Guest Blogger: "The September Issue" Film Review

DAHLINGS -


My dear friend Sumana Harihareswara, (say that five times fast), is a technology executive who does the sort of work I don't understand and can't possibly explain. And she is a delightful person. Now this might have you thinking, "Is our faithful correspondent in a parallel universe? Is she high? A technology executive, delightful?"


Fear not, cherished readers, my sanity is intact. Sumana brings a perspective to the arena of fashion that I find refreshing, since those that toil in the fields of style tend to suffer from, shall we say, an atrophied sense of irony. Everything, from what hemline is in to what shoulder treatment Diane Von Furstenberg is using, is so deadly serious.


In any event, we attended the film, The September Issue, together, and her review is well worth reading. It sums up much of what we discussed afterward. (The link to her blog, Cogito Ergo, Sumana, is on the right.)


http://www.harihareswara.net/sumana/2009/09/12/0

And by the way, the hats for the $50,000 photo shoot set in the 1920s were made by the amazingly talented Ellen Christine of Ellen Christine Millinery. She supplied much of the wondrous headgear I sported during New York Fashion Week!

Enjoy!

Ciao,

Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Project Runway's One-Hour Macy's Commercial

DAHLINGS -


I think Tim Gunn dies a little inside every time he has to say, "And use the Macy's accessory wall." Somehow Tim Gunn and Macy's don't seem to belong in the same sentence. (On the other hand, the Tommy Hilfiger New York Fashion Week show was eerily like watching the Macy's Better Sportswear Department take the runway. I mean, a khaki trenchcoat? Yes, yes, designers have to give the buyers what they want, but how much effort does it take to be that unoriginal?)


This week's challenge was to design two looks for Macy's in-house brand, INC, using only the color blue. Moreover, the designers had to split into teams of two. All ten designers had to pitch their ideas to a Macy's executive (who was also one of the judges), and she chose the top five, who could then pick their partners. Team challenges are obviously even more stressful that the regular challenges, plus for some reason, the designers are continuously being forced to come up with their looks in one day. What is this, Survivor? Are they going to make Nicolas eat bugs??


Althea chose Logan as her partner (and despite his chemistry with Carol Hannah, they did seem to make a love connection as they worked). Christopher chose Epperson, and they got along very well, so they did not get a lot of a camera time. Louise chose Nicolas, which was not a good idea. The man hates ruffles. Despises ruffles. Wishes ruffles had never been invented. And if memory serves, everything Louise has sent down the runway has been a little shift dress decorated with--you guessed it--ruffles.


Irina chose Gordana for her partner, and they did not get along. Let's just say they made Louise and Nicolas look like they were on The Bachelor. I can't remember how Carol Hannah and Shirin made out (pardon the pun), so they were probably too boring to log much footage other than B-roll.


Christopher and Epperson fell madly in love with their creations, while Nicolas obviously wanted to set fire to the two hideous dresses he and Louise designed. Surprise! Little dresses with ruffles! Really bad ruffles this time. It's the same when somebody cooks when they're angry--the food tastes awful.

Then came the judging--and the Duchess himself, Michael Kors was BACK! Looking as orange as a ripe Halloween pumpkin, and twice as bitchy. (Oui, it's a bit of a stretch to say a pumpkin can be bitchy, but I've known some nasty root vegetables in my time.) The other judges were Heidi, the Macy's exec, and some female fashion editor who was not Nina Garcia. This is getting truly tiresome. However, Heidi's bloodlust level has gone up every week, and she was practically slobbering at the thought of ripping a designer a new one. She clearly loved intoning "One--or more--of you will be out," since she said it twenty times during the episode, probably even when she was not on-camera.


As for the looks, this was one of the most uninspired runway shows of the season. Perhaps Project Runway should concentrate less on sleep-depriving the designers and give them some interesting challenges for a change.

Team Irina turned out an uninspired maxi dress that, with exception of some spangles on the top, looked like thousands of maxi dresses I've seen in New York and East Hampton this year.

Gordana designed a beautiful draped top with a ruched waist, despite Irina constantly shooting down her ideas.

Team Althea produced a suit with a skirt that was so tight it rode up as the model walked.

As mentioned, Team Louise produced the closest thing to vomit on the runway that I've seen yet.

Team Carol Hannah turned out a strange loopy-loooking blue blouse with a high waisted skirt, and a tunic top with leggings.

