First-time fashion week participants Fal- guni and Shane Peacock also favored strong geometric shapes on their hand pain
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PHOTO PHILLIPE ANGERT
PHOTO CAROLINA HERRERA NEW YORK
AUTUMN & WINTER 2011
PHOTO TODD OREN
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America (CFDA), NYC & Company and the City of New York, began in 2009 to build consumer confidence during the recession. Its success has spawned similar events throughout the world and online-only fetes. One of the standout events this September was a special pop-up gentleman’s lounge created on the metro level men’s department of NYC’s iconic Bloomingdales department store. The event promoted ethical lifestyle fashion label Edun, which was created by Ali Hewson, along with her husband, U2 front man Bono. “Founded on a commitment to develop trade with Africa and to encourage others to do the same,” they launched the label in 2005. Bryan Greenberg and Victor Rasuk, stars of the popular American TV series How to Make it in America co-hosted Edun’s event. The Double Seven and The Lambs Club created an authentic atmosphere in the department store. Double Seven, which recently re-opened in a new location in the meatpacking district, crafted the cocktails. Tasty bites were prepared for guests thanks to culinary virtuoso Geoffrey Zakarian’s Lamb’s Club, a swanky restaurant and bar with a distinctly Mad Men-esque feel located in the chic, Art Deco design Chatwal Hotel. The morning after all the parties, models, designers and hair stylists went to work in the white runway tents. One of the most notable shows was that of Carolina Herrera, who played with geometry and ornithology in her garments. The Venezuelan designer’s spring/ summer 2012 collection juxtaposed hard geometric shapes with gauzy fabrics, creating
some delightful, as well as dizzying optical illusions. The color palette was filled with bright and bold limes, lemons and apple reds. Catalan designer Custo Dalmau, who has grown increasingly in demand for interviews at NYFW, performed his own optical illusions. For his spring/summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection he created 3-D prints using shifting holograms. The pieces even come with a pair of high-tech 3-D spectacles at time of sale. First-time fashion week participants Falguni and Shane Peacock also favored strong geometric shapes on their hand painted fabrics. Known for doing intricate detailing and embellishing garments with feathers and metals in vivid red, royal blue and gold colors, their clothes have been worn by Madonna and Katy Perry.The Peacock philosophy: “life is too short to blend in.” After the show, audience members commented that Peacock’s luxurious, ultra-feminine garments would surely show up on Hollywood starlets at this year’s Golden Globes in January. A short month after Peacock gowns go down the red carpet, the fashion frenzy in New York will begin again with the fall 2012 collection shows. But, the fashion hungry need not suffer before then. The Chatwal Hotel’s Fashion Cognoscenti Package treats guests to a full or half day of shopping with an experienced personal shopper and stylist. Jean Mayer, founder of upscale online shopping boutique, Lacolleta, customizes bespoken tours of the Big Apple. Something to tied fashionistas over until February
AUTUMN & WINTER 2011
eptember 8, 2011 was a sticky, rainy and gloomy day in New York City. People grumbled via tweets and Facebook status updates about the extra effort they’d have to make to attend Fashion’s Night Out (FNO). FNO responded on its Facebook page with encouraging, positive updates describing all of the incredible events happening at the more than 1,000 stores that were participating this year. In the hours before a question lingered: Would anyone show up? Yes, thousands of them. Neither wind, nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow could keep fashionistas from the extended store hours and discounts, celebrity appearances, free musical performances and surprises that abound at the event that kicks-off Fashion Week. Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week (NYFW), one of the major fashion weeks, along with those held in Paris, London and Milan happens twice a year. Every September designers from around the globe descend on the white tents to show their spring and summer collections. A few wintry months later in February, most return to share their fall and winter wares for the upcoming year. Since September 2010, the opulent Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, home to the city’s Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic, has hosted the Mercedes-Benz sponsored event. Growing even more popular than the actual shows are NYFW parties, the first of the season being Fashion’s Night Out, which falls on the eve of the first runway show. FNO, a collaboration between American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of
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