2008 September | New York Designer

We’re approximately 48 hours away from Michael Angel kicking off the SS09 shows in Bryant Park. This is where nearly 100 designer collections show for eight days, beginning at 9am Friday as part of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

In addition to the MB shows, there are loads of venues around town showcasing talented designers who may not have the resources to be involved in the fashion circus that is ‘the tents’. Over the years, various organizations who focus on emerging designers have come & gone. This is very sad to us because those are the shows we especially love! There are still plenty, you just have to do a bit of research to find them.

A few group shows that are a bit more intimate than the Bryant Park shows (and likely easier to score a ticket)…

STYLE360, presented by LIVEStyle Entertainment and HFM U.S., will showcase six designers and two cutting-edge stores — Dash and Caravan — representing the East and West coasts at the Metropolitan Pavilion from Sept. 7-10. Nigel Barker, Russell Simmons, Khloe Kardashian and Taryn Manning are among confirmed celebrity guests.

The 14th annual Gen Art “Fresh Faces in Fashion” show, presented by BlackBerry and T-Mobile, is Thursday at the Manhattan Center. The lineup features emerging womenswear brands JF & Son, Ideeen, Sariah, Lialia, Richard Ruiz and Chree; menswear designers Hyden Yoo and Philip Sparks; and accessories designers Antoinette Lee Designs, Deka Ray, Heutchy and TNC Studio.

Fashion Indie Week Brooklyn upped the ante of its annual presentation by incorporating 6,000 feet of “runway” space on the Brooklyn Bridge for its “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” show. The show runs through 9/10.

Nolcha Fashion Week presenters will showcase more than 50 emerging American and international designers Sept. 8-12 at the Prince George ballroom in Manhattan. Coca Cola and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce are among sponsors of the event, which includes “Profile NY,” a Sept. 11 show featuring new looks by 35 designers from the United Kingdom.

The “Project Runway” show will be taped the morning of Sept. 12. Malan Breton and Zulema Griffin will continue their streaks of Fashion Week presentations since competing on the show, Breton on Sept. 11 at the tents and Griffin at 9 a.m. Thursday online on YouTube (key words Zulema Spring ’09).

Fall Fashion Report

Line: ELLE

Store: Kohl’s

We all know that finding good quality clothing at an affordable price can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, high-end designers have been churning out moderate-priced clothing lines for a while now. Do you remember the buzz when Isaac Mizrahi took Target by storm? Now you can even find Vera Wang at Kohl’s. I’ll let you in on a little secret…….The fashion magazine ELLE has a clothing line at Kohl’s as well.

Manolo wearing mamas may turn their nose up at the idea of their fashion bible designing for a discount retail chain, but the Payless Shoes crowd (of which I belong) should rejoice. After all, the budget restricted masses are no less deserving of great fashion. In this economy, more and more consumers are looking for more bang for their buck, but they don’t necessarily want to compromise on style and quality. Kudos to ELLE for seeing (and capitalizing) on the big picture.

The ELLE line is fairly extensive and offers fashionable denim, stylish trenches, and adorable wovens and knitwear. My favorites from the line include their Trouser Jeans, Rouched Banded Bottom Top, and Flyaway sweater. All of these items can currently be viewed on the Kohl’s website. The ELLE line always seems to be on sale at Kohl’s. Sale prices range from $17.99 for knitwear to $62.99 for a trench coat.

The ELLE line has their detractors. There are those who find the line underwhelming and those who balk at the idea of shopping at Kohl’s. For my money, however, these are great pieces that are neither so classic as to be boring, nor so trendy as to render them passé next year. The major criticism the line receives from me is that it does not reach out to the petite and plus-sized women among us. It would be nice to see ELLE expand their line to include such women in the near future.

Cut Costs Cuties!
Gemma

The new Purple mag hit NYC newstands late Friday night. We grabbed ours Saturday morning after a hellish massage experience. You know, one of those where your muscles become more tense every time you feel the masseuse prepping for her next lunge? Yup, one of those.

So upon leaving, with all the toxins running through our dizzy little head, we wobbled to the nearest int’l newstand for the new issue of our favorite mag. The intention was to indulge in a hot bubbly soak when returning to the condo and delving into the Terry Richardson section. However, our pathetic limbs couldn’t support the weight of this mammoth book. We simply cursed the little (yet surprisingly strong) Russian woman who put us in this state and soaked into a dreamstate.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Featured