Fashion Week is already a memory, but I won't soon forget my encounter with Justin Timberlake at his William Rast fashion show. "Fashion is an extension of who I am," Justin--who presented the collection with partner and friend Trace Ayala--told me. "This would be what I would wear regardless of anything else. So if I never recorded a song, or worked on a film or did anything this would be how I dress. I think that's how fashion is for anyone, or how it should be."
Nakisha chats with William Rast designers Justin Timberlake and Trace Trace Ayala.
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While Bronwyn jetted off to Toronto to cover the Film Festival, I helped hold down the Fashion Week shows and party circuit in New York. Though I enjoyed hitting early kickoff parties like Samsung's Valentino soiree, the launch of Andre 3000's Benjamin Bixby menswear line, and the Official Fashion Week Kick-Off party at Saks Fifth Avenue--which featured a Wizard of Oz ruby slipper collection done by top shoe designers--the event that I couldn't wait to cover was the Fifth Annual Fashion Rocks concert at Radio City Music Hall.
The Fashion Rocks Marquee at Radio City Music Hall.
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Are there any stars left in L.A.? I'm just asking because I feel like I saw all of them at the U.N.--granted, it's not exactly the Kodak Theater, but this is where Madonna upstaged New York Fashion Week with a Gucci-sponsored benefit for Malawi. Aside from Madge, who looked typically amazing, I saw Rihanna, J.Lo, Gwen Stefani--hopefully the Grammys will be this star-studded. As I walked in, I breezed by Gwyneth, who was looking vey pretty in pink, Katie looking striking in red and, well, just about everyone else seeemd to be rocking black, that safe albeit always sophisticated choice. At least Madonna's longtime rep Liz Rosenberg playfully accessorized her black frock with purple antennae atop her head. "It's to remind me that parties like this should be fun," Liz told me as I watched Martha Stewart get in touch with her inner-paparazzo and snap Madonna's picture.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
And Martha wasn't the only starstruck celebrity in the room. When I caught up with one of my favorite couples, Ugly Betty's Becki Newton and her husband Chris Diamantopoulos, they told me how exciting it was to walk past Tom and Katie on the red carpet. "And I'm not usually at parties like this where I have to say, 'Excuse me, Rihanna, as I reach past you to grab a drink!' " Becki joked. They've been making the most of their time off because of the strike, hitting some fashion shows and enjoying domestic bliss: "Yesterday I learned to make lamb stew," Becki said, and she even offered to cook up a batch to bring in for my fellow In Style coworkers. (I can't imagine her TV character doing anything like that for Betty and the rest of the Mode staff.) But then they had to excuse themselves to go say hi to Salma Hayek.
James and In Style's Suzanne Zuckerman
Sherly Rabbani & Josephine Solimene/rabbanisolimene.com
On my way out, I saw Heidi Klum and I was tempted to ask her who had been kicked off the episode of Project Runway that I had missed (but it was worth it). And I was thrilled to chat with the fabulous Dita Von Teese. "This is a great cause," Dita said, but then she admitted to having another reason for attending, aside from the charity. "I'm on a manhunt," Dita told me--and this is why I love her. "If you meet any single guys, send them my way--I'm giving out my number tonight!"
-- James Patrick Herman
Fashion designers love putting on a show, whether it's of the catwalk variety or just a lively dinner party. Before Fashion Week was in full swing, I attended an intimate late-night supper hosted by a designer who wasn't even showing at the Bryant Park Tents: Marc Ecko, the man behind the rhino logo. But since his company raked in a reported $1.2 billion last year, I can understand why he opted for a dinner party instead. (Anyway, Marc's wife is about to give birth to their third child, so he has more important things than fashion on his mind.)
Photos by Marc Ecko
Not that he's taking it easy. At one point, I looked up to see him grating cheese over my salad. Talk about a hands-on host! Rather than reserving tables at some trendy restaurant, Marc entertained guests at his spacious offices in Chelsea. How spacious, you ask? Well, let's put it this way: The dinner table was set up on what's normally used as a basketball court. (Yes, that's a hoop just above Yoda.)
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This is how Fashion Week started: Pouring rain, my cab stuck in traffic and me running 20 minutes late for a show. Fortunately, the show was Baby Phat, and I know that Kimora Lee Simmons runs even later than I usually do. When I finally made it through the door of the Roseland Ballroom and shook off my umbrella, I asked one of the girls checking seat assignments if she had any idea when the show would begin. I got a huge kick out of her response: “Hahahahaha!”
But my Fashion Week mantra is: Fabulous things come to those who wait. And I wasn’t disappointed on this night. This isn’t exactly a must-see show for the fashion purists, but I go because I can always count on sexy clothes (this time, Kimora took her inspiration from Moscow, where the local fashionistas are not subtle in their embrace of makeup, major jewelry and fur), fierce models (like Alek Wek and Omahyra Mota) and an awesome hip-hop soundtrack.
As I was taking my seat, I bumped into the girl who sat next to me on the plane back from Sundance—how random is that? She’s a banker who is mulling over fashion P.R. as a career change. “Britney is here!” she told me, and I could tell by the excitement in her voice that she’s probably going to end up leaving Wall Street for the considerably more glamorous world of star-filled fashion shows. I’ve seen dozens of great rock concerts at Roseland over the years, and that’s exactly what the energy felt like.
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