Jamee's Fashion Week Shopping Diary
by Jamee Gregory
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| Monday, September 12, 2011. Fashion Week begins on a high note, as Carolina Herrera whips up a stellar spring collection. My first show is always Carolina, at 10 AM, because nothing beats a country weekend. After a fast Reservoir lap, I discover that the temperature is perfect for my new sleeveless Prada dress. Lincoln Center is easy to reach. No more midtown traffic! Arriving at the Josie Robertson Plaza, with fountains running and sun shining, I see all the fashionistas assembling. Once inside, things run smoothly. I produce my invitation, filing past the blinding paparazzi. |
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| Clockwise from top left: Jamee Gregory, Joanne de Guardiola, and Cece Cord; Graydon Carter and Fran Lebowitz; Kevin Fox and Peter Lyden; Olivia Munn; Jim Gold. |
| Arriving at section B, I greet dashing Reinaldo Herrera, Fran Lebowitz, Anna and Graydon Carter, Emilia and Rayssa Fanjul, Mandolyna Theodoracopulos, Princess Alexandra of Greece, Tara Rockefeller, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, Kenny Lane, CeCe Cord, Joanne de Guardiola, Amy Fine Collins, Sydie Lansing and her son Garrett (husband of Patricia Herrera), Jane Lauder, Suzanne Johnson, (wife of Woody Johnson), interior designer Sam Blount, Peter Lyden, and a host of other Carolina fans. |
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| Anna Wintour with Patrick Demarchelier and Nicki Minaj. |
| We talk, finally taking our seats, and see several burly body-guards escorting someone with a many-tiered platinum wig and a wild body-hugging outfit, covered in multi-colored pom poms. Is it Lady Gaga? “No, says Rayssa. “It’s Nicki Minaj!” (She’s a Hip Hop and R&B recording artist and member of MTV’s Annual Hottest List, in case you didn’t know!) I ask WWD’s photographer Steve Eichner the name of two other “celebrities,” and even he has no idea. Meanwhile, the real deal, Renee Zellweger appears, dressed simply, no make-up, to observe her favorite designer’s show. |
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| Carolina Herrera and Renee Zellweger. |
| Lights down, music on, and a lovely, lady-like procession begins. The first model appears in a cheery canary yellow, grass green and black stripe print chiffon blouse, with a grass green woven canvas jacket over a sparrow print wrap skirt (1.). The feminine blouse with a bow and soft skirt covered with a tailored top would be great for lunches and board meetings in the spring, which has been so cold these past two years. Having a chic little jacket would be practical and terrific. The next model, in a canary grass-green, sparrow-print shirt-dress (2.), looks great. The motif is charming and original and the shape classic. I love bows at the neck and Carolina showed many! One model carried a small yellow satchel bag (3.), tempting for city shopping. |
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| The 9th exit, a sepia mélange cotton and linen canvas jacket with a collared detail over a chiffon top (4.) caught my eye. It looked like denim with a crisp green collar. A sophisticated jade silk-crepe halter gown (5.) looked great: simple, icy and elegant in a flattering color, just the thing for the spring dance to benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering! A simple white cotton sheath with sepia-brown inserts (6.), the kind of dress that could go to Swifty’s for lunch or Café Boulud for dinner came next. I checked it on my list. |
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| The 20th exit featured a great metallic canvas coat with sepia piping over a chiffon printed dress with a bow-tied scarf (7.), perfect for a windy, rainy day in April. The soft, colorful print popped under the structured slick coat creating an interesting contrast. A long red dress with embroidery in black and white (8.) and a glamorous yellow full-skirted gown (9.) tempted. Can’t wait to try them on! Clear yellows, cool greens, original prints and crisp jackets over soft dresses seemed just right for that splendid season when tulips pop up cheerfully on Park Avenue. These clothes were made for walking, and dancing at night. |
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| Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Another gorgeous day, a fast lap in Central Park and off to the 10 AM Badgley Mischka show. Mark and James, attractive and beloved by their followers, turn out a glamorous group, including a gaggle of girls in Jet’s tee shirts, including Somers Farkas. Muffie Potter Aston on crutches, Joanne de Guardiola and the team owner’s wife, Suzanne Johnson. More conservatively dressed, but equally excited about the show, are Audrey Gruss, Patty Raynes, CeCe Cord, Mai Harrison, Ariana Boardman, and Marcia Holzer, with her daughter, Kristi. I chat with Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus and Ron Frasch of Saks until the lights dim. |
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| Gang Green at Badgley Mischka: Joanne de Guardiola, Suzanne Johnson, Somers Farkas, Muffie Potter Aston, and Grace Hightower. |