Team Christopher was devastated by the judges' sheer hatred of Epperson's shiny shirtdress and Christopher's teal-blue tunic top with a banded bottom over the leggings. When they were in the bottom three (obviously with Team Louise), Epperson was aghast, but Christopher completely lost it. Sobbing like Bette Davis during both the initial and final critique.

Christopher's tears probably saved his hide, as only one--not more--of the designers were out. And it was, of course, Louise who got auf'd. Just once, I'd like to see one of the designers bite Heidi when she's kissing them on the cheeks. Christopher ran bawling off the stage.

Irina's looks-like-everyone-else's maxi dress won the challenge. As a friend I was watching this with said, "Where is the site that I can go to for WTF was on the runway?"

I could not have said it better myself. Thank you, Sumana.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Interview With Red Carpet Photographer Frazer Harrison

DAHLINGS –

All of this talk of the Emmy red carpet has me remembering my interview last week at New York Fashion Week with photographer Frazer Harrison.

Frazer Harrison is a ruggedly handsome, outspoken Englishman, based in Los Angeles as an entertainment photographer for Getty Images. You’ve seen his work in magazines, the Internet, anywhere there’s a celebrity event. When looking at magazine photos of the red carpet, be it the Academy Awards, the Emmys or even the VMAs, you’re apt to see Harrison’s photographs of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Charlize Theron, even Paris Hilton. (But that’s hardly Harrison’s fault.)

(Frazer Harrison)

We met inside the cavernous lobby of Mercedez Benz Fashion Week, and settled down on the huge stone fountain for a quiet conversation. The talk ranged from fashion to Hollywood to the difference between photojournalism and paparazzi.

(Photo: Elisa DeCarlo)

Since his bailiwick is the red carpet, Harrison admitted that the runway media pits are not his favorite places to be.

(Isaac Mizrahi/Photo: Frazer Harrison)

We started with casual conversation about the shows. Asked which fashion shows he thought were the worst, he immediately answered, “Daviddelfin. And Duckie Brown. Those shorts looked like diapers. I looked at those shorts, and I wondered, where’s the colostomy bag?”

We were joined by his publicist. The talk turned from New York fashion to Hollywood. Harrison much prefers the red carpet, and has spent years honing his ability to get the perfect picture. There’s a generic Young Hollywood pose, hand on hip, one foot forward. Harrison wished some of the female stars would leave their hands at their sides for a more interesting picture. He urged those who would wish to walk the red carpet to “practice the pose that works for you, however you like it.”

“A very small number of actors and actresses know how to work the red carpet,” Harrison observed. “Most of them have no idea how to pose. They jump up and down; they don’t know where to look. To know how to work the red carpet, you look straight, you don’t react to the shouting.”

Then how to get that certain celebrity to look into your camera when you’re surrounded by screaming colleagues? “You’ve got to have a trademark,” he said. “I yell ‘Over to the English guy!’ or, if it’s a big star like Drew Barrymore, ‘I’ll make you famous’!” He laughed. “That’s a line from a movie.”

(Amy Poehler at the Emmys/Photo: Frazer Harrison)

What is his biggest red carpet peeve?

“Celebrities don’t need to be led down the red carpet on a leash, by their publicists” he replied.

“It has to be done,” his publicist interrupts. “They spend too long—“

“Leave them alone,” Harrison responds. Harrison felt that the biggest problem with today’s red carpet is that there is not enough real celebrity. (Your faithful correspondent heartily concurs. ) “It’s been taken over by reality television stars,” he said, noting that few of them have the genuine charisma of real celebrities.

And digital photography has made photographers lazier, he stated. “You used to wait with your camera for that perfect shot,” he said, lifting his camera and carefully pretending to aim it at a moving celebrity. “Then you get that perfect shot. Nowadays, it’s just—“Harrison swings the camera, making a rat-a-tat noise. “You get hundreds of pictures.”

As a longtime professional photojournalist, Harrison gets most exercised when compared to the paparazzi. “None of us like to be called paparazzi. They’re scumbags. Photojournalists capture moments. What are remembered on the red carpet are the real moments, like Clark Gable hugging Marilyn Monroe. I call those action shots, or war pictures."

(Kathy Griffin at the Emmys/Photo: Frazer Harrison)

"When the history of Hollywood is written, those are the pictures that will be used. The line is slim [between photojournalists and paparazzi], because we’re both taking candid shots.”

