Friday, September 25, 2009

The day the stars aligned

Hey folks - sorry about the delay! I knew this would take some time to write, so I wanted to wait till I had time to really think about it. Tuesday of last week, the day before Fashion Week ended, all the stars aligned. Be aware - this is a very long post!
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I woke up bright and early to try to get in to the Badgley Mischka show. I thought to myself, "If I can just get in, this will be the best day ever." I called the week before to get confirmed, but never got a final answer. So Laurie and I got to the Tents at 9:15 a.m. so we could be first in line for the show which started at 10. For some reason, the guards were being extra grumpy that morning and made everyone wait till 9:30 before they let us in.

Once inside, we went straight to the check-in table. I was fully expecting to be turned away when we said our names, but we weren't! We were on the list! On the list for standing tickets, but on the list nonetheless. So we were first in line for standing, which meant we were getting in! But 10 a.m. came and went, and I started getting nervous. The standing line was very short, much shorter than expected for such a big show, so I started to think they weren't going to let any standing in at all.

At around 10:15, they finally let us in! We ran to get a spot where we could see, which was quite difficult because there were already a lot of people standing, which pissed me off a little. But Laurie and I found a spot as best we could and waited for the show to start. All of the sudden I heard, "Jess!" and Laurie grabbed my hand. She had been keeping an eye on the usher and spotted two open seats next to each other - which never happens. We rushed to the seats, and the show began. We had SEATS at the Badgley Mischka show!!!



The clothes were so beautiful, but the jewelry really stole the show. Unfortunately, you can't really see that in the video because the lights are so bright. Bright corals and pinks along with blacks that were so detailed made this for a very special collection. There were several looks that I wish I could have in my closet.

After the show, Laurie and I hung around the Tents for a bit, trying to network for eFlirt Expert. Then I got a frantic call from Terry, asking us to rush to the Skin show in Soho to shoot pictures for him because he didn't have a camera. We didn't really feel like going, but Terry had done so many amazing things for us that week, so we decided to return the favor. The show was supposed to start at 12, so we had to hurry.

We got to the location of the show, got right in, and waited. And waited. At 12:30, the room was still almost empty. The workers instructed everyone to take a seat in the front row, I'm guessing so it looked like there were more people there than there actually were. At 12:45, we started to really get annoyed. Finally, after the workers rearranged some more people, the show started. Skin is basically a loungewear collection, full of robes, shear tops and peak-a-boo undies, along with big fur boots for the ladies. The designer is definitely an ass man. Here a couple looks:

The show finished off with two children, who I'm assuming were the designer's:

There was such a delay between the end of the show and the finale (where all the models come out at the same time), that people started to leave! Then, the finale finally started with people standing on the runway! A very bizarre show indeed. I would fire my publicist if I was the designer for sure.

Laurie and I were starving by the time the show ended, so we found a little place across the street and had lunch. We were both exhausted, so we decided to call it a day at the Tents, plus I knew I had the Baby Phat show at 9 p.m. That night, Rich and I went to dinner. Still tired and not really feeling like going to the Baby Phat show alone, I asked if he wanted to come with me. Now, Rich is anything but a fashionista, but in the spirit of experiencing something that he never had before and trying to understand why I loved it so much, he whole-heartily agreed.

After styling him in a blue-vertical stripped button-down shirt, straight leg jeans and brown ankle boots, he looked modern enough to make it in. I had an extra ticket because the St. Petersburg Times sent me theirs and I had one from the folder that IMG gave me, so I knew it would be a piece of cake.

Thankfully we got there half an hour early because the line was already half way around the block. The workers started to work down the line and give us our seat assignments. I knew I was in because of the Times, but would have to finesse a story for Rich. The first girl didn't buy it and passed him by. Then, I had a genius idea. The invitation had a box for standing, so I just pulled out a pen and checked it for him. Done. They started letting everyone in and Rich just passed the guards by without a second look.

We got inside and grabbed a couple free "Kimora cosmos" (yes, that's what they were called) and scoped out the venue. I saw that my seat was in the last row and there was no way I would be able to see anything, so Rich and I decided to go up to the second level where the standing people would be and grab a great spot. It was perfect! I could see the whole runway and everyone on the first level, including all the "celebrities." By the time the show started, I saw: Kim Kardashian, Ice-T and Cocoa, Sheree from the Real Housewives of Atlanta, Russel Simmons, Fonzworth Bentley, Amber Rose (Kanye West's girlfriend), Lisa Rinna and several other D-listers who I couldn't remember the names of. Then, the show started at 9:30:



Oh, I love me some Kimora. The models stomped down the gold-sparkly runway in crazy lace-up heels, ripped leggings, bikinis, sequined skirts, jean vests and of course tie-died jumpers. Oh, and none of the male models had shirts on. Such a fabulous hot mess, as always. I heard one person describe it as a "school project." But she knows how to put on a show, you have to give her credit for that.

After being enlightened to what street wear was going to look like next season, Rich and I finished the night with some sangria at Victor's across the street.

Phew! What a day!!

1 comment:

Sherry Mims said...

You got the St. Petersburg Times extra ticket? Awesome. Did you have to write something for them in exchange? :-P