Bold, Beautiful or Both
Thursday September 17, 2009 | Contributor: Jennifer Wright

The Good

Carmen Marc Valvo broadcast his show for all to see. While Betsey Johnson may not have succeeded in staging her fantasy “open to the public” runway in Madison Square Garden (next year, Betsey?), Valvo came close, televising his show on three jumbo-trons above Times Square. The glitter-and-gold-clad models were preening at the cocktail party inside the NASDAQ, as Valvo explained his look as modern armor for the urban jungle.



Betsey Johnson remains incomparable. I loved her show at the Plaza, where she performed her customary cartwheels for the guests while models milled about in cotton-candy-pink dresses and guests guzzled pink champagne. Johnson garnered more than one comparison to Kay Thompson’s Eloise.



Phillip Lim, Donna Karan and Milly, among others, donated items to a charity auction for MyGoodDeed, a 9/11 service organization. Especially timely given that our fun-filled Fashion Week kicked off on September 11th.

The Odd:

I understood when Axe deodorant established an Axe Lounge in Southhampton for the summer, where frat boys could hit on scantily clad women—it seemed to cater perfectly to their target market. But what prompted them to give out samples of their “rare leather” scent in lieu of gift-bags at the Duckie Brown show? One of the stylish gay men in attendance pondered aloud why he’d want to smell like his sofa, while another fashionista declared that she only wears Chanel No. 5.

Some oddities are strangely delightful though—like the Snuggie fashion show! Held at the Park Avenue Hotel, this object of fashion derision blanket-with-sleeves (though, as one of their organizers sternly pointed out, Snuggies are So. Much. More.) displayed new tie-dye and leopard prints for spring. Also snuggies for dogs. So ridiculous as to be irresistible.



MC Hammer pants are back? Yigal Azrouel seems to think so. I’ll believe it when I see Katie Lee Joel sporting a pair.



The Bad:

The skirts at the otherwise delightful Michael Angel show were so short that more than one spectator was mooned by the models. If girls with bodies that perfect can’t keep the skirts down, how are normal women expected to?

Thom Brown. The man in the shiny silver suit with the tutu and the headband. Why, Thom Brown? Why?



But, whether good or bad (and we will never say ugly), Fashion Week is always one of the most thrilling reasons to be in New York. Now it is six long months until March—we can barely wait!