Bye Bye, Bryant Park!

My fabulous friend Dana, who had guest blogged for me back in September, is back to share her experiences at New York Fashion Week.

Thanks so much, Dana!

Dana (wearing a French Connection dress) strikes a pose on the runway before the start of the 3.1 Phillip Lim show.

So, here we are once again — Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, the last one in Bryant Park.  There was an unspoken sense of sadness underneath the white vinyl this past week.  The designers aren’t outwardly supporting or bashing the idea of the move, mostly they’re just expressing their memories from Bryant Park, as shown through quotes on the entrance on the Avenue of the Americas.  “Bryant Park became the beacon of what New York fashion stands for – an industry that’s fearless, tireless and always moving forward,” said Ms. Wintour.   I think the designers are remaining cautiously optimistic about the move to Lincoln Center in the fall.  There were plenty of nay-sayers at first about such an event taking over Bryant Park for a week when it began there in 1993.  And now, just as people are beginning to welcome it back twice a year with open arms, a new part of town will have to accept its presence and the craziness it brings.  We’ll just have to wait until September to see the full effect of the new location will be.

This was my first Fall/Winter fashion week where I was able to actually see a show and take note of what the tent revelers were wearing.  Now, for those of you in sunny beautiful weather, take note — it is far from that here in NYC.  In fact, I didn’t think the tents were going to hold up last week when the north east was blasted with several feet of snow.  Impressively, they did.   I even more so thought that there was no way anyone was going to try to go all out and wear ultra outrageous outfits just to try to attract attention from the crowds milling about outside the tents’ entrance.  I was wrong.  Now, I fully support expressing your style and what better location than NY Fashion Week?  But, when there is a foot of snow of the ground, some sort of common sense has to come into play.  Right?  Some ladies got the look half right — they did Aspen chic on the top — full fur hat, luxe fur coat — but the look didn’t hold up from the waist down — paper thin leggings and sky-high open-toed shoes.

Photos by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Due to the schedule and when I was there, I was only able to go to one show — 3.1 Phillip Lim.  Wool blends, shearling coats and animal prints in tans and neutrals rocked the runway.  Overall, I quite liked the collection.  I could definitely see most of the separates being worn off the runway, and not looking like it came from the runway (in a good way).  I was completely taken off guard when the finale dress came out — bright peachy/pinky with neutral sleeved adorned with huge gemstones.  I was in love.  It was so different from the rest of the collection and really unexpected.  Mr. Lim, if you’re reading this post, and clearly I know you are, I would love to borrow that dress for my next red carpet event.

Photos by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Overall, it was a great couple of days at NYFW.  I was definitely sad when I walked out of the tents knowing that it might be the last time that I will step foot in there, but I was happy knowing that I was lucky enough to experience it, if only a couple of times.  Thank you again for letting me share my experience with you!  Hopefully I’ll get to go to Lincoln Center in the fall!

Until then….xoxo,

Dana

New York Fashion Week Days 7 & 8

With NYFW wrapped, my fav collections were Jill Stuart, Alexander Wang, Jen Kao and Marchesa.  If I had to choose a favorite, it would be Jill Stuart.  The cut-outs, metallic fabrics, stud action and borderline indecent placement of mesh… I could go on, but you can take a look at her collection and just be amazed yourself.  Dana is back to share her stories from Days 7 & 8 of NYFW… and I’m SO jealous of who she got to meet.

Day 7 at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week NY – I never thought in a million years I would say this, but thank goodness Fashion Week is over tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve had a BLAST so far – and the Getty Images Photographer I get to hang out with all day, Frazer Harrison, is the absolute best! He’s British, hilarious, easy to talk to, and very down-to- earth, even when he’s telling stories about shooting A-listers such as Angelia and Brad, Megan Fox, Julia Roberts – the list goes on. It’s very refreshing to meet someone so unaffected by the craziness of Hollywood that constantly surrounds him.

Ann Taylor Dress. J. Crew blazer. Steve Madden Luxe Shoes. Ann Taylor loft layered necklace. Sarah Chloe ‘D’ initial necklace. J. Crew, Ann Taylor, and Banana Republic bracelets

Anyway, today was another crazy day!! I decided that I would go to the 11:00AM Nanette Lepore show. I was planning on leaving the office at 10:30 — that’s until I started seeing tweets about who was attending the 10:00AM Michael Kors show — Rachel Zoe for one, need I say more?!  So, knowing that the shows don’t actually begin until about half past the hour and seeing as it was already 10:15, I knew I would need to hustle my high heeled (without flats in my bag to change into) self over to the tent ASAP if I wanted to catch a glimpse.  I got there just in time for the last four looks and the finale — and no RZ sightings! At that point I was sweating like I just ran the NY Marathon — All. For. Nothing.

