Show: Doo.ri

The fashion crowd here could pass for an art crowd. I am at Milk Studios in Chelsea and 90% of the room is shrouded head to toe in black. Two walls are milky white and the two others made entirely of glass. Four sets of three rows of benches, plus standing, plus photographers section fill the loft space, which seems to exist for nothing other than fashion shows.

The crisp scene feels very elegant and glamorous. Upbeat, not quite Michael Jackson is playing as we all take our seats, and by that I mean I'm leaning against the wall with the other fashion serfs. Sophisticates of the older crowd, lots of suits, perhaps courting investors(?) fill the room. Maybe this famed jersey draper has begun to dip her toes into the more luxurious side of town. Linda Fargo with her meticulously coiffed silver hair is in the front row seated close to Michael Fink. Friend and supporter, designer Erin Fetherson looks on from the third row with her platinum blonde hair.

A white wall in front of a white wall is illuminated from behind like a halo. The beat changes and gets louder as models emerge from behind the wall wearing mink hats, and lots of blacks and greens. Perfectly pitched luxe fabrics and blunt, asymmetric haircuts set a clean and sophisticated tone for the show. Bold greens! Leather pants! Gloves galore! The music transforms once again, becoming mellow and heavy, its the kind of music you think you're hearing when you're drunk, and its making a major impact on the outfits. Another knit hat. Another Mink hat (who actually wears these?). Megawatt size jewelry by Swarovski jazzes up somewhat plain garments (making me wonder how fab they would be without the gem decor). A brilliant Iris Grey Mink shrug was brilliant. Her finale piece was an outfit that comprised a little bit of all the looks, tying together the entire collection. Although I will never look good in a mink hat or kelly green, Doo.ri did gorgeous and luxurious job combining her draping reputation with a bit more structure.

Show: Charlotte Ronson

If there is someone that can capture celeb interpretations of boho chic it is social butterfly herself, Miss Charlotte Ronson. The front row for her show at the Altman Building on the West side displayed Nicky Hilton (who is air kissing everybody and posing for countless Japanese women and their digital cameras), model Jessica Stam, the girls from WhoWhatWear Daily, and mega retailer execs. Sitting two rows behind Marc Ronson I get the chills (he is so rad) as he sits and chats with his mom former/current socialite Anne-Dexter Jones. She is busy acting fabulous and getting pictures taken of herself taking pictures. I give a quick hug to Aaron Nir and take a seat next to an Ali Hilfiger look alike with an attitude **UPDATE, apparently this really was Ally Hilfiger, probably sporting the attitude from having to sit in the third row); whatever, she is soo not blocking the potential of Marc Ronson bumping into me.

The show was upbeat and the flow was perfectly pitched: plaids, stripes, and lots and lots of casual "I'm not trying but I'm really put together" looks. There was particularly great styling and little sister/posterchild of the brand Annabelle had a couple great cameos down the runway. Two girls to my right were either editors catching trends or they were punching mega shopping orders into their blackberries, and the girls to my left were clearly versed in the social scene at the shows. Very different than the posh crowd I saw at JS, this was more of a downtown cool crew of models or rebellious rockstar kids. The goodie bags are stuffed with stilla cosmetics, save furry animals pamphlets, and a faux leather wallet I'm sure I will be making use of.

Show: Jill Stuart

"Darling I have a car waiting for us outside for right after so don't worry, what is this, why are you not seated, you cannot stand in mink, you must be seated, let me call Stefano" was what I walked into at the Jill Stuart show this morning. An overly tanned European woman with a hip length ponytail accessorized her shorts with so-oily-they-were-almost-patent orange legs. Friend 1 was decked out in aubergine tights and a grey dress and Friend 2 was in a mink vest, black skinny jeans, and perfectly trendy bangs.

With this being the standing room attire, I was not surprised when camera bulbs went crazy at the appearance of Miss America (who could have been a supermodel herself), Tinsley Mortimer (who had perfect blonde curls in this rain), Hilary Swank (who is stunning in real life, not to mention the perfet Jill Stuart muse), and Tyra Banks (who is literally...larger than life).

