MBFW Day 3: Inside the Box Is Where It's At

Rafael Cennamo: All that glitter is gold. Photo by William Gaines.

HEAD’S UP: That turnaround between September and February always seems short. One is in the middle of the Yuletide season when the notice arrives about registering for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York! Well, here we are at Fall 2013 and a small change in the VEVLYN’S PEN approach to covering Fashion Week. We will still put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway and will only do a “best of” when it suits. We will also continue to endeavor to provide a roundup of the best, worst and most interesting Yours Truly (and others) witnesses, from trends to sightings to the rather unusual/bizarre. Now, for the changes. On some days we will provide a “snapshot” as we on 7 Feb. (http://www.vevlynspen.com/2013/02/mbfw-day-1-snapshot-todd-snyders.html). We will also comment on particular pieces from a collection that capture our imagination. Finally, at VEVLYN’S PEN, coverage may take the form of photos with comments underneath, including whether the picture subject tends toward a trend. How’s that? OK, off we go!

Day 3
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): A DÉTACHER, BILLY REID, CARMEN MARC VALVO, CHADWICK BELL, CHARLOTTE RONSON, CUSHNIE ET OCHS, GREGORY PARKINSON, HELMUT LANG KATE SPADE NEW YORK, KATIE GALLAGHER, KELLY WEARSTLER, JASON WU, JENNI KAYNE, LYN DEVON, NICOLE MILLER, PIERRE BALMAIN, RAG & BONE, REBECCA MINKOFF, SALLY LAPOINTE, ST. JOHN, SUNO, TESS GIBERSON, THE ELDER STATESMAN, TOCCA, TOMMY HILFIGER, TRIBUNE STANDARD, YIGAL AZROUËL

OH, the complaints one hears about the new address of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York.

It’s too far away; too soulless; too corporate; not right for fashion; hard to get to; it’s just not Bryant Park; it’s a concrete jungle. And on and on and on goes the bellyaching about Lincoln Center. There is, however, one aspect of Lincoln Center that is universally liked.

Yours Truly speaks of the Box tent. It is the venue that hosts presentations that take any number of forms. Usually, up and coming/unknown designers elect to show in this space. It is after all the least costly of the venues at Lincoln Center.

The Box is treated like a stepchild. It is not at all uncommon for fashion writers, fashion editors and others in the know who know better to blow it off, presuming that they won’t miss a thing.

Alon Livne has a wardrobe staple for the woman who lives in a strange, faraway world. Photo by Yours Truly.

Increasingly, though, one can be wrong. The Box is turning out to be the one tent that offers the most unexpected surprises, fanciful arrangements and delectable dainties. Two cases in point are the Rafael Cennamo and Alon Livne presentations on Day 3.

RC is under the influence of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, while AL is of the post-apocalyptic world realized by sci-fi master scribe J.G. Ballard. Two completely different starting points, with both arriving at a collection that is outright couture or that incorporates couture elements. What a treat for those inside the Box!

PREDICTION: When all is said and done these two shows will be considered among the best of the week.

On Deck today, Day 4: BLANC DE CHINE, CATHERINE MALANDRINO, CHADO RALPH RUCCI, CUSTO BARCELONA, CYNTHIA ROWLEY, DAVID TLALE, DETAILS MEN'S ACCESSORIES SHOW, DEREK LAM, DIANE FURSTENBERG, DKNY, EMERSON BY JACKIE FRASER-SWAN, JEREMY LAING. JOANNA MASTROIANNI, LELA ROSE, NINA SKARRA, PATRIK ERVELL, THAKOON, TOMMY HILFIGER, TRACY REESE, TRINA TURK, VICTORIA BECKHAM, VIVIENNE TAM, Y-3, ZAC POSEN

Visit http://www.mbfashionweek.com to learn more about Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, including show information and videos.