'When Fashion Danced': Stephen Burrows Take a Bow

Some of these Stephen Burrows designs want to do a little dance. Photos by Yours Truly.

21 March 2013/NEW YORK – THE colors are as vibrant as they were 40-plus years ago. The designs are current. In fact, they are timeless. Craft is palpable. This is art.

“When Fashion Danced” is a retrospective of the work of designer Stephen Burrows. The exhibit, billed as the first major examination of the designer’s pioneering work, was unveiled at a spirited party Thursday night at the Museum of the City of New York. SB was in the house, and the extent of his public remarks were approximately, "Thank you." He tends to let his work do the jawing.

Still in style but from yesteryear.

The title of the exhibit references an SB trademark. That is sexy, slinky frocks that many of the rich and famous boogied down in at Studio 54. On view through 28 July, “When Fashion Danced” tracks SB’s start in the ‘60s designing for friends before joining Henri Bendel. After Bendel, he struck out on his own and would go on to design for some famous folk who would become friends – people with names like Cher, Diana and Liza.

Divas!

Visit http://www.bit.ly/ZYrJ2t to learn more about “When Fashion Danced.”

Winehouse Foundation & Friends Keep Music Alive

Tony Bennett before he received a very special award from the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Photos by Charles Norfleet.

21 March 2013/NEW YORK – AMY Winehouse died young but she lived her dream.

That is essentially what Tony Bennett asserted during his acceptance speech after receiving a lifetime achievement award at the first Amy Winehouse Foundation Inspiration Awards and Gala.

The singer, who was 27 when she died from alcohol poisoning in 2011, may be gone but she won’t be soon forgotten if Thursday night’s jollification at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel is any indication.

SaLaAM ReMi did not escape the notice of the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

The celebration attracted high-wattage names from various sectors. Harry Belafonte presented the award to TB. Jennifer Hudson brought the house down and got ‘em on their feet. Sean Lennon, son of John&Yoko showed as did Kiera Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie.

KC is also the Amy Winehouse Foundation world ambassador. Celebrating, too, were a pair of pageant queens, as well as award recipient SaLaAM ReMi.

Soon after the singer’s death her family went to work creating the foundation that bears her name. Its mission is around music therapy and education for children, as well as working to prevent alcohol and drug abuse.

Mitch Winehouse, father of Amy, has his hands full with Nana Meriwether, Miss USA and Olivia Culpo, Miss Universe.

TB, one of the coolest octogenarians on the planet, said of the deceased singer with whom he shares a Grammy: "Even though she had a short life, she had a great life because she ended up praying for the success that she wanted and it happened. This is what this night is about."

Visit http://www.amywinehousefoundation.org/us/ to learn more about the Amy Winehouse Foundation and Amy Winehouse Foundation Inspiration Awards and Gala. Rx

MBFW Last Day: Ending With a Strong Spanish Accent

HEAD’S UP: Continuing the approach we adopted commencing with the Fall 2012 edition of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, VEVLYN'S PEN will put emphasis on the truly inspirational on the runway, rather than a sort of “best of the lot, even if it’s not that good.” Why the change? Simply put, we have grown weary of watching far too many collections that lack imagination because too much attention has been paid to the bottomline. If nothing inspires, we will tell you so and tell you why. We still endeavor, however, 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.

Last Day
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere):

WHILE the tents at Lincoln Center were closed yesterday (alas, the wrong world order it seems), the last day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, there was action aplenty on runways around Manhattan.

From the Cesar Galindo Spring-Summer 2013 collection. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images.

Hewing to tradition, both Calvin Klein Collection and Ralph Lauren (see RL video above) showed at their respective ateliers. Joining them lately has been fellow vet Stephen Burrows. Also on deck on the last, a passel of up-and-comers like Alisha Trimble, along with a string of talent with Spanish and Spanish-sounding surnames: Victor de Souza, Ricardo Seco, Raul Penaranda, Jorge Vega Umana.

While the day did not end with a bang, it had some fireworks, particularly in the form of RL’s Spanish dalliance, Cesar Galindo’s engaging meditation in b&w with colorful departures, as well as Brood’s homage floral … More shortly.

