Fashion's Night Out

OMG! OMO! Norma Kamali's store was the most exciting stop in our fun-filled evening September 10th. Looking fabulous in a black jumpsuit, Norma (above, far left, with Jean) greeted and chatted with us and other shoppers. In addition to providing a huge rack of clothes priced at $100 and under, and cheery, attractive assistants ready to make the experience memorable, she offered free massages and manicures. While Valerie availed herself of a blissful chair massage (above right, with brawny masseur), Norma paused during her manicure to ask me some rather perceptive questions about health care reform. (Beautiful and brainy!) Guests were also treated to lavender marshmallows, panna cotta, rose petal merengues, popcorn, lavender shortbread cookies and bubbly soda and champagne. Marvelous, dahlings.

We stopped off at Manolo Blahnik's, where we hoped to entreat the master to make a more extensive line of stunning flats (and by the way, do you think he could put some cushy rubber soles on them?), but as he hadn't arrived yet, we mollified ourselves with full bodied bellinis and fresh flavorful cherry tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and a leaf of basil. Ne plus ultra!









From there, off to Barney's, where we saw and were seen. On one floor alone were Simon Doonan (shown here with Valerie), Isabel Toledo with a line of admirers a mile long waiting to have her autograph her new book, and Lady Jay (shown here with Jean), whom we caught before her show. Lady Jay is so wonderfully tall that we couldn't fit all of her into the photograph. In a rare change of priorities, we got her shoes in, but only at the expense of her fabulous cocktail hat. Barney's provided our first (and hopefully not last) encounter with Karlo, whose blog COMA (Confessions of a Makeup Artiste) is a total hoot.









We dashed into Calvin Klein to check out the clothes and the crowd. Both were hot. As Valerie schmoozed with the fabulous Elise and Caroline Rueda and their gloriously tressed friend, I made the acquaintance of Bret - a tall, blond vision whose length of leg was exceeded only by the length of his lashes! From the top of his insouciant chauffeur's cap with patent visor, past his sleeveless frilled top and flag trousers to the tips of his dizzyingly high platforms, he was a treat. His take on the crowd was refreshing. Although he was mobbed, he grabbed each of us for a photo op.







We stopped at Taryn Rose, where we checked out the fashionable flats, were treated to another welcome glass of bubbly and a bite of dark chocolate. Valerie, in footless tights, took advantage of the reflexology offered (GREAT idea!!!) by Joanne Silver. Jean, in panty hose, was not about to fuss with taking them off, even for a fabulous foot rub.







At some point, we made our way to Issey Miyake, grooved to the DJ, drooled over the clothes and swooned over Sachie, up from Pleats Please for the events in a frothy pleated saffron confection that looked like a Buddhist monk's robes taken to the nth degree - and then some.

Jean is wearing a vintage black Hino & Malee tunic, Pucci nylon and elastane swim cap, DKNY Wellies (fully prepared for the rains which were mercifully late and light) and LoungeFly purse (from ENZ in the East Village).

Valerie is wearing a vintage aerated modified bowler by Hattie Carnegie, Jaeger jacket, H&M shirt, Issey Miyake skirt, bracelet of trilobite fossils in silver from Evolution, and (flat) Arche shoes.

Both our hats off to the countless people who put together so many wonderful events, as well as the throngs of people who turned out in their gladdest of glad rags to commemorate it.