| What tempts? A lemon tulle top over flower-printed chiffon pants from their James collection (10.), a lemon yellow dress with a high neck and full skirt (11.), and a long, slinky lemon and white matelasse gown, strapless, with a bow on the tummy (12.) might require a few less desserts, great for Palm Beach winter weekends; a bright Clementine orange chiffon dress with beading (13.) for dinners in the city or Florida weekends, adorable linen shorts in tangerine (14.) perfect for sunning in St. Barth or the Bahamas, pink and tangerine sequin shorts, more St. Tropez, than Southampton, glam metallic pink and tangerine taffeta Capri pants (15.), an emerald leather bomber jacket, and a gold metallic tweed gown (16.) that would pack well, for Palm Beach Preservation’s March ball. James and Mark really understand their ladies’ lifestyle. |
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| At 1 PM I return to the tents for Zang Toi’s show. Seated beside Town&Country’s effervescent Gillian Hearst Simonds, I join the applause for a long desert silk gazar linen goddess coat over a strapless linen jump suit (17.). The model vamps it up, showing off her amazing coiffure, much to the photographers’ delight. A bright gold tote with Zang’s insignia looks modern, worn with matching gold sandals (18.). A male model wears a beautiful embroidered caftan. I am jealous until Zang provides a shorter, tunic-length version for his ladies (19.), perfect for a cool L.A. evening. |
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| A fitted linen shirt with patches appeals (20.), as did v-necked sweaters worn over attached white collared shirts, also zippy enough for California. Wide ivory trousers side with pleats look new. I like a shawl. Grey and black with a white lace insert. A sleeveless ivory Italian silk pantsuit (21.) looks crisp as well as a black smoking. Gold leggings and a “Make Love Not War” tee shirt receive applause. The real show-stopper was last, a jewel encrusted “One Thousand and One Nights” Imperial coat worn over a sapphire couture silk gazer strapless gown (22.) modeled with gusto by none other than Kirstie Alley! |
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| Kirstie Alley and Zang Toi close out the show. |
| Next stop is Bibhu Mohapatra, a wonderful young designer inspired by Helmut Newton postcards, celebrating “The modern woman who is confident, daring, playful and erotically charged.” (!!!) His models parade on a raised platform. |
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| Bibhu Mohapatra and models. |
| No fun going to 11W. 42nd for the 7 PM Oscar de la Renta show: bumper to bumper traffic! I arrive just before the models come out, diving into my seat in the nick of time, sitting beside Vanity Fair’s James Reginato. Oscar’s ladies are scattered on both sides of the long space. I see Catie Marron and Shirley Lord as the show begins. My pencil races: A short-sleeved white lace Battenberg dress (23.) for summer parties in the Hamptons, a striped dress in daffodil and black, smart for hot city days, a chartreuse twill dress with a scarf and jacket (24.) for the Central Park lunch. A chartreuse body-skimming knit dress with short sleeves (25.), a winner for traveling, wrinkle-proof and chic, a white sleeveless dress with blue embroider (26.), bold yet simple for Manhattan dinners, a white cocktail dress with red-embroidered flowers (27.), an evening skirt and blouse, the top white lace and the skirt full and black, and my favorite, a black sequin sheath with white-beaded tassels (28.). |
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| Oscar’s dresses are always my favorite. They fit perfectly, look elegant and pack a punch-lady-like, but never boring. Oscar appears, debonair as ever, and everyone races for the elevators, dreaming of spring. Wednesday, September 14th. Another summer-like September day dawns in New York, freeing fashion’s flock to wear sleeveless dresses and sandals. Spring seems in season, especially at my first show, Michael Kors, where the audience is transported to Africa. Djellabas, caftans, sarongs, floated in clouds as the models, male and female, sashayed down the runway, wearing linen, leather and cashmere, in earth tones with dashes of amber, sienna and cinnabar. |
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| My girlfriends, searching for cocktail and evening dresses for Manhattan and Palm Beach, may not have found what they were looking for, but I was thrilled. Michael’s wearable clothes, easy and breezy, are just right for L.A. or South Beach. Zoe Saldana and Rosie Huntington-Whitely seemed enchanted. Michael Douglas looking healthy and strong, clapped his approval, as did my seatmates Hilary Ross and Blaine Trump, along with Jamie Tisch, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, and Jennifer Creel. |
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| Clockwise from top left: Zoe Saldana; Rosie Huntington Whiteley and Michael Kors; Michael Douglas; Hillary Ross, Blaine Trump, and Jamee Gregory. |
| Suede shorts, a suede tailored shirt, and a leopard bathing suit looked good (29.). I circled a patchwork shift, made of hair calf. A zebra raincoat (30.) would brighten any rainy day. An alligator trench would dress up city pants, and an adorable short-sleeved leopard top (31.), like a tee shirt, with a high neck caught my eye. My favorite piece, a zebra-printed sheath with brown leather details (32.), would work marching on Madison Avenue, as would the colorful cashmere crewnecks. Kors' fans rise for a standing ovation, appreciating the sexy and sporty collection. I run backstage to give him a kiss. What a great year he has had, celebrating his company’s 30th year. Long may he reign, King Kors! |
