For some reason, I had men on my mind most of the day. Maybe that’s because most of the shows I saw featured menswear for fall. Fashion Week in New York kicked off with the John Bartlett show, an homage to man at his finest in fall. Cable-knit sweaters in earthtones dominated this show. Thankfully, Barlett’s khakis still featured flat fronts, no pleats. Houndstooth jackets in light grays were paired with a punch of red to give them a little kick. Hunter green and chocolate showed up in color blocks. I could really see hip dads and young guys wearing this line.
The scene: Tim Gunn from "Project Runway" and Carson Kressley from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" sat in the front row. Gunn is incredibly handsome in person and tall, which surprised me.
The Heart Truth was a star-filled spectacular. Celebrities such as Kim Cattrall, Kelly Ripa and Angela Bassett donned red dresses from designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg and Carmen Marc Volvo in honor of raising awareness for heart disease, an initiative started by Laura Bush, who was in attendance along with Hilary Clinton. But the crowd favorite was Billie Jean King, which gives hope for all of us non-size-0s. She got the biggest applause.
Yigal Azroel kicked off his fall collection by introducing his first foray in menswear. We just featured a profile of the Israeli designer in December, so it was exciting to see his new collection firsthand. Azroel doesn’t sway with the trends; he sticks with designs that suit his style. Some of the models traipsed the runway with glasses on, which I took as Azroel’s request to be taken seriously. While he kept to his voluminous styles for women, the men’s collection resembled hip streetwear that younger guys and cool dads might don. Azroel described the line as something he would wear and he would expect his girlfriend to don. You can find his clothes at Talulah G and Outfit at the Wynn.
The Scene: The show was off the Bryant Park campus in the Meatpacking District at the Bumble & Bumble studios. The view out the eighth floor windows showed the Financial District. Emmanuelle Chriqui from Entourage and a passel of New York socialtes posed before the cameras.