Oh well – se la vie!  On to Nanette!  I head into the Promenade and take a seat. On each seat was a mini perfume, a “Save the Garment District” bumper sticker, an article from the NYT about saving the garment district, and a list/description of all the clothes we would shortly be seeing come down the runway.  Now, I sat in a Sponsor seat to rest my feet.  I decided that if I was going to sit in the seat, I would also be entitled to the contents on the seat. Therefore, I slyly put them into my bag.  SCORE.  As I learned yesterday, once the standing room only fills in, they start to fill in the open seats.  I promptly sat 2^nd row…until Elle Market Editor, Jade Frampton came along and claimed her actual seat — the one I was sitting in.  UGH.  Oh well, I ended up in the 6^th row — at least I wasn’t standing!  Someone who didn’t get kicked out of her seat was Lauren Conrad, sitting across the runway with her hair back in a chignon and her signature bohemian twist of hair on the sides.

Photo taken by Dana

Overall I really enjoyed the show. There were lots of colors – olive green, blue green, orange — all mostly paired with pink, which was actually a surprisingly nice combo.  There were also quite a few pieces that had a small pattern of little spots of color that from a far looked floral.  She had a lot of plunging necklines and short shorts.  Similar to the Max Azria show, Nanette used lots of very lightweight fabrics like silk and chiffon (but they had on bras today! Yay!).  Her clothes are very wearable which makes it also very likable.

The HIGHLIGHT of my day was when I went to the bathroom — OK, actually to the bathroom, but to the line.  Who was in line when I came out:

Brad from The Rachel Zoe Project and Dana

OMG OMG – I diiiied!!  And the best part was, he was actually really nice!  We even looked at the picture on my camera after it was taken to make sure it was up to par.  Well, that just totally made my day!!

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll end the week seeing a ‘big’ name celeb — like Rachel Zoe — she’s big in the fashion world at least!

It’s getting REALLY chilly in the Big Apple — I’m actually considering wearing tights tomorrow — I know, I don’t really think I’m ready either, but I also despise being cold I’ll let you know tomorrow!!

XoXo,

Dana

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Last Day at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Day 8 — WOW.  I really feel like I ran a marathon the past 8 days. It’s been absolutely crazy – fun, but crazy!

Banana Republic T-shirt, blazer and skirt. Jessica Simpson peep toe heels. Black Spanx tights.

All week I had been eyeing up the TRESemme hair booth.  They had stylists there doing some touch-ups, but I thought it a.) cost something or b.) was reserved for VIPs.  I’m glad I asked!  While I was waiting for an editor to arrive, I had my hair curled — and let me tell you, it took this guy about 10 min. to do and it looks FABULOUS — even right now at almost 6pm as I’m writing this, I’m still impressed!  He used a really great product on my hair, and I suggest that anyone who tries to put a little volume in their hair with a curling iron use it.  It is the TRESemme 24 Hour Body Finishing Spray.  The stylist sprayed a whole bunch on my hair, and you can’t even tell it’s there, but it somehow held the curls!  Fabulous!!

While I was getting my hair did, I was watching the live video stream of the Isaac Mizrahi show.  Now, I didn’t see every show during the week, but I’ve at least seen pictures from them all, and I can say that hands down this was the absolutely most inventive runway ever!  I’m not even sure I can call it a runway.  I had to show you a few pictures of this — I’m not sure I would do it justice by simply describing it.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Also, as you can see, when the models stepped on to a certain part of the runway, a man had to come over with an umbrella because it was “raining” in that certain area.  Another model came out in a golf cart.  It was just so inventive and a breath of fresh air after all the super serious shows.

I went to the Trias show and sat 2^nd row.  Now, I’ve never heard of this designer, but I figured it was very possible that I just don’t know all the designers out there — but it seems as though this show was not too popular. At about half past the hour the show is supposed to begin, they let in the standing room — well I went in at about 3:10 and they were already filling seats.  The only big name that was there was Carolina Herrera.

Photo taken by Dana

Overall, I didn’t care for this show much — the designer made it look like the skirts were purposely big, and all of the models walked like they were robots.

Photo taken by Dana

I’m really hoping that they walked that way because they were supposed to, not because that’s their best walk.  If that’s the case, then I think I can safely say I have a much more fierce runway walk than them — and that’s not saying a whole lot.

Anyway, I thought I would show you a picture of who I was hanging out with all week — he took this one holding the camera out in front of us — much better than when I do that!

When you get a chance, Google Frazer Harrison. You’ll be amazed at how many celebs he’s shot.  He has story after story about different experiences he’s had and is quite an interesting guy.

That’s all for me from NY Fashion Week!  Maybe (if Becs lets me :)) I’ll be back in February to report on the Fall 2011 lines!!

XoXo,

Dana

New York Fashion Week Days 5 & 6

Over the past few days, I’ve been living vicariously through my fabulous friend Dana who’s been at New York Fashion Week for work with Getty Images (which provided the images below as noted).  A fellow fashionista and Jersey girl, Dana will be guest blogging and sharing her personal experience and snapshots at NYFW, including who she spied at the tents and breaking NYFW down for those of us who have never actually had the opportunity to experience it.   Below are her posts from Monday and Tuesday.  Thanks so much Dana!