However, he chuckles as he remembers an encounter with Liz Hurley during the Hugh Grant scandal. Harrison was at the airport, trying to get his shot, when he backed into a concrete post and fell. Hurley looked down at him and said, “Serves you right, fucker.”

But, says Harrison, “You don’t judge a person in the moment.” Sometimes the celebrity is under stress, but then that same celebrity will be perfectly friendly at another time.

"Everybody has their own thing," he concluded. "You have to ask yourself, 'what's special about me'?"

Fortunately, when it comes to moi, I do not have to ask. But Frazer Harrison is definitely a special gentleman. He's never done a nude shoot, but seemed amenable to one at a future date. Be sure, I know how to strike a pose!

Ciao,

Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Fashion Week: I'm in WWD for Upstaging Kathy Griffin!

DAHLINGS -

Your faithful correspondent has occasionally been trailed by the paparazzi, but nothing prepared me for the BARRAGE of flashbulbs when I entered the Isaac Mizrahi show! I know I looked divine, and perhaps the press was simply tired of photographing reality stars and socialites. And I managed to tick off Miss Kathy Griffin, as you can read in this article from Womens Wear Daily:
http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/front-row-at-isaac-mizrahi-2296454?gnewsid=96cc6888862f317b7fe2926d5f43c089#/wwd

Do have a look. I have not seen any pictures of that event, but I'm sure they will be popping up soon.

And I have to take back my strong words about French documentary filmmakers. They found me on Thursday afternoon. I was interviewed at length for an upcoming Sundance Channel special on the Academy Awards red carpet...it seems that few people at Fashion Week were willing to actually express an opinion. You know moi, dahlings, I always express my opinions.

The Mizrahi show was beautiful, entertaining, and even quite funny at times. Quite a bit like your faithful correspondent. More later.

Here I am, approximately nine hours later, after the Tommy Hilfiger show.

For details of all of the fabulous outfits I wore during Fashion Week, with copious photos and information on where to buy them, please do take a look at http://diaryofamadfashionistafashionweek.blogspot.com/

You'll enjoy it immensely, I promise you!

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

A New York Fashion Week Thank You...

DAHLINGS -

Most of my staff may be total incompetents, but the people "behind the scenes" at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week have made many things infinitely more tolerable to your faithful correspondent. And so before I go on to review more shows or try to write something philosophical about The State Of Fashion today, I wish to thank those, shall we say, little people who grease the wheels of the mighty engine of MCFW.

1) The IMG press office. Despite being continuously deluged and frantic in their small outdoor cubicle, they consented to my bringing an assistant, were always polite and patient with my many requests, and remained unflappable in the face of hysterical reporters and photographers. And somehow found the time to send out media alerts every day. I can barely keep up with this blog-thing, heaven knows how they do it.

2) Citadel, the security staff. These handsome gentlemen (and a few women) turned out to be very pleasant company while one waited in the endless lines. Some of the men have to stand for more than 12 hours a day. If I had to do that and deal with the continual parade of lunatics who attend Fashion Week, I would probably bring a machete in my purse. Or Bucky, who could inflict just as much damage with his razor-sharp teeth. Plus, they are quite easy on the eyes.

3) McCafe. Ordinarily I would not set my high-heeled foot in a McDonald's. Too many of the great unwashed, you know. However, their coffee bar was a lifesaver! Especially when I asked for an iced mocha with an expresso shot and whipped cream! Those caffeine and sugar bombs kept me going for hours on end.

4) The Lu Biscuit girls. These beautiful young girls, mostly aspiring actresses, were always amusing to converse with. Intentionally, I mean. Highly observant and intelligent, and they gave one chocolate biscuits! What more could one ask?

5) Fern Mallis and Lynn Yaeger, for reasons they will understand.




















Fern Mallis

6) The technical crew, who kept the tents from collapsing on all of us, or the floors from collapsing underneath us. (Imagine the huge piles of fashionistas screaming "Don't you know who I am?" at the rescue crews.) Plus, they were good looking men, and you know how I feel about that.















(Hubba hubba)

7) The Information Desk Staff. Not only did they give me scads of reading material, they tried to help me when:

Un Grand Merci Not You To:

The French documentary crew who had me rush to Bryant Park at noon for an interview, only to stand moi up! Now you know why so many people do not like the French. And the phone number they gave me was in France! For almost an hour, the staff at the IMG Information Desk tried to help me dial the number, to no avail. Je crache sur les producteurs de documentaires français de films.

