Rehearsal

Strangely enough, the people who are dressed most sensibly for Fashion Week are the models. They know that the people they need to impress will see them on the runway, clad in top designer outfit and made up to look gorgeous. Once the show is over, they'll have to run to the next one (sensible shoes), in an uncomfortable weather (good jacket and sweater) then sit for another 3 hours to have their hair and make up done (comfortable pants).

Still, they are beautiful young women with strong knowledge of fashion and their own personal style.

A show rehearsal is the perfect time to see models in their own attire and appreciate their sense of dressing up.

Sally LaPointe FW2013

I've been following Sally LaPointe carear for the past 5 seasons. She is one of those designer who would fit right in Paris or Milan fashion week - stylish, dark theatrical garments that are not quite wearable by ordinary human beings. However, since the American fashion market is a lot more about marketability and wearability, It's been fascinating to see Sally exploration into finding the right balance without looking the trademarks of her personal style.

Last season, I felt like that balance was achieved perfectly, and so I was real curious to see what she will come up with next.

I was really pleasantly surprise to see that not only she kept all of her motifs but added a few totally new and exciting themes to her collection. Her staple waist sleets, drapery and tail coats, were joined by harder materials such as patented leather, stamped leather and heavy wool, creating body distorting armor like silhouettes. And her digital prints evolved into a combination of vertebrae Rorschach like shapes and a really intriguing glossy to matte umbre.

It felt as if a chamber music composer just discovered the full range symphonious orchestra and is taking her first step into opening her body of work to larger, richer more complex ideas.

As usual, I always leave her shows, trying to figure out what she'll surprise me with next.

Beautiful Crowd at Sally LaPointe

I'm going to talk about the actual show later, but I just wanted to say that the whole show experience was wonderful. It was located in an old bus terminal in the piers, and the building was pretty rundown, which made it feel like some type of secret place. The space was gigantic and industrial and super specious. And the crowed was a really nice mixture of buyers, bloggers and media.

Keeping stylish in the cold

With a very cold front last week and an upcoming blizzard this weekend. Most of us just go for parka-jeans-Sorel boots every single day. But there are some pure souls New Yorkers out there finding creative ways to dress up stylishly and creatively to keep the rest of us from dying of fashion boredom.

RASP

One more (and last) favorite vender from the Project NYC trade show is RASP, a couple of weeks ago. This is a couple designers working from DUMBO in Brooklyn - again, double score for being local and tripple score for being a couple. 

The jewelry they make, mostly rings, is very dark middle ages fantasy inspired, and have a wonderful roughly handmade quality, as if made in days before technology. It reminded me of Game of Thrones 

Postcards from the edge

Postcards from the edge is an annual art benefit for an organization called Visual AIDS - a fund to help artists with AIDS to pay for medication, rent, etc, I really love this cause, and so, I've been a participated artist in the show for the past 6 years. It's an open call for a postcard size artwork, and the show has over a 1,000 postcards each year! All postcards priced the same and signed on the back, so that patrons by according to liking a piece rather then a big name attached to it.

The event itself is colorful, fun and feel very inclusive - artists of all levels and ages, people from Visual AIDS, donors, art buyer and just people who enjoy a good show and a nice party.