New York Fashion Week Coverage: Day Two

Click HERE For Day Two Fashion Photo Slideshow

LUST HAVE

Today's lust have came from Tom Scott, my favorite knitwear designer (I collect Scott's pieces the way other people collect shoes). Scott's latest outing was based on the idea of movement, play and dress-up with a whimsical, naughty secretary vibe (think: oversized pullovers, slip-bearing pencil skirts and one ingenious little item that can be worn as a sweater or a tube skirt). I was instantly smitten with a Lurex trim sweater worn with a double-layer kangaroo pocket skirt, and an ivory cutaway cardigan with a hand crocheted "hair" collar held in place with a gigantic safety pin. Oh, and there was a navy chiffon-edged cardigan that was pretty damn sweet, too (of course, the inventive presentation, which utilized both models and headless, legless mannequins suspended from the ceiling in an installation designed by London architect Ab Rogers, made everything look fab). And then there was that seriously sexy trench coat fashioned from black oilcloth with a curvy cutout over layer at ThreeAsFour. Decisions, decisions...

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

This being Saturday, many fashion folk brought along their offspring to shows (hey, even the nanny needs a day off). I saw two little boys laying beneath the ceiling-hung mannequins at Tom Scott, there were two tweenagers besides themselves with joy upon spotting "America's Next Top Model" photographer Nigel Barker (who graciously posed for photos with the giggling girls), and Vogue fashion features director and mother of three Sally Singer who brought two of her tousled-haired sons to the Costello Taliapietra show, the youngest of whom napped in mom's lap for the duration.

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP WHAT?

Speaking of Nigel Barker, you guys will love this. I had taken my seat at Sass & Bide, the last show of the day, and was watching the little girls sitting next to me run back and forth across the aisle to get shots of Nicky Hilton and Niki Taylor, both of whom were seated across from us in the front row. Then a clipboard girl (aka, PR person) appeared out of nowhere and moved one of the girls to the second row - much to her father's annoyance - so she could seat an arriving guest. "Oh, nice going, kicking an innocent child out of her seat!" I joked to the (very cute) guy who sat down beside me. "I know, I feel terrible, but I had nothing to do with it!" he replied with a grin. Suddenly, a swarm of people (ok, young women) approached him and asked to have their picture taken with him. Huh? Then, the two little girls came back from their junior paparazzi mission and instead of being upset that this guy had usurped one of their seats, began squealing like, uh, 10-year-old school kids (which they were) and demanded that their dad take their picture with the guy, too. Double huh? "OK, I'm sorry but I have to ask," I said when he sat back down. "Who are you?" "Nigel Barker," he grinned. "And...?" I said. "And that's all there is to it," he replied. When it became clear from the blank look on my face that I still had no idea who he was (meaning, why he was being surrounded by drooling members of the fairer sex), he added, "I'm a fashion photographer. On 'America's Next Top Model.'" Ohhhh, sor-ry.

TYRA VS. NIKI: A SUPERMODEL SMACKDOWN

Since Nigel and I were now on a first-name basis, and Niki Taylor (the ost of Bravo's new show, "Make Me a Supermodel") was sitting directly across from us, I asked Barker who would win in a fight, him or Taylor. "I don't know," he replied. "Look at Niki's heels! I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them." And between Niki and Tyra? "I definitely think Tyra can hold her own, for sure," he laughed. So is he worried about the competition from the new show? "No, we've got 10 seasons under our belt, they've got one," he said, nodding in Niki's direction. "Come on. I think we should be flattered that they're trying to imitate us. Good luck with that!"

