at Home. How else could one explain bumping into Brandy and then waking up four days later with my clothes on backwards and a bumper sticker proclaiming "Fashion Rocks!" on my forehead? Or maybe it was the Marc Jacobs "after-afterparty" I went to down at some guy Jerry's apartment on Avenue C. But don't you worry you're pretty little heads. The divine Miss C. will be as good as new by next season, when we'll be bringing you full coverage once again.

Ciao!

Alexa Camp
© slant magazine, 2005.

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