Every season there's someone at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week who manages to make a long day more bearable by handing out a tasty treat that sustains us until we can get our hands on real food. Above, meet the Pop Chips kids who remain unfailingly cheery when handing out individual sized bags (only 100 calories!) of the potato treats, even if one might happen to breeze by for the third or fourth time, not that we would do that or anything.
Sometimes during Fashion Week, we like to do individual posts, but then sometimes we don't have the time to actually sit down and write, so here's a rundown of what we have seen so far:
Starting back on Saturday, we were intrigued to see how Jill Stuart would handle her new venue at the Koch (formerly New York State) Theater Promenade. Stuart doesn't seem to like the actual tents, but likes to be close by, and used to show in the grand foyer at the New York Public Library. We stopped going because we found it barely possible to see anything there unless seated in the front row (which, obviously, we weren't).
It turns out that the Koch promenade is a far better place for a fashion show, but it's worth mentioning that if the people seated in the fourth are all standing up to see the show it is long past time to investigate risers for seating. We only wish they would have opened up the balconies. As for the clothes, Stuart has abandoned some of her past runway tricks and trend chasing for clean, classical sportswear in black, white and cream that looked like a fresh (and lucrative) direction for her label. As always, her show turns out to be a celebrity cavalcade featuring two Kardashians, Jessica Szohr, Tinsley Mortimer, who has returned to the scene, and a bunch of other MTV-grade reality stars whom we barely count as celebrities anymore
Later on, we hit ADAM, a show that has been a favorite since the beginning for Adam Lippes's buoyant sportswear. We found ourselves seated just behind a sizable block of section H devoted to the Kellwood Company, the apparel giant that is ADAM' new owner. While everything seemed as normal at the show, the label is now poised to be grown with the same resources that has put Vince on top of the contemporary heap. Look for more ADAM stores soon, and we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for the return of his menswear collection. There were no gift bags, which is sadly starting to become the norm. Lippes' front row was dedicated more to industry insiders than TV stars, but Veronica Webb appeared to show her support, and when Elle's Joe Zee arrived at the last minute to claim his front row seat, his reality-show cameras were ordered to remain by the door as the runway schmoozing period had ended.
Next at Vivienne Tam we stumbled over Denise Richards for the first time this week. Why is she everywhere this season? Probably in need of publicity for one reason or another, but she is turning into the random ubiquitous celebrity of the season. Nearby was her fellow E! reality star and former Playboy Playmate Kendra Wilkinson, who like all of Hef's girls looks shockingly beautiful in person, but who cares about them when further down the row is an actual accomplished person, tennis empress Serena Williams. She is imposing in person and manages to mix high glamour with with a superheroine physique in a magnetic way. Tam has jumped from seasons of small presentations to the biggest tent in the complex which is not always the easiest transition but she managed to pull it off with finesse. However, she only put run-of-show programs on the first four rows of seats (forget about a gift bag). The rest of us could only guess what the inspirations might have been.
Earlier in the day, we stopped by The Box, the small, open tent made for presentations which has become a boon to small designers like Diego Binetti who brought his collection into the center of things from the far-flung venues he has used in the past. That's why it was the first time we were able to check out his intricately embellished collection, and probably for a lot of other people as well. We're not sure if he has a strong bridal business, but quite a few of the white gowns he showed would look right at home making their way down an aisle.
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