Fashion Week Day 4
Let me just say it’s really cold here. Blustery, brutal, nose-numbing cold. When I left my hotel at 7:45 Monday morning, the temperature was 9 degrees — 0 with the wind chill.
The fashion gods were smiling, though, because I walked out of the hotel and right into a toasty cab for the 7 blocks to the tents. Usually, I walk. Really. And I did walk back more than 12 hours later. I’m still waiting for my cheeks to thaw. Yes, those too!
Anyway, this morning I was in a hurry to get to a symposium organized by the Council of Fashion Designers of America to discuss health and beauty in the fashion industry.
The CFDA wanted to address the issue of ultra-skinny models, a subject that has been in the news for a year or two and most recently since last November when a Brazilian model died of causes linked to an eating disorder.
The CFDA has formed a health initiative to address concerns and propose a series of positive steps to promote wellness and a healthier working environment.
A panel of experts included a doctor specializing in eating disorders, a trainer, the director of a media relations company that specializes in fashion and a modeling agency agent. A Russian model shared her story of how she lost weight and jeopardized her health before becoming healthy again.
Diane von Furstenberg, president of the CFDA, said it’s good the issue has been raised, but she doesn’t believe it’s the responsibility of the group to weigh models or see that they receive yearly medical exams. Designer Donna Karan said the effort should start with the agency.
In September, Madrid’s Fashion Week banned models with a Body Mass Index of, or height-to-weight ratio, below 18. A 5-foot-9 model weighing 125 pounds would have a BMI of 18, according to the Associated Press. Milan also tightened restrictions on underweight models.
The CFDA health initiative recommendations include education, support systems, awareness programs and evaluation and treatment options.
“It’s all about prevention,” von Furstenberg said.
This is a story that’s not going away anytime soon.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE TRENDS:
1. Textured or opaque tights are on nearly every runway.
2. Sleeves get special treatment. (Look for gathers and fullness.)
3. Fuschia, purple and plum.
4. Short skirts and dresses.
5. Baby doll dresses and tops. Again.
6. Volume.
Fashion Week Day 3
Today I caught up with “Project Runway” mentor Tim Gunn, who was sitting front row at the Tracy Reese show. Of course, I had to ask him about Kayne Gillaspie, Oklahoma’s favorite “Project Runway” competitor.
“I love Kayne,” he said.
I told him about Kayne’s new eveningwear collection, introduced in August at the Atlanta apparel market, debuting on the runway in Oklahoma City Sunday night and he seemed genuinely excited and happy.
“He deserves it,” he said. “I think he can have as big a future as he wants.”
His talent for designing pageant gowns and prom dresses is something to celebrate, Gunn said. He does it with such delight, such great passion.
“He has a pure soul.”
Kayne probably would have loved Tadashi Shoji’s show Sunday morning. The evening and cocktail pieces were embellished and woven, draped and layered. Two of the best: a silver/gray metallic liquid jersey bustier evening gown and a gold and silver strapless gown with leather belted bodice and silk organza skirt.
The cocktail dresses were all worn with tights. Get ready, it’s a trend.
All shows hope to have celebs and any photographer worth his Nikon is waiting, ready to snap at the first sighting. They swarmed Carmen Electra, who stopped right in front of me. I’m not really a fan, but she did look good. Alicia Keys and Ashanti were getting their share of flashbulbs, too.
Everyone seemed to love Tracy Reese’s show. Lots of color and volume, big sleeves and a bit of the 1960s. Backstage, Reese said she loved the colors coral and magenta. She said she thought they looked good with black. She’s right.
It’s always fun to see her parents on the front row. They’re the ones Tracy goes to first when she comes out at the end of the show. They were backstage too, enjoying their daughter’s moment.
Tomorrow starts early in the big tents with an 8 a.m. symposium by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The topic: beauty and health in the fashion industry. More later on the skinny model discussion.
Fashion Week Day 2
You probably heard that First Lady Laura Bush was in town Friday morning for the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection fashion show that kicked off Fashion Week.
She was here, I wasn’t — at least not yet. But I saw the video that played on the big-screen televisions in the lobby area of the tents, where many of the shows are held.
More than a dozen female celebs were on the runway, including Kelly Ripa, “American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee, Mary Hart, Oklahoma’s own Kristin Chenoweth and tennis great Billie Jean King. All ages, all sizes and all in red. All wonderful.
Heart Truth is a campaign to educate women that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. And the red dress symbolizes the campaign.
Anyway, guess who stole the show? None other than Billie Jean. I’m serious. Who knew she was such a wild and crazy lady? She strutted and pranced and used her finger to draw a heart on her chest. And check out her sneakers in the picture. This was must-see TV.
And here’s a little bit of show trivia. Katharine McPhee wore a dress designed by Daniel Swarovski, the king of Austrian crystals. That cute little number (I’m talking about the dress) was covered in 78,000 Swarovski crystals and weighed about 10 pounds.
As far as the other shows goes, trends are still all over the place, but let me just toss out two words: hats and tights. More about that later.
Fashion Week Day 1
Fashion Week kicked off Friday, and I hit the sidewalk running. My plane landed at noon and by 1 p.m. I was walking into the Perry Ellis menswear show.
