M-B Fashion Week Fall 2013: Style Triumphs Over Blizzard

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Another "highlight" was surviving the blizzard which struck New York City and New England on Friday night/Saturday morning of opening weekend. Rather unsurprisingly not a single show was cancelled, despite a few minor leaks in the roof.  As front row types rarely take the MTA subway or bus to The Tents they were very unlikely to be affected by the snow.  And, after all, isn't M-B Fashion Week all about the so-called celebrities and major fashion scribes in Row One?

However, this cowardly reporter rushed out of the lobby the moment the fabulous Rebecca Minkoff show ended at 3:30pm, only stopping to grab four or five Fibre One bars and a WWD. Dodging freezing rain or sleet (what's the difference?) I skidded past the fountain and down the subway steps to the 1 train and the beginning of my journey home to Flushing and safety from Nemo (yes, the blizzard had a name--when did they start doing that?)

By being a big chicken and leaving The Tents seven hours earlier than planned,  I missed the Academy of Art University and Parkchoonmoo shows later that evening. As I had assigned seats for both shows, it was not an easy decision, but not one I regretted as up to two feet of snow was predicted for my neighborhood and, had I stayed, my focus would not have been on the fashion but rather on the prospect of sleeping on a friends floor and wearing the same suit to Lincoln Center the next day (and missing my wife of course!)

Boy do I hate February Fashion Week!

In September we can bask in temperatures in the 70s, enjoy our lunch al fresco on a nearby bench, and sip afternoon cocktails in the outdoor atrium (aka smoking area.)

Of course there is the occasional tornado warning, such as occured in 2010 when torrential  rains caused major tent leakage, the closing of the open wine bar and the postponement  of a presentation (non-runway) show or two.

Red Dresses For Healthy Hearts

For me Fashion Week started the night before things got underway at Lincoln Center, with the Red Dress Collection 2013 at Hammerstein Ballroom. Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and (rather curiously) Diet Coke, the 12th annual celebrity fashion show seeks to bring attention to the issues of women's heart disease and healthy lifestyles.

Fourteen celebrities (and one "civilian") walked the runway in red dresses created for the occasion by both major and emerging designers including: Olympic gymnast Gabrielle Douglas (Pamella Roland), actress Jamie Chung (David Meister), TV personality/singer Kelly Osbourne (Zac Posen), trainer/wellness expert Jillian Michaels (Cushnie et Ochs), actress Brenda Strong (Marc Bouwer), TV producer Kris Jenner (Badgley Mischka), actress Minka Kelly (Oscar de la Renta), actress/singer Roselyn Sanchez (Tadashi Shoji),  singer Toni Braxton (Herve L. Leroux), TV host Wendy Williams (Kamali Kulture) and TV newspersons Savannah Guthrie (Carolina Herrera) and Soledad O'Brien (Black Halo Eve).

The one non-celebrity was Cindy Parsons, 55, a Connecticut dress shop owner, who, after losing her mother to heart disease, has reduced her blood pressure by 11 points, lost 77 pounds and shed 12 inches off her wasitline.

Later that evening I attended the Tanya Taylor Fall/Winter 2013 presentation held in the spacious lobby of the Museum of Modern Art. The Canadian-born designer's collection featured 20 looks of overcoats, jackets, blazers, vests and swters in leather and cashmere, in colors ranging from black to pink to orange to burgandy. Perrier in cans (!) was served in lieu of champagne.

Lincoln Center Shows

As in recent seasons my first Lincoln Center show was that of Tadashi Shoji held in the Stage venue. Inspired by the "darkness of winter" and the Winter Palace in  St. Petersburg, Russia and the high-back vestments of the Russian Orthadox clergy, the 39 looks of the collections gowns, dresses and pants featured "bold hues of sapphire blue, burgandy and carmine red, paired with luminescent blush  tones of pale pink, rose taupe and snow."

On entering the Studio venue for the Sergio Davila FW13 runway show I was immediatel;y greeted by Kelly Cutrone, founder/owner of Peoples Revolution, a major public relations firm (and my Fashion Week "mentor" ) who directed me to a front row seat, my only one of the week.

Mr. Davila was inspired by "historical, dark and foggy old South American cities like Lima where I lived in a Victorian apartment for eight months to create this collection." His 26 looks featured striking coats, dresses, jackets, shirts and suits in baby alpaca, lambskin leather, cotton and wool.

The Project Runway show in the Theatre lacked its usual excitement as it was not limited to the four finalists as only three episodes of the current season had aired and, for the sake of secrecy, their identities could not be revealed. Obviously host Heidi Klum did not trust the several hundred of us in attendance to promise not to reveal the names of those lucky four!