Off to the tents - more later, dahlings!

Ciao,
Elisa and Bucky the Still Sulking Wonderdog

Fashion Week: Tadashi Shoji Looks To The Past

DAHLINGS –

Perhaps Project Runway has spoiled certain aspects of fashion for your faithful correspondent, or perhaps it’s the need for designers to cut back in this uncertain economy. Not only that, an extensive knowledge of fashion history is not always a good thing to have inside the tents.

If I had to pick the single most uninspired show I have attended this week, regrettably it would have to be Tadashi Shoji.

As his dresses swept by, I found myself thinking, “Oh, a lovely draped black 40s evening gown…a ho-hum beaded beige 1960s A-line mini…another ho-hum beige mini, but with rope trim all over it…” and so forth.




Tadashi Shoji has been making draped and swirled dresses longer than most fashion bloggers have been alive, it’s “what he does” as one indignant young woman informed me when we discussed the show afterwards.

However, another problem your faithful correspondent had with Mr. Shoji’s collection was the often poor construction. This is not something I have not encountered on the runway before.

Several hems of the shorter dresses puckered and bubbled as the models walked; each dress had a shiny bobbing back zipper tap that caught the overhead lights as much as any of the intricate beadwork.

One dress made of alternating thin strips of solid and sheer fabric was stiff and moved poorly. It makes a smashing photograph, but in action, it stuck out awkwardly from the model’s hips as she walked.


This long dress looked like bits of bubble gum wrapper had gotten caught in the skirt.


To be fair, many of the dresses were quite appealing and the color palette was pleasing to the eye, mostly beige and sand with soft greens, blues and reds. One green dress was beautifully woven, exactly like the gold dress Gordana sent down the runway in last week’s Project Runway.

Good thing Heidi Klum was not in attendance, or there would have been a chance that Mr. Shoji would have been auf’ed.

All photos Getty Images

Marc Bouwer Does Not Care For Skinny Models

DAHLINGS:

Before taping his “virtual runway show” with heiress Lydia Hearst last week in a studio by the Chelsea Piers, designer Marc Bouwer explained the concept behind his Spring 2010 collection. And expressed some surprising thoughts on fashion models.

When asked why he had made such a radical change from his Fall 2009 collection, which had featured soft nature colors and flowing shapes, Mr. Bouwer responded: “What is the most non-traditional spring color? Red. Mix it with white, then a rich royal blue, the prints. And of course, black.”

“My inspiration is the 80s woman,” he said of his collection. “But empowered and beautiful. My collection is the 80s with a nod to the future. Two years ago I wouldn’t be doing this.”


Marc Bouwer and Lydia Hearst
Photo by Elisa DeCarlo

I then asked him what has become my standard question: would he consider making clothes for a woman my size? Unlike other designers, he didn’t give me a blank stare, but smiled.

“Fashion is for everyone,” he replied. “Beauty exudes from the woman. My clothes are meant for all women. Embrace it, wear it. Wear clothes that make you feel beautiful. We have to use the skinny models for the camera. But I don’t like it.”

And indeed, Mr. Bouwer has designed for curvaceous celebrities Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce. His Spring 2010 collection is full of clothes that could be worn by a woman of any size. If I did not worship Oscar de la Renta, Marc Bouwer could easily become my favorite current designer.

The collection launches officially this morning at www.marcbouwer.com. I know that I shall be watching.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

The Mad Fashionista Featured In The Three Tomatoes!

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I couldn't be more pleased...The Three Tomatoes, the website "for women who aren't kids," featured moi this Tuesday morning in their latest newsletter, praising my chic outfit (the Ellen Christie large felt hat and Re/Dress black suit). And urging their readers to follow my Mercedes Benz Fashion Week coverage, as well they should (their readers, that is.)

You can read all about it at http://www.thethreetomatoes.com/. And while you are there, browse the site for shopping, entertainment, and fashion information for stylish New York women!

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Fashion Week: Custo Barcelona Does Fringe And More Fringe

DAHLINGS:

As you might have guessed by now, I am not what you would call a “club kid,” so perhaps I am not the target demographic for the Custo Barcelona men's and women's show on Sunday night in the Tent.

