NY Fashion Week Style Diary: Day 2

New York Fashion Week Daily Style Diary

The day started with copious amounts of YSL’s Touche Eclat concealer to hide the rapidly growing dark circles under our eyes and following that a very bad decision on my part to wear a pair of my favorite Sigerson Morrison booties that would, by the end of the day, become my utter undoing.

Despite the urgings of my senior writer Christopher Luu, who reminded me of the foot carnage that occurred last season at Fashion Week, I still wore them to for day two of the Lucky FABB experience and trotted off in denial to Breakfast at Tiffany’s hosted by Lucky executive fashion director Alexis Bryan Morgan.

Lucky FABB, Tiffany & Co., Alexis Bryan Morgan

 

Breakfast was held in the private jewelry salon of the venerable Fifth Avenue flagship that was once the workshop of Tiffany designer Jean Schlumberger, and included such delicate morsels as mini muffins dusted with glitter, lobster-tomato mini quiche, truffle sausages, sugared bacon and pesto deviled eggs. As delectable as the food was, nothing could match the delicious baubles on display for the private collection that the guests were encouraged to try on. And try we did. I felt particularly attached to an 11-carat, $1.9 million diamond ring but, alas, that wasn’t part of the goody bag. However, one glittering nugget we could take away safely was the news that Tiffany was opening its Soho flagship that day. And, surprisingly, we learned that Tiffany & Co. actually started its storied history in a downtown location.

Bergdorf Goodman celebrates it 111th anniversary

Celine Trapeze bag

Photo Courtesy of jbstylezone.blogspot.com

After breakfast we hopped over to Bergdorf Goodman to check out the latest Celine Trapeze bags while the department store’s creative team set to work preparing the elaborate displays for that evening’s Fashion’s Night Out festivities. The dramatic display of purple orchids at the entrance was so jaw-dropping that it created a bottleneck of gawkers stopping to photograph it at the entrance. After we caught our breath from admiring the beautiful blooms we promptly returned to oggling the bags which, a Bergdorf salesperson told us, were among the top two hottest selling handbag lines at the department store. (Chanel is the other, she said.)

We also managed to squeeze in a stop to Henri Bendel where we  ran into Perfekt makeup creator Richard Anderson, who is headquartered in our neck of the woods in L.A. We had just met Anderson at a press event in L.A. only a month before where he had mentioned that the line was the number one seller at Henri Bendel in NY. As much as we adored him and became quick devotees of the Body Perfection Gel, we were, admittedly, skeptical of what seemed like a lofty claim for a Perfekt Cheek Gel in Peachedcompany that handled all of its fulfillment out of its Hollywood headquarters. That is, until we popped into Bendel and saw both him and the counter mobbed with beauty harpies clamoring for Perfekt product and a piece of the charismatic founder, who is credited with launching the Yves Saint Laurent and Bobbi Brown Essentials beauty brands, among others. Despite the madness, he still managed to escape the crowds long enough to catch up with us and slip into our paws the new Cheek Perfection Gel in Peached — our new saving grace for a fresh look at Fashion Week.

Diana Vreeland, The Eye Has To Travel, Diana Vreeland film

By this time, I was in so much pain from my booties that not even the seven-foot-tall drag queen pushing an expensive pram down Fifth Avenue could distract me from wanting to set my shoes on fire. All I could think about was returning to our hotel to change shoes. But that would have meant missing our exclusive private preview (arranged by Lucky) to see the much-anticipated documentary on Diana Vreeland, directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Vreeland’s granddaughter-in-law. So, I soldiered on. While we are not able to officially review it until the September 21 release date, I can tell you that it’s a fabulous fashion romp that you won’t want to miss. (Stay tuned for our upcoming review.)

Thankfully, the movie break was a respite to prepare for the evening’s madness of Fashion’s Night Out.

Prabal Gurung at FNO

Prabal Gurung at FNO

Three years ago, Vogue established Fashion’s Night Out as a way for retailers to get a boost in sales. Instead what they found was that shoppers would venture out and enjoy canapés and bubbly without a purchase. Now in its third year, there seem to be a few more shopping bags than the year before, less alcohol flowing at stores and a serious crowd of revelers. While just about every store from downtown to the Upper East Side hosted an event, previous years taught us that trekking through the city wasn’t so wise. Instead, the FTD team descended on Bergdorf Goodman (after stops at Henri Bendel and Prada, where Anna Wintour and Hamish Bowles were walking out as we were going in), which was celebrating its 111th birthday along with Fashion’s Night Out. What does a department store like Bergdorf do to fête such a momentous birthday? Call in the big guns.

Lela Rose and Michael Bastian at FNO

Lela Rose and Michael Bastian at FNO

A line wrapped around the store (which was decorated with signature lavender ribbon wrapped around its façade) as eager shoppers waited to get in through those fabled revolving doors. From the basement to the top floor, Linda Fargo and her team assured there’d be something to do — and someone to see — no matter what floor you found yourself on. Aerin Lauder promoted her new namesake line on the beauty floor while other designers had appearances throughout the store. Rachel Zoe caused a frenzy even though she swooped in and out of the crowds for no more than a few moments (she was due to make an appearance at the opening of Piperlime’s first brick-and-mortar store downtown). Makeup artist Edward Bess greeted his fans just a few paces away and author Sara James Mnookin played host to a long roster of designers who joined her to sign copies of Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf Goodman, a tome that includes designers’ musings on the store and how it helped jump start their careers.

AndrewAndrew at FNO

AndrewAndrew at FNO

Senior writer Christopher Luu had a fashion dream become a reality when he met his sartorial idol Michael Bastian, who was there to sign books alongside Lela Rose, Prabal Gurung, Thakoon Panichgul, Monique Lhuillier and more. Each floor was buzzing with activity, which included a photo booth, DJs and of course, the chance to shop the exclusive 111 collection. Elsewhere, designers hosted karaoke contests, released special items for the night and had celebrities in and out of their stores. We spied Ryan Lochte rushing out of Calvin Klein’s flagship spot and Lauren Bush Lauren was promoting her new collaboration with DKNY downtown. Super-stylists Mary Alice Stephenson and Stacy London were at Ann Taylor and New York and Co., respectively (Stacy’s partner in crime Clinton Kelly was at Macy’s Herald Square) doling out advice and hosting giveaways. For fans of fashion it was a chance to get some face time with their favorite designers, but we’ll have to see just how much shopping they really did when those quarterly numbers get published in WWD.

With contributions by Christopher Luu.

 

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Author:Michelle Dalton Tyree

Fashion Trends Daily is the brainchild of Michelle Dalton Tyree. She is the former West Coast Retail Editor for Women’s Wear Daily, Fashion Editor for The Japan Times, and founder of former L.A. luxury boutique Iconology. Michelle is frequently quoted about fashion retail trends in major media outlets such as NPR, KPCC, The Inside Source and the New York Times. She has developed content for many luxury brands and retailers and has written for Allure, Worth Global Style Network, Footwear News and other media outlets.