Me (sans bangs) and Dana

Day 6 At Mercedes Benz Fashion Week – Whew – another whirlwind of a day! What amazes me the most (well one of the things) is that a HUGE celeb like Rachel Bilson can walk not even ten feet away from me and it’s not until later that someone will say “Did you see Rachel Bilson this morning” that I’ll realize who the heck walked past me!  I guess I need to be more attentive to the passerbyers…

Well, today I went to my first show in the tents, Max Azria (the whole thing in Bryant Park is called “The Tents” but there are 3 different venues to show at — the Promenade, the Salon, and the Tent).  As a designer, you know you’ve hit the big time when you’re showing your line in the Tent.  Not only is it the biggest of the three, but there is a different audience set up — with two rows of chairs sitting back to back in the middle of the runway — that allows more people to be in the oh-so-coveted “Front Row” seats.  Lucy Liu, Mickey Rourke, Nastia Lutkin, Kelly Rowland and Katrina Bowden were a few of the A-listers that nabbed this row.  Since I somehow finagled my way to the 2^nd row, I’m not quite as envious of them as I would have been had I kept my original spot in the “photog pit”.

Photo taken by Dana

I’m a HUGE fan of the dresses from his BCBG line, so I knew Max’s higher-end collection could only get better.  I was right.  Well kind of.

LIKES:

1. Colors: I absolutely loved all the colors in his line — from light rose hues, to peach tones, and elephant grays — they were not the most Spring-y colors, but they were rather stunning, especially against the very pale skin of most of the models.  I felt a little better about my Casper the Ghost-like appearance.

2. Materials:  Everything was made out of a very lightweight material. Anything from silk to jersey knits, to almost a mesh-type fabric, these clothes were certainly not made to be worn in the cold.**

3. Shapes:  I really liked all of the shapes of the dresses, pants, shirts — everything really. I think what I liked the most was that the majority of the pieces were very flowy which works great with nearly every body type.

DISLIKES:

1. Tony the Tiger for Max Azria. What was up with all of the slits (which you can see in some of the photos)? I don’t think it made the pieces look chic at all – in fact, if I didn’t know it was Max Azria, I might not even look twice. Thank goodness the colors and materials were very subtle, because if they weren’t, these tiger-like tears could have easily made the line look very, well, hooker-ish.

Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

2. Undergarments. OK, I realize it’s a recession and all (and maybe that can explain the reason for the tears – not enough fabric to finish) – but undergarments, especially bras can really make or break an article of clothing. These girls, were not only sans undergarments, they were cold** (if you get my drift). Therefore, the lightweight fabrics were doing nothing to cover up their – friends. I truly think I would have liked the collection a bit more if I wasn’t so aware of the temperature in the room, via the models on the runway.

That was the only show I got to see today – but I think I overall choose a good one. Tomorrow I’m planning on going to Nanette Lepore – I’ll give you a full report.

Today’s Outfit:

As today is supposedly the last “summer-like” day, I went with a little more light-weight outfit. On the top I wore an Ann Taylor black paneled tank with an exposed zipper on the left (another huge trend I’m seeing a lot of).  Over my top I had on a White House|Black Market sheer black cami (WHBM had an advertisement on the whole outside cover of WWD today!).  On the bottom, I had on a pair of black shin length pants and wore faux-python light tan Calvin Klein heels and a Banana Republic cream statement necklace.  Today it was 80 degrees – tomorrow’s forecast calls for a high of 65!  Talk about fall coming fast!!

Okay, that’s about all I have to report today. I’ll be back for day 7 (!) of MBFW!

XoXo,

Dana

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Day 5 of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City – Ah, NY Fashion week.  So many fashionistas wandering about, it’s almost too much to take in – but not enough to observe and report for the faithful readers of Style with Benefits.

One of the (many) cool things about the lobby area of the tents are the little rooms that are all around the concourse area.  There is everything from a McCafé Lounge (I had one of the sugar-free vanilla, fat-free latte’s –- it was no Starbucks, but I would definitely say it is a great alternative if you’re in a coffee jam) -– to a QVC lounge, where Rachel Zoe premiered her new accessories line this past weekend.  Sharpie Markers also had a fun booth where they were giving out T-shirts and markers so you could draw on them.  Who knew you’d find a taste of summer camp right in the middle of Bryant Park?  Betsey Johnson even got in on the action!

Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images

I was lucky enough to have a free hour to check out the Tracy Reese show. Some of the celebs in attendance included Miss Jay Alexander and Nigel Barker from America’s Next Top Model, Kelly Rowland, Gabriel Union, Kim Kardashian and Ciara.  Overall, the show was fabulously girly.  There were lots of orange and mustard colors as well as floral prints and really awesome shapes dresses and skirts.

Photo taken by Dana

It looks like the stud trend is here to stay because they are everywhere.  Another big trend that I saw is the layering of necklaces and bracelets – like I did today!

Banana Republic dress and blazer. Ann Taylor Loft gold layered necklace and gold bangles. J.Crew black gemstone necklace. Lalia Rowe black studded bracelet. Michael Kors shoes

Ok, that’s about all from me today!!  I’m tired and more importantly, I have no clue what I’m wearing tomorrow, so I better get on it!  More to follow for the rest of this week!

XoXo,

Dana