The music was a floor-shaking David Bowie remix, with “Dream Genie” heavily featured. This was apropos, as a few of the outfits looked like cheap I Dream of Jeannie knockoffs. Designer Custo Dalmau likes to call his fabric “yarns,” which translated into endless bathing suits with brightly colored crochet-look ponchos over them. There was more fringe on that runway than a herd of 1960s go-go dancers. Go ahead and call it texture if you like.




The male models were all exceedingly handsome, if handicapped by their clothes. There was one interesting suit in a mottled pattern:


One poor juvenile had to wear an outfit with fringed sleeves and wide fringed gaucho pants that reminded one of nothing so much as a maraca player in a 1930s Spanish musical. And I am by no means a fan of the newest trend of male clam diggers, as dear darling Mama used to call those strange mid-calf pants (as distinct in style from cropped pants or flood pants in that they have no inherent style).

During a lull in the day’s activities, an IMG employee remarked to your faithful correspondent that she has never seen the models as thin as they are this year. Given that they normally look like they had been released from Auschwitz hours before the shows that is quite a statement. But it is true; some of the models’ thighs, seen close, are absolutely painful to see.

Backstage, before I was trapped next to the diminutive Mr. Dalmau (cf. my earlier post) I watched the male models being posed ala New Kids On The Block; they were quite adorable in their own clothes, if a tad on the underfed side. This sign hung by the entry to the runway:



Now at least I know why models never smile...take a look at the sign on the right side. However, the rest of it is quite inspirational, in a vapid sort of way.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Fashion Week, Day Five: Where To Buy My Vintage 80s Look!

DAHLINGS -

Today was a fairly easy one inside the tents. All I had scheduled were the Tadashi Shoji and Gottex shows, and a few interviews, so I decided to dress a bit more casually and comfortably. But with no less fabulosity--I have a reputation to maintain, after all!

I'm wearing a 100% silk vintage 80s Adele Simpson wedge dress, with shoulder flanges and three quarter length sleeves. It is from Re/Dress New York, and helped me survive the day in style! It shows you how versatile this store's offerings are, to say the least. (And it will be returned, freshly dry cleaned, next week!)

My hat is from Off Broadway Boutique on 72nd Street, and it's darling! The "flower" is made of leather, and the center is actually a metal zipper! The store carries them in a variety of colors, including silver and gold. You simply must go there and try them on!

Until later,

Elisa and Bucky the Wonderdog

Random Musings On Fashion Week S/S 2010

DAHLINGS –

I have a few moments to sit quietly at home, sipping a cappuccino. Bucky is in my lap; he's been in a deep funk because I have left him at home this time. In February, his lunging at Anna Wintour was not to be tolerated. Bad enough he's already bitten Andre Leon Talley! (Search this blog for the entire story.) I've been musing over the first four days of New York Fashion Week.

THE AUDIENCE

Cathy Horyn wrote a brilliant front-page article in The New York Times on Friday, about high fashion falling to earth. As much as your dutiful correspondent adores the shows, one has to ask oneself at this time: is it worth it?

On the one hand, the spectacle, the showmanship, the exquisite workmanship of some of the clothes is simply breathtaking. Some garments have brought tears to my eyes for their sheer beauty. Some outfits have made me wonder what drugs the designer was consuming when he created them.

On the other hand, the voracity of the media is one thing. But observing the same voracity in the eyes of desperate “people of the moment” and want-to-be “people of the moment” is another thing altogether.

For instance, last night, backstage at the Custo Barcelona show I was SQUASHED between Mr. Dalmau, who is tiny, dozens of PYTs and show-crashers. Some of them leaned back on my capacious bosom as if it was an armchair. (One knows they have an exaggerated sense of entitlement, but my breasts are not included, thank you very much.) Somehow one simply could not escape being next to Mr. Dalmau; the crowd simply carried me across the dressing room.

Moi, trapped behind Custo Dalmau (and holding onto a dress rack for dear life)

My face was also pinned by the back of a television camera. When I howled, the swine of a cameraman was completely unapologetic. If it had been Tori Spelling, who was at the Christian Siriano show, he would have been groveling. God knows she probably wouldn’t have even felt it through the Botox and the heavy makeup.

Backstage Tori glued herself to poor Christian’s side until he grabbed his bodyguard and ran out of the room. True story, dahlings.