A few menswear designers show on Friday, but this week is mostly about women. The Perry Ellis collection included a fresh take on some old favorites, including varsity jackets, shooting jackets and cargo pants. Even leggings — though the designer called then long johns — showed up. Get ready, guys.
Then it was on to BCBG Max Azria where the dresses were floaty with lots of plenty of drapes, drop waists, metal mesh neckline detail and appliques. Charcoal tights were shown with everything.
Marc Bouwer showed some of the prettiest clothes, though some of them were a bit full. A woman could be 9-months pregnant and no one would know.
Backstage, Bouwer said he loves structure with volume. Well, I guess.
He also was committed to no fur, no leather, no wool in the show, but his faux furs looked great from my seat on the fifth row.
Actress Vivica A. Fox, who was on the front row, said the furs “looked real, very real.”
At Nicole Miller’s show, Howard Stern’s girlfriend Beth Ostrosky and Cindi Lauper got a good look at the metal crinkle satin dresses, smock tops, cropped jackets and tunics. The little details: wide belts and bowlers.
Fashion Week
Go nude
Before you start peeling off your clothes, I’m talking about lips.
According to Fashion Wire Daily, celebs such as Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie and Cate Blanchett are ditching their scarlet hues for glossy nudes.
To avoid looking washed out, FWD suggests those of us without a makeup artist in tow opt for nude shades that complement our natural lip color –like the soft pinkish shade worn by Jessica Biel at the premiere of “Home of the Brave” and Drew Barrymore at the “We Are Marshall” premiere.
And remember, nude lips look best when paired with colorful eye shadows or softly flushed cheeks.
Do you have a favorite nude lipstick? Don’t be selfish, share the shade and brand with us.
What’s with their hair?
It’s usually women who get blasted for their choice of hairstyles.
Now men.style.com points the finger at 20 guys whose hairstyles make for good lunch table conversation.
Some of the offenders — Kevin Federline with his cornrows, Tom Hanks’ back sweep, Al Gore’s sleek ’do and Simon Cowell’s part. And you don’t even have to wonder about Donald Trump. Doesn’t he make all the bad hair lists?
To see who else needs to make friends with a new stylist, go online to men.style.com, click on fashion, then style notes, then 20 worst hairstyles. Then let me know if you agree or not.
Suck it up, Tom
Finally, a guy suffered to look good on his wedding day.
Not just any guy — it was actor Tom Cruise, who reportedly packed on about 20 pounds leading up to his marriage vows with Katie Holmes.
Word is his Armani tux was a bit too tight and had to be let out in all the right places. Still, he needed even more help. To the rescue: a girdle. (Do they make Spanx for men?)
Actually, a corset was sewn into his tuxedo so the jacket would fall perfectly over his expanded waistline.
What makes this news especially fitting is that the Top Gun himself made such a public fuss about Katie Holmes losing her baby fat and getting into shape for their wedding.
Word is Tom didn’t complain about the extra support, though. He just sucked it up — uh, in — and took it like a man.
Making up is easy to do
Christmas came early for Oklahoma’s Sephora fans.
At the pre-opening event, it was elbow-to-elbow shoppers as women grabbed up their favorite shadows, lotions and potions — many of which weren’t available locally until now.
More than once I heard customers asking for Smashbox and Philosophy.
Do we love our cosmetics or what?
One customer even mistook me for a sales associate. Of course, I was wearing the Sephora uniform — head to toe black.
Sephora is at Penn Square Mall on the upper level near the glass elevator. You can’t miss its bold black and white decor.
Are you a Sephora junkie? Got a favorite product or brand? Come on, share.
Confessions of a fashion writer
A bottle of black polish landed on my desk today.
Super shiny. Super black.
Black is the trendy shade of the moment, which I wrote about recently in the Sunday Living section, and as much as I want to embrace dark nails, I just can’t give in to black polish.
Dark polish is a nice change from summer’s lighter shades of pale, plus it’s an inexpensive and easy way to look current while letting everyone know you follow the trends but aren’t a slave to them. Plenty of women are sporting short dark nails and most of them look oh-so modern.
Me, I’m still wearing pastel pink.
I can’t stand chips and when dark polish starts to wear, it looks really ugly, really tacky. I want to go dark, but if I do I’ll constantly be staring at my nails, looking for the first telltale sign of a chip — and with my luck it would probably show up in a day or two. Then I wouldn’t be able to get that polish off fast enough.
Even as I write this I notice that my nails are in need of a little attention.
The nail polish looks less than fresh and upon closer inspection I can see that the pale color is starting to wear at the tips.
See what I mean? I’m already looking at my nails instead of carefully choosing words that will make you think I’m clever and engaging.
A new bottle of dark ruby polish sits on my bathroom vanity. It’s what I plan for my toes, but I’m still undecided about my finger nails.
At least with pale polish, chips aren’t easily seen. I guess I just don’t want to hassle with removing dark polish and repolishing, especially if my walk on the dark side is going to be short-lived.
I recently read that Rimmel’s polish with Lycra stays on a full week, and at least according to one reviewer, looks as good on day seven as day one.
Maybe I’ll try it, unless I get sidetracked by a pretty pastel.
The point of this confession: Just because I write about fashion and beauty doesn’t mean I don’t wrestle with decisions — big and small, trivial and not. Just like you.