No one was as cute however, as Miss Jill Stuart Jr., the designer's daughter. She was running around with long blonde hair, a Christmas'd-at-St.Barth's tan, and a a perfectly tailored black strapless party dress straight from Mommy's closet and miniature sized. Her partner in crime was clearly ditching private school, made clear by the rebelliously untucked polo and rolld up tights. They were perfect Gossip Girl's in the making.

The show itself was great, tons of navys, blacks, and oceany greens to keep us calm next fall. Black sparkles dominated the evening wear as well as black floppy hats and leather jackets.

Show: Organic Clothing

Organic's design team took the Bryant Park Hotel Loft and transformed it into a stark white, heavenly shelter from the rain. I perched in the front row atop a wooden bench with an organic cotton pad, making me feel down right earthy. They took leaps in making organic textiles look soft and luxurious, however the entire show was a bit all over the place and there is major competition in the eco-friendly industry right now. The 3 jackets were structured and flattering on the impossibly thin models, and were the forte of the show. Skirts displayed thoughtfully placed exposed zippers and cut out details, which was also a nice touch. Women's bottoms however lacked any shape at all, giving them a balloon thighs circa 1984 farmers. Men's clothes were a bit shrunken rounded, and unstructured, not my first choices for the ideal man, no matter how many people say that deconstructed is back in style. I'm all about pro-green clothing, but maybe not until they make my butt look cute.

Fashion Week Diary - Day 1

Stress, Stress, Stress! It is the official start of NY Fashion Week and as predicted, no amount of preparation has prevented everything from going wrong. It is barely past noon and 3 Diet Cokes in I have already: crashed a conference call, missed a deadline, jammed a lookbook in the printer and (to top off the morning) submerged my peep toe patent in a giant puddle right before walking into the Bryant Park Hotel Penthouse. On the plus side, I have been pretty consistent at not meeting my boss's expectations and chasing his unrealistic demands, all in 5 inch heels, so at least I've got that going for me. Curse me for saying I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy Fashion Week!

The Fall Blues

The Top Ten Most Purchased Colors list came out and it looks like we're in for a cooly colorful Fall season. 13.5% of designers bought the color Blue Iris for their fall collection garments, a color that was also named Pantone's Color of the Year for fashion, home, and cosmetics. With rankings 2-5 being different cool shades of Royal Lilac, Shady Glade Green, Caribbean Sea Blue, and Twilight Blue it seems as if designers are pushing for a calm, relaxed state of mind for the latter (and hopefully less volatile) half of 2008. The bottom 5 consisted of more traditional fall colors such as Aurora Red, Ochre Yellow, Burnt Orange, Shitake Brown, and Withered Rose.

Dressing Your Stems

Who knows how quickly it will catch on, but have no doubt that by summer's end we will all be donning gladiator style leg jewelry. This new trend will certainly make for some interesting summer tan lines.

Undressing Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham poses nude on the new Marc Jacobs' tshirt. The shirts are being sold to raise money for The Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group at NYU. "Skin cancer is a huge problem and I really wanted to help raise awareness by taking part in the initiative" says the former Posh Spice. $35 per shirt will be on sale in MJ boutiques this week.

Boys Will Be Boys: Upcoming Fall Trends in Menswear

Hot off the runway, here are Fall 2008's upcoming trends for men's wear. New technology is not only allowing leaps in design including screen printing on knits and distressing khakis. (You may question these claims now, but come 2009 I'm sure these trends will have worked their way into societal norms):

- Plaids and Checks, American Apparel basic is out and your inner lumberjack is back
- Shawl Collars – grandpa’s cozy sweater is having a fashion moment in a Hugh Hefner/Nordic aristocrat kind of way
- Khakis - new fits, washes, wrinkle stains that we usually see in denim are bleeding over into other types of pants. Don't write this off too easily, because pre-2000 denim did not boast to these techniques either
- Printed Sweaters – prints can come on more than just tshirts
- Innovative cardigans – asymmetrical, new front cuts, different button styles
- Tuxedo Shirts worn casually as the casual-sportswear/formal lines continue to blur into one another