NAME TO KNOW: JUAN CARLOS OBANDO

*Juan Carlos Obando Invite. "The superhero is the inspiration, not the execution," said designer Juan Carlos Obando of the collection he unveiled in a whitewashed Garment District loft Saturday afternoon, which heralded his New York debut (he's been showing in LA for four years). Dubbed "Case Study N.8: Liz Goldwyn vs. Frank Miller," Obando paid homage to Goldwyn, his favorite client/muse, and to classic graphic novels - Superman, Batman, the Green Lantern, Daredevil, the Joker - in an incredibly light handed way. To wit: Elasticwoman was represented by a one shoulder nude and black bias cut gown (BAM!), Spiderman appeared as a hand-knit scorched lace minidress "webbed" with rubberized black pvc sequins (POW!), and Batman was suggested by an ice blue cape back gown with 3/4 split sleeves (ZAP!). So when you're designing, which comes first, I asked Obando, the chicken or the egg (e.g., does the fabric dictate the design or does the design dictate the fabric)? "I think it's one big dinosaur that throws up a chicken and egg together," laughed the impish designer, gesturing toward his Aquaman look. "That's kind of the way it is. This fabric is the right fabric for this theory, for this dress, for this shape. It's more of an old-school, intellectual approach - like Alaia." And lest you think young JC (who is all of 30) is being self-aggrandizing, check out the collection - which he made entirely himself, by hand - for yourself. "It's been a long road [to New York] but I was ready," he added. "I want people to judge my work for what it is. I don't want to be an
overnight success. I want to be the beautiful story that you really want to tell that is more sentimental. It's not all this hype. Those who love it, love it. And those who don't love it," he shrugged, "it's ok." We can't image who those people would be, JC.

INVITE OF THE DAY

OK, so I know I just got done singing the praises of JC Obando's collection, but his invitation deserves a little shout-out, too. Who else would announce his presentation by way of a limited-edition, Frank Miller-style graphic cartoon poster depicting his muse, Liz Goldwyn, doing battle with a villain and emerging victorious. Look, up in the sky: It's a bird! It's a plane! It's SuperLiz!

CELEBS TO THE LEFT OF ME, CELEBS TO THE RIGHT OF ME

Sass & Bide wasn't the only celebfest in town. At Costello Tagliapietra, MisShapes DJ Leigh Lezark was seated directly across the aisle from me and spent her pre-show time alternately checking her Blackberry and posing for photogs, while a surprisingly beefy Sean Lennon, wearing a neon pink polo shirt, chatted with his model irlfriend Kemp Muhl while we waited for the ThreeAsFour show to begin.

SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT

Costello Tagliapietra duo Jeffrey Costello and Robert Taliapietra sent guests home with a great souvenir: a limited edition balsam/cedar/sage-scented candle made in collaboration with Le Cherche Midi. The CT candle came packaged in a recycled wood box lined with the designers' signature chocolate brown jersey fabric. Heavenly!

MOST MOVING MOMENT

Back in the tents after a one-season absence, Aussie designers Sass & Bide (aka, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton) dedicated their show, "Rainbows for Kate" to a good friend of Heidi's who lost her battle with breast cancer (the name comes from a colorful beaded bracelet Heidi made Kate while the two were undergoing treatment together). The show was, by turns, melancholy and uplifting, with
clothing that segued from somber black to, yes, rainbow bright. "Even though it was a tribute it was meant to be really fun and happy and a celebration of life," Sarah-Jane told me post-show. And the music - from the opening strains of "Desperado" to the lovely acoustic version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that played during the finale - really set the mood.

ART ATTACK

Walking home from Costello Tagliapetra Saturday afternoon, I spied a fluorescent orange bike chained to a street sign, and assumed it was either a guerilla art installation or belonged to some crazy messenger (not sure if you've heard, but we have those here in Noo Yawk). Then, on the way from ThreeAsFour in Chelsea to Sass & Bide in the tents, Patrick Butler (the wonderful photographer who's responsible for most of the photos you see here) and I were stopped dead in our tracks by the site of a red phone booth - the type you see in London - lying on
the ground with an axe in its side (poor thing). Later, outside of Bryant Park, I spotted yet another neon orange bike locked to a pole. What the...?! Further investigation revealed a silver DKNY logo on the bike's frame. Mmmm...fashion, art and commerce. Three great tastes that taste great together!

Click HERE For Day Two Fashion Photo Slideshow