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| Next stop is the Plaza, where uptown boy Douglas Hannant provides his ladies with all the clothes they need for urban glamour. His models sport bouffant teased hair, harkening back to a special moment in 30's Shanghai society, luxurious and influenced by European and American embassies, where the “last Emperor” Pu Yi enjoyed the high life. A beautifully tailored white pantsuit with wide legs (33.) would turn heads in 2012. Douglas introduced his elegant handbags. I loved a white tote with brown linen piping (34.). His evening gowns, especially in black and white with lace and in a painterly lavender (35.) and green print (36.), garnered applause. After the show, Douglas and his partner Frederick Anderson treated their friends to lunch in the Palm Court. Everyone relaxed over yummy lobster salad and reached for the macaroons and cookies. Fashion week makes you hungry! |
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| Fortified by coffee, I set off with CeCe Cord and Hilary back to Lincoln Center, pausing in the sunny plaza before the Chado Ralph Rucci show. We are dazzled by the sophistication and elegance of the collection. Deeda Blair and Susan Gutfreund couldn’t stop clapping. Amy Fine Collins and Susan Fales-Hill were equally enchanted. A silver coat (37.) looked very Hollywood, and Whoopi Goldberg appreciated it as much as Charlotte Moss. A lovely white coat with sheer plastic insets (38.), a white evening gown with shimmering red sequins underneath, a white Courreges-like A-line dress (39.), a sequined bodysuit peeping out like leggings, feathers galore, all made the ladies gasp. |
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| I adored a silver sheath, short, with sheer insets, an evening gown with a black-beaded top and a wisteria, lavender skirt with a lace band (40.). The collection was restrained and mind-blowing, all at once, the details refined, the materials luxurious. All the beading looked feather-lite and delicate and the white pieces particularly arresting (41.). These clothes are for glamorous parties and very sophisticated ladies. |
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| Next stop is a fabulous party at Barney’s, hosted by Calvin Klein, China Machado, Mark Lee and Diane von Furstenberg in honor of Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s new book, Diana Vreeland,The Eye Has to Travel. The stellar crowd included Penelope Tree, Alexander Vreeland, Simon Doonan and Elizabeth Peabody. Last stop, at the breathtaking apartment of Danielle Ganek, to kick-off the Boys’ Club of New York dance, to be held November 19th and is almost sold-out before the invitations hit the mail. New York is an exciting city, vibrant and full of life. Living here is a pleasure. Thursday September 15, 2011. By the time I head for the 4 PM Naeem Khan show the weather changes. A passing thunder shower drenches New Yorkers. Luckily, I arrive between the drips, thanks to a very long ride, due to incredibly bad traffic. My little leopard umbrella unfurls just as the rain begins again. Hating to be late, it’s a relief to see that the crowds are still waiting. The troops are starting to look tired, the wear and tear of shows taking its toll. Everyone grabs their free Fiji water and copies of The Daily, the Fashion Week bible. A few try and cut the line, but are turned back. As the guards allow everyone in, we understand the problem. A mirrored runway has been installed and roped off, covering the central spot where the guests surge and paparazzi snap, creating a traffic jam. There is nowhere to congregate. I sit in front beside Architectural Digest’s dynamic new editor Margaret Russell, and Amy Fine Collins. We are horrified by an unexpected sight as the floor reveals a look up the skirts of some journalists who bend over Byrdie Bell and Mischa Barton! |
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| Front row at Naeem Khan. |
| Luckily they have very nice legs and nothing more is exposed. We observe some of the “ladies” surging into seats that are not their own. These shows reveal not only fashion, but manners and mores. Naeem always evokes “Colorful, racy glamour” and this show was a prime example. Many of his stunning gowns were adorned with jewelry created by his talented wife, Ranjana. I saw Deborah Grubman and Michele Herbert taking notes. I liked a one-shouldered gown with silver beading (42.). It was quite dramatic, great for the opening of American Ballet Theatre. A long orange skirt with a silver top (43.) popped on the runway, as well as a long gown covered with yellowy-orange sequins, revealing one shoulder. A beautiful white georgette crystal-fringed beaded jacket with bow-tied blouse underneath (44.) looked gorgeous. Another temptation was a huge, full gold skirt. Doubt it would fit in my closet. Khan’s dresses were richly encrusted with feathers and beads, not for the faint-of-heart. These are traffic stoppers. |
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