Image is Everything...: 2 weeks in my life...

New York Fashion Week Spring 2009 is finally over and I for one couldn’t be happier!! I truly love FASHION. This is all research for me, believe it or not. Knowing what is going on keeps me on top of things for my clients. I am the kind of person who would stay up all night (if possible) watching past runway shows , pondering how much fashion has/has not changed. Imagine someone like that actually having the shows in her neighborhood! I was in heaven!! I know this isn’t the first fashion show that’s been held in New York – however it’s the first one that I can honestly say I attended freely because I didn’t have as many conflicts as I used to.

My first show this season was the Edwing D’Angelo show, held at the Westin Hotel on,42 street, on the 5th of September. Should I mention it started late?? Almost all the fashion shows start late, so this wasn’t really a surprise! There are at least 2-3 per hour in these first few days, either at the tent or somewhere else in the city. Anyway, I went with my dear friend Lorraine Cruz, who is an international hairstylist and make-up artist( I need to bring her to Nigeria to teach a few people her cutting technique). I must say I LOVED it!!! Now mind you, I have never even worked with him before!! So this is totally unbiased. I haven’t pulled from him or bought anything from him ever. I was invited because we talked fashion at a Kerry Rhodes party and he asked his PR girl/assistant (I’m not quite sure what she was) to get my info. So I wasn’t even remotely familiar with his work. But I was truly a fan of the whole Aquatica themed show after he was done! There is sooooo much you can do with white. And everything coming down his runway was WHITE!!! Cat suits, lovely dresses mixed with other colors (he kept in theme though – white was dominant), lovely tuxedo pants, blouses for women, and there were the pieces with his logo embroidered tastefully on the back – LOVE!!! Pictures from his show are posted below… I didn’t say we had the best seat (hence the not so clear pictures), but at least we got a seat!!!

Lacoste and Abaete were shows I RSVP’d for but didn’t end up attending because I had a conflict (don’t you just hate that?). Lorraine went with her sister Jocelyn and had a blast! The Tracy Reese show was super nice, though I was rather upset as my name wasn’t on the list even though I SPOKE to L.H who assured me that it was. URGH!!!! Rather annoying as I would have stayed my butt at home!! Oh well…I missed the first few minutes of the show – I swear that place MUST have been a fire hazard. As it was PACKED!!!! My friend and fellow stylist KB was supposed to meet me, but he stood me up!!! He is soooo in my bad books right now! However this is me!! Talking to people has never been something I couldn’t do, its called networking!! I ended up staying an extra 2hrs.

The Bryant Park Tent ambiance is amazing - it truly is. Free giveaways at various times of the day , from blackberry phones, havainas flip flops, magazines, magazines and more magazines! Celebrity sightings, free drinks (yes, alcohol, but I stuck to coffee) and my favorite pastime …people watching!!! Sigh…it was HARD to pull away. It’s also a good place to get your creative juices flowing!! I just kept thinking of the various things I need to put together.

I was meant to go to the W magazine party on Monday, but couldn’t because I had to get ready for the photo shoot on Tuesday….WORK!!! Gotta love it!!

Best of British show…didn’t attend – Emmy wasn’t there so what was the point? However, the Custo Barcelona show was INTERESTING!! There were several members of the cast of Ugly Betty, one of the Danity Kane girls (I think it was Aubrey O’day) was also there…but I must say the show was the most disorganized thing EVER!!! The music was soooooo LOUD, I felt I needed earplugs!! Many people were promised seats and didn’t get them (we did, but barely). About the show itself, very few of the pieces would I wear together…I would HAVE to break them up…it was just waaaaay too colorful for me!! Seriously and I am not conservative at all, I actuall LOVE color!!! But I do have an issue wearing too many colors all at once. The funniest part was the paparazzi attack after the show…it was was crazy and I HATED every minute of it. We had our pictures taken several times (Lorraine more than me, thankfully) simply because of how we were dressed. We looked fabulous! Oh and Steve Zak came too and he took some pictures too. I seriously don’t know how celebrities deal with this every minute they step out of their house!! Jeeze!!! And before you ask, I wasn’t in anything scandalous… I was wearing a black strapless cat suit with my big ‘ole D&G belt which I LOVE!! The belt could walk by itself if necessary – LOL, it has a life and personality of its own!!! On our way out, we bumped into Mrs. Jada Pinkett-Smith rushing into the Zac Posen show with her entourage. She is so tiny!! Gorgeous…but tiny, in my heels I felt like a giant beside her. I could see the middle of her head and she was in her Louboutins too - that must have given her a good 5 inches!!

Since Thursday was also Lorraine’s birthday – we had plans to go to a comedy club, dinner and a club. Dangerfield’s and Cain…deadly combo! I laughed so hard I cried…the Puerto Rican guy was the funniest and I can’t even remember his name!! We were picked on all night because we were late and we were a bunch of great looking girls with a smattering of guys. But I love jokes and knew going in that we would get picked on-I truly love comedy. If you need to use me as material ,go right ahead…isn’t that why we sat in the front? Lorraine had fun and that’s truly all that matters!!

This is my week (or two) in a nutshell. Oh, I am also sporting a spanking new haircut courtesy of Lorraine Cruz of Bio Ionics. She always gives me amazing looks...this one is turning heads and I LOVE IT!! Thanks Lorraine.

Of course the juggling that I call my life continues…did I mention this was also my son’s first week of BIG school? He is super excited and we are sooooo proud of him! The fashionista, wife and mom!

***Pictures taken by Remi Fagbohun and Steve Zak.

People with us...

Outside the tents...

I wonder if I could survive 20 mins without this phone? According to my darling Sunny, she thinks it stays on my boob :-)

Remi Fagbohun and Lorraine Cruz , Bryant Park Tent, having one of our interview/paparazzi moments...

Here's another...

Ambiance in the tent...can't remember which day.

Us again...too many peeps taking pictures. Eyes in different directions...I havent quite mastered this picture stuff - sigh! Lorraine on the other hand is a PRO!!