Therefore the audience was subjected to an hour of anonymous mini-shows by the 12 contestants who, after the last show, emerged from backstage en masse, walked to the front of the runway and posed for the photographers on the riser, with barely a wave to the perplexed and weary crowd.

At the risk of sounding catty and unappreciative (after all I was invited and I did wind up in a seat), Heidi did not look her best in a backless brown knee length dress with her hair up in a rather messy style. On the other hand Zac Posen, Tim Gunn and Michael Kors looked amazing.

The beautiful runway show by Katya Leonovich in the Studio featured tunics, Bermuda shorts, mini-dresses, jackets, raincoats, skirts and gowns in leather, wool and silk, many trimmed      with Mokuba faux fur or or Tibetan goat fur trim.

The breathtaking Venexiana show in the Studio featured an amazing 76 looks but--somehow-- was completed in approximately the same time as the typical runway show of 35-40 designs. At times three or four models were on the runway at the same time, barely pausing for the photographers as they quick-stepped down the catwalk to a pounding rock soundtrack.

This all might sound rather messy and even unprofessional, but this magnificent show of gowns and cocktail dresses in velvet, silk, satin, lace and chiffon was a highlight of the week for me and, i daresay, for most of the audience.

The Reem Acra runway show in the Stage was inspired by  "An urban sensibility and recent travels to Japan. Also a series of photographs from the artist Daido Moriyama featuring abstracts of the female body in fish net stockings...encompassing fabric layering, combining such elements as prints, signature embroideries, and leather...in black and white with bold strokes of red."

The 34 looks included dresses, ponchos, tunics, jackets, trousers, jodhpurs, skirts, shawls and gowns.

My final Lincoln Center show was by Malaysian-born Zang Toi: "A modern take on the Imperial Russia that reimagine the historical and opulent looks of the Faberge egg and Peterhof Palace."

The incredibly beautiful collection of 31 looks featured coats, turtlenecks, cardigans, blouses, jackets, blazers, dresses, suits and his trademark gowns.

The grand finale was a "Jet silk velvet grand Faberge coat with fox collar and imperial gilded garland, jet hammered silk satin grand Feberge gown lined with imperial gilded garland silk velvet."

Other remarkable Lincoln Center runway shows I was privliged to attend included the Nelly Hohman, Eisunoge and Sagan collections known collectively as Vantan Tokyo; the "Sexy, strong, eccentric and individual New York girl" collection of Tracy Reese; the "Beauty and the Beast" designs of Custo Barcelona; the "Demure yet sophisticated prints mixed with lace and unique carnation cotton suede striking silhouettes" of Falguni and Shane Peacock.

Also, the collection of China-born Vivienne Tam, inspired by "The conceptual underpinnings of the punk movement;" and the Fall/Winter 2013 collection of Milly by Michelle Smith, inspired by "The beauty of urban landscapes at night."

Notable Lincoln Center presentations I attended included Clover Canyon, Candela, Leather Japan, Rafael Cennamo and Hernan Lander.

Last But Not Least

The only two non-MB Fashion Week runway shows I attended this season was the Perry Ellis By Duckie Brown collection and the Ivana Helsinki show, the latter memorable for the one-hour wait outside the West Chelsea venue in sub-freezing temperatures and the endless walk down from the 12th floor when the one elevator became overwhelmed by the crush of fashionable Finns and other Ivana fans.

In addition to Tanya Taylor the other non-MB Fashion Week presentation I attended was that of Misha Nonoo at the Standard Hotel in the hip Meatpacking District, described as "A weekend invitation to the Russian countryside from a descendent of the Romanov family."

Final Thoughts

Impacted by the cold and snowy weather and my near senior citizen status, this was a rather low key Fashion Week for me, attending very few "off-site" shows and leaving the occasional after-party by 10 pm. On the downside, myself and fellow scribes were shocked to see a cash bar in the middle of the lobby, but pleased to find the very efficient American Express-sponsored computerized coat check.

We were alarmed when the free Fibre One bars were all gone by Sunday and the Tresemme mousse and hair spray samples had disappeared by Monday afternoon, but were pleased when free Becks Sapphire beers were distributed at 5:30pm each evening ($8 at the cash bar!)

Thanks to the contibutions of an absent friend I had assigned seats at most of my shows, which meant far less time standing in line than usual. Also, there appeared to be more places to sit and rest in the lobby than past seasons, which is extremely important to this Queens guy who doesn't have the luxury of going to his Manhattan aprtment for a nap.

As usual I am relieved that yet another MB Fashion Week is over, yet already looking forward  to M-B Fashion Week Spring 2014 next September (and the warm weather!)

For more Times Square articles like: M-B Fashion Week Fall 2013: Style Triumphs Over Blizzard, please visit the Fasion/Fashion Week Section of TimesSquare.com

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.


Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.


Caption 1: