baby steps

Thursday marked an important step in my burgeoning career as a fashion journalist: I attended my first real fashion show in the tents at Bryant Park. It was exactly how I had always imagined it to be; teems of people outside handing out fashion magazines or lingering around to catch a glimpse of the it celebrity/model/socialite while everyone shuffled inside and waited patiently to be let into the promenade. The crowd was typical, a mix of high fashion editors and fashion groupies dressed almost exclusively in black, towering stilettos sprinkled throughout amongst a sea of restless bodies, and of course, the occasional, yet piercing, i-can-see-right-through-your-pitiful-attempt-to-be-fashionable glances.

As we entered the promenade, Evian bottles were handed out by models while people mixed and mingled. I swiftly tucked away to my seat, naively believing that the show would actually start on time. It would take another 30 minutes before the strobing lights of paparazzi cameras would cease. As the crowd finally took their seats, the tent lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show.

Naeem Khan's Spring 2009 show had a very ethereal, yet smart tone. The designer payed homage to his native India with the rich use of color and texture evident in his textiles. However, Khan avoided a full fledged 'ethnic' look with a line which fused grecian-like drapery with tailored, sculptural details.

The collection consisted mostly of dresses (of all lengths), styled very simply, for a clean and elegant look. The color palate was also very much so in line with many of the other collections we've seen on the runway this season: milky whites, lilacs, blush pinks and airy blues. Yet, shocking bursts of color were not entirely exempt from the collection. Khan included several fiery pinks and poppy reds, bold colors which drew attention and added drama to his overall aesthetic. His use of metallic jacquards and sequins also fell in line with the glitter and glitz theme that seemed to run through evening wear for this season. At times however, I
found the use of sequins a bit excessive- I'm not really sure where I'd be wearing a powder pink sequin gown to, or how I'd be able to accessorize it without looking like a large, shiny bottle of pepto bismol...

But, what caught my attention most were the magnificent oragami pleats which appeared throughout Khan's collection. The sculptural quality of the pleats lent itself to creating interesting silhouettes and delicate details. The most striking piece was definitely the gold sequin/metallic jacquard strapless oragami pleat gown which closed the show; the model looked as if she had been carefully gift-wrapped. I also loved the gold sequin embroidered bootcut trousers which was paired with a simple white silk jersey t-shirt. It was utterly, yet effortlessly chic.



Here are some of the photos I took during the show. I think my favorite thing to watch (besides the clothes) were the different walks and postures of the models... who knew they leaned back so much? It's actually kind of ridiculous!