My dear friend funkoma wrote a blog post on a related topic, “To Be Young, Pretty And Stupid.” http://funkomavintage.blogspot.com/2009/09/oh-to-be-young-pretty-and-stupid.html/

The shining exceptions to this behavior, besides my wonderful on-site assistant Bella Fierce, have been the darling Tim Gunn (who remembered me, causing a girlish blush to rise to my cheeks), the ever-gracious Fern Mallis, Marc Bouwer, Jack Mackenroth, Christopher Straub, and many of the bloggers I have been fortunate to meet this time at the rodeo.

Tim Gunn Greets His Public

THE UTTER LACK OF FOOD

It should not come as a surprise that, in addition to the paramedics outside the tents with crash carts of Ensure and methamphetamines, there is no food served inside the tents. Free cocktails abound, as does some sponsor's water, Muscle Milk (blech) Coke and Diet Coke, and “mocktails” served up at the Fashion Week juice bar by Belgian restaurant Rouge Tomate, prepared by Rouge Tomate’s mixologist, Rainlove Lampariello. I have no responsibility for the person's name, but let me tell you, the drinks are actually quite delicious. The lemonade with cucumber and mint was an absolute lifesaver before getting back on line for a show. (Your faithful correspondent holds off on the liquor until after the shows are over...one must keep a clear head.)

However, backstage at the Vivienne Tam show, there was an array of goodies. I was so surprised, I photographed them. Then I grabbed a goat cheese sandwich and broke the symmetry of the display.

REMARKS AND RESPONSES

Overheard at the Wednesday night Saks Fifth Avenue celebration: “Saks is a legend," gushed Rachel Zoe. "You come to New York, and this is where you go! It's been around forever, and it's one-stop shopping. Plus, it's Saks! It's Saks Fifth Avenue.”

Stylist Philip Block on clients with bad taste: “I’ll dress them, but they’re not to give me any credit on the red carpet!”

Tim Gunn after the Christian Siriano show: “I feel like a proud papa!”

Half the people one stood next to, usually to a bored, footsore security guard: “Don’t you know who I AM?” Invariable response: nothing. They hear it all day.

Almost any designer save Marc Bouwer when I ask, “Would you ever consider designing for a woman my size?” Invariable response: a frozen stare, and then a few gulps.

That’s all for now. I’m off to prepare myself for my interview with Frazer Harrison, celebrity photographer, so I need to write out a list of rude questions.

Ciao,

Elisa & Bucky the Sulking Wonderdog



All photographs Elisa DeCarlo

Fashion Week: Christian Siriano's Collection!

DAHLINGS -

Here is a slideshow I made of Christian Siriano's mouthwatering Spring 2010 collection. Please do forgive the quality of the photographs! At the end, the terribly shy designer gave a quick bow and ran offstage.

More photographs and information to follow later. In the audience was the fabulous Tim Gunn, sitting next to Kristen Johson, with Tori Spelling nearby. Fortunately for Tim, Tori wasn't too nearby. One did not want him to get any skank on his suit.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Fashion Week Day Three: Where To Buy My Plus Size Vintage Look

DAHLINGS -

This afternoon I attended the Christian Siriano show, where there were (naturally) not only a celebrities but quite a few Project Runway alumns!

Here is your faithful correspondent backstage!



My beautiful oyster felt hat, trimmed with black ribbon, was custom made for me by Ellen Christine of Ellen Christine Millinery!

And my black two-piece suit with attached collar and cuffs is from Re/Dress New York, a phenomenal plus size vintage and contemporary boutique in Brooklyn! (There is an earlier entry in this blog-thing about their never-to-be-forgotten opening party.)



Their racks are packed full of a huge variety of clothes, from vintage eveningwear to contemporary work dresses, lingerie, all in sizes up to 4X and beyond! I cannot recommend this shop highly enough. During my day there, I felt like a child in a candy store. My driver took me there, but it's easy enough to get to on the (ugh) subway, so I'm told.

During Fashion Week, they are having their own alternative event:


Visit their website at http//www.redressnyc.com/. They also sell on Ebay. Watch for more in the days to come!

Here I am with PR alumn Jack Mackenroth, who patiently let a man take about 100 photos of us together because the man didn't understand how my camera worked.



For more pictures and information, please go to http://diaryofamadfashionistafashionweek.blogspot.com/ !


Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Fashion Week Day Two: Where To Buy My Chic Look

DAHLINGS -

The Off-Broadway Boutique on West 72nd Street is known for over-the-top glam. Yesterday I woke up to pouring rain and the prospect of running around the Marc Bouwer shoot. So I choose simple flat black boots (www.auditions.com/), black wide-legged trousers, a black shirt, and vintage black earrings.

I topped it off with an amazing red microfiber jacket from Off-Broadway that withstood the rain and a full day of activities and never looked less than perfect!

Here it is on the hanger, and I assure you, the photo does not do it justice! However, I will be wearing it again in days (and nights) to come!


You can find it here: http://www.boutiqueoffbroadway.com/deep-fingertip-length-microfiber-jacket-p-1373.html

Lynn, Yal-el and the staff was unbelievably helpful, and picked out stylish items that any fashionista would be delighted to wear! To see more lovely things, please go to:

http://www.boutiqueoffbroadway.com/

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Inside The Marc Bouwer Photo Shoot!

DAHLINGS -

Rather than do a standard runway show, designer Marc Bouwer chose to spend today filming his Spring 2010 collection as a "virtual runway show" at a studio near the Chelsea Piers. Your faithful correspondent was in attendance. We were treated so well--there was a full buffet of bagels, muffins, cream cheese, vegetables and coffee! It was the first time I'd seen actual food anywhere at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week!

The show will officially launch on http://www.marcbouwer.com/ on Wednesday, September 16th at 9.00 AM. So Marc and his team conducted a taping of the “runway show” during which all the elements present at your typical Fashion Week runway show will take place – backstage commotion, hair and make-up, light and sound testing and designer interviews.

Marc’s model for the season was heiress Lydia Hearst, and they were surrounded by photographers, members of Mr. Bouwer's staff, and others. Later I will post an interesting interview I had with Mr. Bouwer, who in person is far better looking that he was on "Project Runway" last night. In fact he made me think of a young David Bowie. For your delectation, here is a slideshow of photos taken by yours truly.

Sad to say, hours had passed and the models were only just arriving when it was time for moi to leave for the Bryant Park tents uptown. More to follow...I'm simply exhausted.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Silhouettes Saves The Day At The Luxury Spot Gala!

(This is Mademoiselle's assistant...she's still snoring away in the other room while I'm playing catchup with all of this stuff.)


DAHLINGS -

The Luxury Spot Gala Fashion Week Kick-Off Party on Thursday was a triumph! Beauteous Bryce Gruber brought together the most stylish crowd ever, right in the midst of Fashion's Night Out insanity.

If there is one thing you can count on during New York Fashion Week, it's hundreds of young women in black micro-mini frocks and this fall, amazingly high heels.

I was in an absolute STATE because, to go with my gown (a strapless print floor-length silk with a high front slit) I had ordered a pair of gorgeous black lace peep-toe pumps from Silhouettes.com.

Then I received an email that they would not be delivered until:

SEPTEMBER 22nd!

L'indignation! Le nerf! I made my displeasure known, and a delightful young woman in Customer Service not only overnighted the shoes, but included a postage paid envelope to return the second pair! My evening was saved!

The party was held at the Aspen Social Club on West 47th Street, and when I say the free champagne was flowing freely...

Let's just say that I don't remember much after the third glass. Although I have hazy memories of "snogging" with a handsome gentleman in the hotel's back lobby, a wonderland of white leather couches and crystal hanging lights. If one is going to be in a champagne-induced haze, one might as well do it properly.

Ciao,

Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Fashion Week Day One: Thank God For Bella Fierce!

(This is Mademoiselle’s assistant, typing from the notes she sent me from inside the tents. Except the fact she might actually read this, I’d tell you I hope she trips and breaks an ankle in those f*cking stilettos this week. Working for her—this is even worse than when I was cleaning roof gutters back home. Why she thinks BF is all that when I’m the one--Never mind, my stomach hurts.)

DAHLINGS –

As I had hoped, the attractive Bella Fierce was everything one could ask for in an assistant and then some! Everything I needed was to hand with Ms. Fierce there, be it an Internet connection, a bottle of water, or a foot rub. She balked at the foot rub at first, but a few biting remarks and she gave in. That’s what I prefer in an assistant—obedience and attention to detail. Not like that lumpkin back in my office.

(Thanks, bitch.)

Ms. Fierce was also beautifully dressed, so I did not have to be ashamed to have her inside the tents with me. In fact, she has an impeccable sense of style. I could not have gotten through this week so far without her.

