Fashion Week Roundup, Part VI



(Roberta Armani, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Giorgio Armani via style)

"The opening party for Giorgio Armani's new Fifth Avenue flagship, the first U.S. store to put all of the brand's lines under one roof, was bound to be the most star-studded event of fashion week—and it didn't disappoint. Even before Mayor Bloomberg and Caroline Kennedy helped cut the ribbon or Leonardo DiCaprio rolled up, the block was crammed with rubberneckers, and at least one overzealous paparazzo was led away from the scene by New York's Finest. Victoria Beckham entered the store to cries from adoring fans. 'I worked out for five months,' she said, when asked about her Armani underwear modeling gig. In the press of cameras and jostling reporters, less posh-spicy types like Liam Neeson and Richard Meier slipped by relatively unnoticed." (style)

"'This feels like a nervous gallery opening to me,' smiled a jittery Roberta Armani. 'I'm excited, but you just hope everything works out and everyone is happy.' For the record, it worked out. Big time: Armani's Fifth Avenue opening was like the East Coast's challenge to the Oscars. Considering the festivities included a half-hour ceremony and a two-hour cocktail, the turnout was spectacular. Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Alicia Keys, Mira Sorvino, and John Mayer all showed. Victoria Beckham even jetted over from Europe. "This is not your average corner opening, so it's worth it!' she excitedly assured The Daily .. Before any stars entered the architecturally exciting premises, Armani announced a $1 million donation to the NYC public school fund while Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Joe Klein, and Caroline Kennedy looked on. The designer even took the subway to the Bronx that morning to see where his donations would be going and listened to poems from kids. 'I can say this as fact,' smiled Bloomberg. 'Giorgio Armani took a subway to school this morning!' Anna Wintour personally thanked Armani for the donation right before the ribbon was cut: "Thank you so much for doing this for the city!" she whispered." (Fashionweekdaily)

"NEVER get between fashionistas and their liquor. A mini-riot almost broke out at Indochine Tuesday night during the party French Vogue editrix Carine Roitfeld threw to celebrate her son Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld's graduation from UCLA film school. A spy said, 'Although the party started at 10 p.m., there were 40 people outside by 9:45. The only two people to make it inside before 10:15 were Natalia Vodianova and her husband, Justin Portman, but the bar, sponsored by Moét and Belvedere vodka, wasn't even ready for another half-hour. By 10:30 everyone was flipping out over lack of alcohol. It's always nice to see top fashion editors and photographers losing it and no one there to assist them. The nicest person was Claire Danes, who actually left a good tip on a vodka and soda.' The bar had to be shut down at 11:15 except for celebrities such as Vogue's Hamish Bowles and Benicio del Toro." (PageSix)



"The achingly hip crowd that descended on Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld's Tuesday night bash should come as a surprise to no one. Carine is his mom, Julia is his sister, and Lily Donaldson is his girlfriend, after all .. Not everyone could handle last night's tight, smoke-filled quarters, though. After nearly being knocked down by a couple engaged in a very public display of affection, Rachel Zoe declared, 'This is bananas,' and left." (Style)



(Anna Wintour, Lazaro Hernandez, and Bee Schaffer via suprememanagement)

"Hilfiger is a God, serving shots of hot cocoa and macaroons! Kinda wish it were espresso, but whatever." (Weekofstyle)

"Jessica Stam wobbles on the Hilfiger runway, but avoids falling. What a pro!" (Partyhopper)



"An invitation to the Rainbow Room is never one to turn down and Thursday morning Catherine Malandrino staged her Fall 2009 show atop Rockefellar Center. Editors, Buyers and celebs like Mary J. Blige and Mena Suvari climbed the elevators to the 65th floor, where they were greeted with mimosas and breakfast pastries." (Glam)

"Quite the breakfast spread at Malandrino in the Rainbow Room. Carbs are out in full force ..Just spotted in the Tents: Ivanka Trump. She looks kind of great."(TheCutBlog)

"Ivanka Trump is at Brian Reyes - Rachel Bilson is backstage." (WWD)

"Second girl down on Brian Reyes's runway." (WWD)

"After the second model falls at Brian Reyes, the entire group comes out at the end barefoot." (Racked)



(Moises de la Renta and Eugenia Gonzalez via JH/NYSocialDiary)

"Yesterday at one p.m. at 583 Park Avenue, Oscar de la Renta presented his 2009 fall collection. 583 which is the Delano and Aldrich designed Christian Scientist Church at 63rd Street is a beautiful venue thanks to its architects and still retains that New England church interior sanctity that brightens up even the grayest New Yorkers. As a fashion venue, which is exclusively Oscar’s (the contracts were made that way) it has had a search-and-find development, namely: how to work the runway in a smaller space. Part of the solution was to eliminate a good number from the guestlist. Oscar’s shows in the Tents, in the main tent must have held over a thousand for he was SRO, baby. Fashion shows in New York have become a social staple over the past two decades that adapted to the new social world which is larger and more diverse than the old. The Oscar de la Renta shows drew the 'new crowd' because Oscar is the remaining fashion star of the era, and because he also drew a large group of New York stellars and society-somethings. Not to mention the stars and the editors and the models and the 20-somethings who were rich or not far from it." (NYSocialDiary)



"Yesterday’s Oscar de la Renta show, at a Christian Science Church on Park Avenue*, took place in a grand, two-story room anchored with White House–esque columns at the front. Mr. de la Renta employed a diverse cast of models, among them a handful of the most prominent African-American up-and-comers (his spring 2009 runway was also less pale than many designers’), and his collection featured belted, first-lady-appropriate day dresses and gowns in lively, contrasting colors .. Regardless, the only political figure present was Barbara Bush (the younger), whose mother favors Mr. de la Renta. The young Ms. Bush wore a peacoat and blue scarf and was ushered to her seat mere seconds before the show began with Derek Blasberg, ubiquitous consort to young social types. The Upper East Side social contingent had also rallied, of course—Marjorie Gubelmann, Alexandra Lind Rose, Marina Rust, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer — not to mention Barbara Walters, a close personal friend of Mr. de la Renta’s who spent the Christmas holiday with the designer and his wife, Annette, at their estate in the Dominican Republic (where they were joined by the Kissingers and Joel Klein, according to Cathy Horyn’s recent profile of Mr. de la Renta in The Times’ style magazine)." (Observer)



"A top model in the second row of a major show is an unlikely sighting. But mannequin fans need not fret: Coco Rocha's audience status at Carolina Herrera Monday morning was thanks to her new gig at E! News. The red-tressed model is doing backstage interviews this season (along with walking a few catwalks) for the television channel. And she seems to be enjoying the other side of the runway. 'Last night I was in the front row of Miss Sixty. We kept trying to make the girls laugh,' she said. 'It worked really well.'" (WWD)