Breakfast with Bill

Ladylike by divadebbi 

Bill Cunningham from his front row perch at Fashion Week
(he can frequently be seen on his bicycle scooting through the City)

You know when people ask that classic cocktail party question, "if you could have dinner with 3 people, alive or dead, who would they be?"  My other two frequently rotate, but my one mainstay would be Bill Cunningham, the extraordinary fashion photographer for the N.Y. Times.

Bill has been chronically the City's fashionable for the last 50 or so years. Always exuberant and particularly delighted by street style, I always enjoy his photography, but savor his weekly videos, where you can hear the pure joy, humor and wonder in his voice.

I created this Polyvore set last night.  Initially, it was going to be composed strictly of black and white images, but it seemed to be lacking some punch, so I accented with red.

Chado Ralph Rucci: Fall 2013

Exquisite color mixing and this glimmering sequin tunic over sik
faille pants, brought audible gasps from the audience at Chado Ralph Rucci.
Collection photos courtesy of Style.com and Quintessence

Last Sunday evening's slush and chill did not deter the fashion world,  from attending Ralph Rucci's Fall 2013 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center.  Also in attendance, pens perched in hand in the front row, were Rucci's lovely loyal ladies, Deeda Blair, Susan Gutfreund, Martha Stewart and the always magnificent Iris Apfel, pictured below.

We had wonderful seats in the second row and I was delighted to find myself directly, behind my friends Jeffry Aronsson, President of Ralph Rucci, and his beautiful wife Wendy.  It was a joy to see Jeffry accepting many well earned congratulations after the show.

Vibrant colored Pologeorgis mink bolero's and full length coats delighted the audience in the opening of the show. Rucci is fanatic about perfect workmanship and exquisite details.  He is always thinking of the future and in his hands every ensemble feels completely fresh.

If the intent was to also to entice a younger customer, there was plenty to tempt her. Lace, sequins, mink, sable, feathers, leather, chiffon and silk faille are this artists tools and in his hands, fashion is elevated to something to be revered.

Here are some of my favorite looks from this outstanding collection.  My friend Q. from Quintessence Blog supplied the "rear view" shots, exemplifying just how exhilarating the clothes are, both coming and going...

Jenny Packham: Fall 2013

I love Mercedes-Benz NY Fashion Week. I will never pretend to be bored or jaded. I adore it all; the anticipation, the people watching and the intoxicating joy of seeing a magnificent show.

My perennial favorites are Chado Ralph Rucci, Naeem Khan, and J. Mendel.  I am adding another great, English Designer Jenny Packham to the list. 

Packham is a favorite of Kate Middleton and while her press notes said the collection was inspired by seventeenth-century Paris salons---"where strong-minded women met to discuss arts and culture, all I could think of was twenty first-century Kate.

Fashion Week 2013 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

The fashion industry once again returned for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center.  For Fall 2013, over 90 of the world's finest designers are presenting their latest collections through February 15th.

So much has changed since I first started being invited to shows when I was working in New York.  Back in the day, we were often shoe horned into the designer's showroom and packed and stacked back into the elevators, while dashing from one show to the next. Many Fire Marshall visits later, safer venues were developed.

There is no more convenient, or comfortable space than the one created by the team at IMG twice a year for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center.

I was there all day and evening Sunday, as the guest of my friends Peter and Linda Levy.  Peter Levy is one of the most important men in fashion in New York. As Global SVP of Fashion for IMG, Peter's influence continues to expand as he brings his acumen and vision to Fashion Week in other markets, such as London and Berlin.

It was exciting to see some of the latest innovations that have been put in place at Lincoln Center with them. The Event Lobby has received some fabulous upgrades to enhance their guests experience.

As always, you can mingle among Sponsor's presentation spaces and see the latest launches from Mercedes-Benz, Maybelline, Samsung, Papyrus, TRESsemme and others, often receiving free goodie samples.

Editors, photographers and bloggers were all making good use of the new VIP media space.  It was fully equipped to allow them to conduct business comfortably on-site and it was buzzing with activity all day.

On a festive note, the people watching is always amazing. Even more fun was being able to relax with a  cocktail and enjoying the great music from the new DJ booth that overlooks the entire lobby.

Diva, Linda Levy, Andrea Acker, Naki Halepas

Best spot in the house? The IMG VIP Suite and tee hee, I enjoyed every moment of it with Linda and our friends Naki and Andrea.  I will be back tomorrow and I will bring you coverage of the shows a little later on in the week.

My thanks and appreciation as always to the Levy's my generous friends and amazingly gracious  hosts.

xox,
DD