My only problem is that technology is fighting me EVERY STEP OF THE WAY! Smithie could not get the video camcorder working, and she forgot the order something that would make it record more than 30 seconds, which is why you have not seen my beaming smile in action yet. The microcassette recorder also refused to function, as did my digital camera until the second day, when I snatched it away from Smithie and browbeat the device until it gave in. I have been ready to throw in the hand-embroidered towel, I tell you!

However, Fashion must go on, and despite these glitches, you SHALL be seeing more of moi.
(I wish I didn't have to.)

Fashion Week Day One: Ports 1961 And Pink-Eye

DAHLINGS –

One approached the Ports 1961 Spring 2010 Show with great anticipation, more so because I was sitting next to the lovely Kim of Omnimedia (our paths have crossed so often that if one of us were male and Fashion Week was a bad romantic comedy, it would seem contrived).

However, it must be admitted that Tia Cibani’s abandonment of her usual formula resulted in a mixture of beauty and boredom. It was by far the longest show I’ve attended, and even Fern Mallis seemed distracted mid-way, as did many of the PYTs in the front row. The peculiar decision was to have the models wear make-up that gave them all a severe case of pink-eye. Fashion and disease do not mix well, unless it’s an AIDS benefit.

All photos by Marcio Madeira.

Many of the clothes, while in lovely materials, had strange bumps in them reminiscent of Project Runway.

Cibani presented some stunning draped silk dresses, in fact most of the materials were exquisite, in a pale pallette of pinks, pastels and metallics.


However, some of her concoctions were either minimal to the point of ennui or sported wide plastic obi-styled belts.


(All one could think when gazing at them was waist-sweat, a concept that was new to moi and most unwelcome.)

Is this a neckpiece made of clear plastic bags, or is it a pair of welder's goggles? You be the judge.

The best dresses had either marvelous draping or, in some cases, unexpected back interest that popped the look when the models turned. And the final gown was an absolutely show-stopper, in flowing white shot with silver.

In the backstage media madness, the extremely petite Ms. Cibani was quite gracious even under siege. And as usual, there was a buffet that nobody was eating. That’s fashion…more free cocktails than you can shake a stick at, but heaven forfend you touch the food.

More later,

Ciao,

Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Fashion Week Day One: Where To Buy My Plus Size Vintage Look!

DAHLINGS -

I am only here for a moment, but I wanted to let you know that you can see my first fabulous ensemble for Mercedez Benz Fashion Week, at:

http://www.diaryofamadfashionistafashionweek.blogspot.com/

Shopping details are there!



Despite an early morning hair disaster, my magnificent hat from Ellen Christine Millinery got me through the day in style! Do go have a look.

In the meantime, it's off to change into another fantastic look--with cleavage, this time.

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog

Dear God, It's Fashion Week Spring 2010!

DAHLINGS -

And so it begins! Smithie, my office assistant, has been sobbing for two days trying to arrange my schedule.

OH, SHUT UP, SMITHIE! TAKE A DEXTROAMPHETAMINE AND STOP MAKING THOSE WHINING NOISES! YOU'RE NOT THE ONE WHO HAS TO WEAR HIGH HEELS ALL DAY!

It's almost impossible to get good help these days. However, I will be assisted in my on-site labors by Bella Fierce, the creator of the blog http://www.biggurlfashion.blogspot.com/ ! We met for lunch earlier this week, and her table manners were impeccable, as was her outfit. I breathed a sigh of relief. (Your faithful correspondent has even written down her name, a rare honor.) Do take a look at her blog, she is creative, and truly "fierce" (a word learned recently here.)

Every day this week I will be presenting a special feature, "Where To Buy My Look," so that you have a slight chance to look as fabulous as I do. You simply go over to "The Mad Fashionista Takes Fashion Week" to see photos of moi in my full splendor!

Later I will even be doing video "streaming" I believe it is called, so that you can envy me even more as I interview the people inside the tents and give my commentary directly to you, without interference from this idiot sitting at my desk.

I do not mean moi. I am lounging in my Marcel Dufrene Art Deco armchair sipping a cup of extra-strong cappucino and nibbling on a croissant. Can't have crumbs getting on the keyboard. Bucky is in my satin-clad lap, trying to bite the croissant out of my hand, but so far I have managed to--

BUCKY! NO! GIVE THAT BACK!

Ciao,
Elisa & Bucky the Wonderdog