NYFW 2011 Through My Eyes

NYFW 2011 Through My Eyes

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

-Coco Chanel

The holy grail of Fashion and events; Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. I’ve been in the city since 2002 and had yet to experience this elusive creature! I mean I’ve seen smaller shows of course, but none of them constituted as THE NYFW. For someone that loves both events and fashion, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is the be all end all of both of those elements. Below you will see a detailed account of the two shows I was fortunate enough to receive invites to this year as well as the parties I was able to attend.  My week went as follows:

Thursday 2/10- I attended a daytime event at the Empire Hotel during my lunch break for the Nolcha Fashion Lounge. I told Jess Zaino as I walked in that I had 15 minutes to be walked through the showroom, and she did me one better and walked me through in seven! (She was also more than a wealth of knowledge about each vendor! When I asked her how she had memorized all the information, she said she read all the information through once, then wrote it down to make it stick!) There were great emerging designers like Maja Hanson and Denise Teti for  Courtesan Studio and Adolfo Sanchez (I was OBSESSED with the drop neck dress he was showcasing on the mannequin!). Kiss was also there showcasing their new Fashion Week inspired Catwalk collection of fake eyelashes and nails (You can see my review of these on my Pretty City blog next week.). Although I did not have time to partake in the lash applications, their rep, Sam Dark, was able to send me home with some samples to try on my own. I ended my day with a Signpost SMW Happy Hour, played some dodgeball and called it a night.

Friday 2/11- Did not want to stay out with my big day ahead of me the next day, but I couldn't resist attending the SMW Closing Party. Had a Korilla BBQ chicken taco, a glass of Macallans 12 on the rocks and packed it in.

Saturday 2/12- Thanks to my sister for driving “The ‘Cedes” back home, she acquired two tickets to check out Charlotte Ronson’s show and my dream of finally attended a real NYFW show had become a reality. The question then became, “WHAT TO WEAR?!” After getting all fancified with our nails did, hair did, everything did,  we proceeded to try to flag down every cab known to man and ended up gypsying it up to Lincoln Center for the big event. 

When we arrived we were also fortunate enough to have access to the Mercedes Benz Star Lounge. Total decadence! Waiters passed around scrumptious apps. Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes were right on the bar, ready to be paired with Starbucks cocktails, in addition to some vegetables and potato chips with dip that I could eat every day for the rest of my life! Right before showtime we were escorted by a Mercedes rep to our seats for the show and rubbed elbows with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Russell Simmons and Tinsey Mortimer. The show, which we found out early on would be relatively short, was put to a soundtrack by Ronson’s sister Samantha; a showcase of chic military grunge rockers. 

 

After a day of working up our appetites, we decided to walk across the street to Ed’s Chowder House, but before we could make it there, we were waved into what looked like a clothing store that was having a party. We were informed that they were offering hair styling from Ricardo Rojas salon hair styling, Suvara spray tans and an open bar. When I asked the obvious question of why, I was greeted by Lauren Perry, Director of Communications for Fashion Delivers. She explained that the Fashion Delivers NYFW Lounge was put in motion to build more of an awareness of what the cause was trying to do and to offer NYFWers a bit of a retreat and regroup space for the week. Although we couldn’t stay to partake in the festivities, I told Lauren if I had an opportunity, I would be back. 

Sunday, 2/13- All the fashion events inspired me to buy a fashion statement of my own... see Exhibit A.

2/14- Monday, back to the grind. I was, however, able to find some time to continue to participate in the NYFW festivities by attending Lookbooks Blogger Break Room during my lunch break. I liked the whole idea that they had here to make this a sanctuary for bloggers to regroup and put themselves back together for the fashion week coverage. They had Spa Merge providing services from massages to manicures, to spray tans and waxing and of course cocktails were flowing, which I unfortunately could not take advantage of midday. I was BEYOND thrilled with the Completely Bare gift certificate in my goodie bag though and cannot wait to try out Vatooing! 

2/15- Took a day off to try new Astoria  neighborhood hotspot, Astor Room. I am beyond in love!

2/16- I was informed just the day before that I had secured a ticket through Mintbox for the Adrienne Vittadini presentation at NYFW! I knew this would take some finagling on my part, since it would be tricky to swing during my lunch break on such short notice, but  I decided it was such an experience, I would do as Tim Gunn says and make it work! I headed to Lincoln Center for the second time this week to attend the show, which was showcased in the Box and was able to secure a spot right near the front of the makeshift runway. It was obvious that the fashions were meant more for a more mature audience than myself, but it was still a stunning collection. What I was even more excited to find, was that one of my favorite models growing up, Niki Taylor, was in the show and was not surprised that she still looked exquisite. I walked out just in time to get back to work without skipping a beat, with my Adrienne Vittadini beach bag and swag in toe. 

I followed this up after work by returning to the Fashion Delivers lounge and getting my hair did. I ordered up a cocktail of Svedka Clementine and FRS and sat down in Josh Perez’s chair, from Ricardo Rojas, who gave me a fabulous blowout. I really liked the whole concept behind the space and what Fashion Delivers was achieving by hosting this little community for the week. 

So what can you learn from all this? Keep your pulse on EVERYTHING that interests you in this city. There are a world of opportunities to take advantage of if you take the time to look for them. You never know where your luck will take you. Mine took me all over the place this week! Which brings me to my next order of business. I am so grateful for my experiences over the past week that I have decided to share the wealth and pay it forward with a giveaway of my own. I decided to compile a NYFW gift bag of my own containing the following:

Anew Clinical Advanced Retexturizing Peel

Boutiques.com mints

Cafe Bustello Ground Coffee

Charlotte Ronson NYFW Exclusive T-Shirt

Cosy Corporation Earrings

Fashion Indie Mixtape Volume 2 CD

Kiss Catwalk Nails (2 sets)

Kiss My Face Grassy Mint Castille Soap

Kiss Premium Eyelashes

Kiss Strip Eyelash Adhesive

Lash Control Mascara

Marc Ecko Eau de Toilette sample

Milani Nail Laqquer (trio set)

Moroccan Oil Treatment

Natori Eau de Parfum sample

Nicole Miller Eau de Parfum sample

Queen by Queen Latifah Eau de Parfum Spray Deluxe Sample

Reb’l Fleur by Rihanna Eau de Parfum sample

Tresemme`  Travel Size Hair Spray

Yonect: connect to your one, by Rupa Mehta 

Now what do you have to do to enter? There’s 4 easy steps:

1. Make sure you’re following this blog
2. Make sure you’re following my twitter handle
3. Retweet one of my messages regarding this contest in the next week
4. Comment below!

So that’s it! I’ll be choosing a winner a week from today, Friday, February 25th at random, so get your retweets and comments in and cross your fingers and toes. It may just be your lucky day next! Good luck!