New York Fashion Week Day 1:Luxe With Rubin Singer, SteinunnAnd Michael Angel

First of all we have to confess that after the Rubin Singer show this afternoon, we somehow found ourselves swept into a corner of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week tents that we had never seen before: The Backstage VIP lounge. As a result, most of this post comes to you courtesy of a couple of flutes of Veuve Cliquot.
Champagne aside, Day 1 of Fashion Week seems to be getting off to an agreeable start.
We popped into Australian designer Michael Angel's show, the first of the tent season, with little knowledge of the label. Led off by Iekeliene Stange, the hardest working runway model, the show was a pleasant surprise that worked best when Angel let his vibrant tie-dyed chiffon flow with touches of lamé and crystals shimmering through. If this is signal of things to come, the watchwords of the season will be bright color and continuing '80s references.
Later we got a chance to a chance to explore the changes in the tent set up. The heavy duty promotional activity doesn't usually kick in until Monday, but already a trio of charming ladies and (and one gentleman) were handing out little packets of chocolate covered Lu wafers. Blackberry and T-Mobile have set up a lounge, and as we mentioned before, the absence of some of the garish liquor promotions is a welcome change aesthetically, and the demise of the club Lotus means the former Lotus bar has been redesigned. A booth for Havaianas flip flops was almost ready for customers, but the most intriguing surprise was a new corner lounge by Office Max, which, on the surface, would seem pretty irrelevant if it weren't for its clever design and teeny tiny cookies and muffins as well as a free flowing juice bar. We like to think of it as our future office at the tents, and when we complimented them on the ambiance, we were rewarded with a hefty gift bag full of stylish folders and desk accessories.
And the day had barely begun.
After Perry Ellis (more about them and Duckie Brown later) we headed to F.I.T. for Steinunn's informal presentation with five models wandering and posing through a forest of mannequins decked in Icelandic designer Steinunn Sigurðar's intricately constructed collection. (Click the image at right for a larger view) There's something to be said for a quiet, leisurely inspection of innovative workmanship and models who will pose just for you.
Back to the tents for Duckie, and then Rubin Singer's show. The line for the specially designed complimentary Havaianas had all but overtaken the lobby, dwarfing those for the actual fashion  shows which does not bode well for future traffic flow issues as the week goes on. Note to self: Get your flip flops early in the day. On the plus side, we had an opportunity to sample the new mocha M&Ms, which are pretty damn good.
What a difference a season made for Rubin Singer. This time an eager crowd, including many dressed personally by the designer, thronged the check-in table, nicely filling the sizable Promenade tent. The crowd wasn't the only thing stepped up this season. The show was smoother, the music was sexier, the models were sleeker and most of all his collection showed a new refinement that should please the retail heavy hitters who made the show. Casual sportswear is not his thing. Singer loves the drama with a hint of retro. Bold, flowing, printed fabrics made for crowd pleasing gowns, and he made crisp polka dots look modern as he unleashed a slew of red carpet gowns. It also doesn't hurt to fill your room with fans and friends, but it was a strong show by anyone's standards, and it's good to see a young designer evolve and mature.
And then we found the VIP room, which is not to say we got sloshed, but who could resist a few drinks and a buffet lunch.
Clearly, not us.
More pictures, swag, celebrity and diversity count after the jump.

DIVERSITY QUOTIENT:
Michael Angel 6%
19 models
1 Black model, Anabela wearing 3 looks out of 44.
Steinunn 20%
5 models
1 Black mode,l each in a single outfit.
Rubin Singer 25%
23 models
4 black models -Sonja, Lily Britnee and Shannone
2 Asian models -Xiya and Hannah
in 10 out of 42 looks.
CELEBRITY REPORT:
Pretty lame so far, unless you count former project runway contestant Jack Mackenroth who seems to have made an appearance at nearly every show we have seen so far. Also, hearing impaired model and erstwhile internet porn star Martin Richie from the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency show was equally ubiquitous, but really, he's more of a curiosity than a celebrity at the moment (and if he's such a model, then why is he in the audience instead of on the runway?). Then there's Nigel Barker who is always a welcome sight, but hardly counts since he also goes to every show. One very bright spot, singer Róisín Murphy, one of our favorites, at Rubin Singer.
SWAG REPORT:
It was a shockingly big haul for day 1.
There was the heavy Office Max bag which included a three ring binder, stylish portfolios and folders, a blank bound notebook, and packages of patterned paper clips and shiny glass magnets.
From Michael Angel, there was a black patent evening bag filled with Joico Design Collection flexible shaping spray, forming polish, texture spray and Maybelline Volume Seduction XL lip Plumper in Seductively Nude

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