Abi Ferrin & Off the Field Do Good Well

The "Nikki" five-way romper, left, from Abi Ferrin. Photo by Bode Helm.

CALL it the show before the show. It’s all “off the field,” and it’s all good.

The occasion for a select few is a fashion show/cocktail party hosted by Off the Field (OTF) Players’ Wives Association. (http://www.offthefieldpwa.com/)

This very evening (6-9) at Dallas It spot, Azure. For all who have eyes to see will be "Nikki" and other eye-catching affairs from the Donna Karan of Dallas – Abi Ferrin. AF’s is a real Hollywood story. It is there that the erstwhile sales rep became a fashion designer. “I am a designer,” she declared to an entertainment journalist who was coveting the blouse she was wearing.

From there, a star was in gestation as she gained a reputation for utterly feminine and wearable clothing: bodacious colors, transportive prints, fine fabrics. Onboard from the beginning was a small, loyal celebrity following. Smart girl that she is, AF decided she’d prefer to be a big fish in the small pond of Dallas – not that anything in Texas is small. But in fashion, Dallas is no L.A.

"Amy" print cover-up from Abi Ferrin can be a swimsuit cover, poncho or a top. Photo from http://www.abiferrin.com/.

Anywho, AF has been doing very well, thank you very much – even garnering good notices and standing ovations in NEW YORK. Somewhere in the narrative, OTF got wind of AB, and thus began a beautiful relationship.

The fashion presentation/mixer is not soley about charmeuse and Champagne. (Incidentally, not everyone can attend but everyone who desires can purchase some AF.) Proceeds from AF frocks sold during the “Off the Field Cocktail Party” will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (http://www.stjude.org/) And it is only the beginning.

On 4 Feb., two days before Super Bowl XLV at the brand-new Cowboys Stadium, is OTF’s, “Super Bowl Awards Banquet and Fashion Show” featuring the designs of guess who. More on that in a future Fashion Scrapbook, but Yours Truly can disclose that it is a mini-extravaganza; models won’t be the only mannequins on the runway, and St. Jude will benefit from that bit of largesse, too.

Abi Ferrin "D'Andra" full sleeve jacket (with pleating on the sleeves and jacket back. Photo from http://www.abiferrin.com/.

Like OTF, AB has do-gooder tendencies. Hers is helping women and girls emancipated from the slave trade in Nepal. In fact, elements in her designs – buttons, for instance – have come from (at fair market prices, AF asserts) the very people she has helped. So, they are in turn helping her.

Meanwhile, tonight's jollification will serve as a good pre-game show brought to the Big D – not by the NFL, but the OTF. The nonprofit was founded nearly five years ago as a way for wives of active and retired footballers to do some good in their respective communities.

Footballer wives may have a reputation for looking pretty and casting ugly looks at actual and perceived homewreckers, but that is obviously a mono-simplistic characterization and possibly unfair. No doubt, some among these ladies realized that they have a platform and decided to use it in the name of good. To date, OTF has raised more than $400,000 for various and sundry worthy causes.

For that, the group deserves a Super Bowl ring, no?

Shop Abi Ferrin at http://www.abiferrin.com/shop.html or find a store that carries the line at http://www.abiferrin.com/stores.html.

At DQ, “ … the Sale of the f@$%ing Century”
Image from www.duncanquinn.com

THE DEAL: Duncan Quinn (http://www.duncanquinn.com/) is offering venture capitalist types and others with plenty of swagger and money to burn 30 to 50 percent off “most” ready to wear items through 24 Jan.

“... If you don’t get on it sharpish," though, "we may just change our minds,” the promotion (above) threatens. DQ is hawking a deal of a lifetime, alterations not included. Must be in Los Angeles and/or New York to get in on the hustle.

Meanwhile, Semi Annual Blow Out Sale at AS
The looks are among those on sale at Aysha Saeed. Photo from www.ayshasaeed.com.

THE DEAL: Aysha Saeed (http://www.ayshasaeed.com/). In New York only. Once upon a time it was to be 19 Jan only. Demand is responsible for the new one day only - Wednesday, 2 Feb. On offer is at least one glass of Champagne. After whistles are whetted/wetted, shoppers can get down to the business of shopping at 70 percent off ($50-$139). Styles are limited.

Bring a friend and net an extra 5 percent off. 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m./109 W. 38th Street Suite 301(b/w 6th Avenue and Broadway). RSVP: events@ayshasaeed.com.