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| by Ellin Saltzman Monday Morning. My morning started very happily as Uber arrived on time. My Monday change from black to chocolate brown seems to work as I ran out of clean black leggings. Although I am not a fan of 9 AM fashion shows, I managed to get to Mathieu Mirano by 9:25. Right as the show was about to start.
A brand new talent. This was his first runway show. Paul Wilmot and his firm were helping to nourish and support him. He is great looking, very warm, and didn't mind a double hug and kiss from a lady he had never met. Outstanding were his five opening leathers in bonded black leather consisting of a trench, a motorcycle jacket, and two dresses of cashmere and leather. Add to that a suede motorcycle jacket and skirt. He had some fringed suedes for fun, all over flapper dresses and then some metallic paillettes. I hope to hear more about Mathieu in the future. |
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| CAROLINA HERRERA She filled the biggest room at Lincoln Center and had a fun group of fans and friends seated in her husband Reinaldo's section. Orlando Pita did the hair in high top knots, or often the models wore high hats that I hate to admit reminded me of dunce caps. The stage was set as a deep multi-layered hall looking very modern. Her clothes were a combination of hard and soft, modern or fitting for her multi-generational clients and her designing daughters. She opened with Karlie Kloss in a black wool skirt over a pony skirt and turtle neck sweater followed by Marikko in navy combed wool felt coat over a black turtle neck. Suddenly some long georgette tent dresses in silk gazar appeared in brown ivory and green I think. She had some luscious cashmeres, either cowl or turtle neck. |
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| Perhaps best of show and brightest was her firestone red wool gazar coat on Alana, over matching double face red pants. It would look equally great without the cherry wood sable bands at the hips. Her finale on Karlie was a firestone red silk Cady embroidered gown. |
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| In between show at Lincoln Center I found a stool to perch on and write my Herrera and Mirano reviews. It was also fun to people watch and enjoy the second $3 cup of black coffee. Now that Lincoln Center has been so heavily criticized, they have cleaned up their act (except for the ladies rooms). I am still laughing over an email conversation I had last night with my boss David Patrick Columbia. We had been discussing my lack of punctuation and my run-on sentences and my overuse of exclamation points and capital letters — all part of how I write — but I shall try to improve.
He’s covered many of Oscar de la Renta shows, so I presumed he would know what I meant! By the way I wrote again to inquire about my Oscar de la Renta invite, and did receive mine today. They cut back and are only having one show. I also had written to a PR firm inquiring about my invitation to a show today of a designer whom I really respect and like. I received a response that said something about letting me know and that this was the second request they had received from me ... so please do not do that again! Guess what? The invite never came. Too bad. ANGEL SANCHEZ Angel Sanchez is a South American designer who has been dressing many celebrities in body conscious sexy clothes for years. The collection was almost entirely black. Black crepe with leather, black crepe with cutout sides, black crepe with steel lurex bodice, black crepe with embroidery, black crepe with steel lurex in many different places. He also did steel and gold pleated leather pieces. |
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| To change the tune, he had three chic hunter green crepe dresses, many super white crepe gowns, finishing with a cobalt blue strapless gown. These are clothes for customers with great bodies and self assurance. Refreshing to see. There were many stylists at the show — wish I knew who they were dressing! When I went backstage to reintroduce my self to Angel, an attractive young man along with three other attractive men said to me, “we are looking for Chris.” "Chris who?" I asked. When they told me, I said I haven’t seen him in over 14 years. He was once my husband’s assistant interior designer, and very talented. All the young men nodded. |
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| DENNIS BASSO Inside Lincoln Center suddenly changed. The sea of black down seemingly disappeared and furs of all nature suddenly arrived. It was time for the Dennis Basso show.
Dennis is also designing some great dresses and separates. There was a black tulle gown (pictured right), a hand painted black and gold canvas and embroidery gown (pictured right), and a Bordeaux double faced brushstroke cocktail dress with gold. I could see some of these going up the Metropolitan Museum steps for their big costume exhibit of Charles James this spring (although this is a fall show I bet you could get them for the party!) At Dennis’ show I was seated back to back with Carmen dell'Orefice, looking more beautiful than ever, who was sitting next to Nina Griscom and Jamee Gregory. I was seated next to Martha Kramer Fox, whom I adore. She was at Neiman’s and then Ungaro and then GFT and now is a very successful real estate broker. |
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| Martha is married to Neal Fox who has resurrected the Mark Cross leather goods collection. It is a great handbag collection featured prominently at Barney’s as well as Harrods. They are a great couple. Martha and I ditched the tents and went to Le Pain Quotidien for lunch and a tart. I realized mid-meal that the collection I had not been invited to but was planning on going to was too far down for me to get there on time, so Martha and I chatted some more and both got on crosstown bus — she to her office on 57th and me to mine. |
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| Click here for Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part 1. Click here for Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part 2. |