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

Final Day MBFW: Much Like Good Ole and New 'Strut'

HEAD’S UP: Can you believe it's Fashion Week already? That respite between September and February seems very short, especially since press registration notices started arriving during the crush of the holiday shopping season. In any case, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York has returned for the Fall 2012 edition. At VEVLYN'S PEN, we are going to do things slightly different this season. I still endeavor to provide a roundup of the best, worst and most interesting Yours Truly witnesses, from trends to sightings to the rather unusual/bizarre.

The change will be most apparent in show coverage. Where before I was doing a sort of "best of," I will tweak that this season and focus on what truly inspires me. Why the change? Simply put, I have grown weary of watching far too many collections that lack imagination because too much attention has been paid to the bottomline. If nothing inspires me, I will tell you so and tell you why. Let the games begin ...

Final Day
(SOME of the players, none at the tents): Adrienne Landau, Adrienne Vittadini, Bill Blass, Calvin Klein Collection, L'Wren Scott, Ralph Lauren, Saint Wobil, Stephen Burrows, Strut: The Fashionable Mom Show

IN a seemingly endless and disturbing cultural moment during which U.S. fashion has largely gone corporate, one can grow nostalgic for the good ole days.

The march of minimalism continues at Calvin Klein Collection for fall 2012. Photo by Peter Michael Dills/Getty Images.

Those were the days before the tents, New Media, Livestream, YouTube et al.; before everybody was a fashion journalist; before gift bags had the power to provoke stealing, stampeding and hording.

Virtually all designers invited press, buyers and other vested interests to their showrooms to present their fabulous collections and fabulous models. It was a celebratory atmosphere. It was all very civilized; hospitable. One was welcomed with a smile, given a run-of-show and offered refreshments. At breakfast there might be orange juice, coffee and muffins or croissants. From afternoon through the balance of the day Champagne (very little nonChampagne sparkling wine was on offer back then) flowed. It was all very civilized; hospitable. Did I say that already? I did? It bears repeating.

It took only two showroom visits yesterday to remind me of those days and the feeling lasted until the last show. It all started at Adrienne Vittadini where creative director Alicia Galitzin has been keeping the spirit of the brand alive since she assumed the helm in September … More shortly, including comments on "Strut," which is featured in the video above.

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

NYFW Goes Out With Falls, Spills and Cries of Outrage

The Made in Africa: By Arise Magazine Spring 2012 edition showcases work of seven designers from the Continent. Photos by Mark Von Holden/Getty Images.

HEAD’S UP: I repeat, it is officially a tradition at VEVLYN’S PEN. The plan each day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is to give a roundup of the best (and worse where applicable) and most interesting Yours Truly witnesses, from shows to trends to sightings to the rather unusual/bizarre. It should go without saying, but it shan’t – this won’t be a comprehensive list simply because a body can’t be everywhere. But, of course, depend on one’s best effort. Drum roll, please …

Day 8, last day
(SOME of the players at the tents and elsewhere): Bill Blass, Calvin Klein Collection, Elene Cassis, Guli, Isaac Mizrahi, L’Wren Scott, Made in Africa: By Arise Magazine, Marc Jacobs, Naeem Khan, Sergio Davila, Stephen Burrows, Threeasfour, Vassilios Kostetsos

THE final day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York Spring 2012 was marked by rain, wind, falling temps, a plunging designer and protests.

The latter first. Protests are nothing new at Fashion Week. For years, PETA was a fixture at Dennis Basso or the show of any designer using real fur. But in what has to be a first, Human Rights Watch and others, including children, were assembled outside Cipriani 42nd Street in time for the Guli show to bring attention to human rights abuses in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan.



What gives? Here’s the deal: Guli designer Gulnara Karimova is the daughter of Uzbek ruler Islam Karimov. IK, who has been in power for some 32 years, is accused by groups who monitor such events of blocking democracy and child labor abuses, among other outrages. Normally, someone like GK would be given a pass because of her accident of birth.

But her case is different because in addition to her talents as a designer, she is also the Uzbekistani ambassador to Spain at the United Nations in New York and the ambassador for her country at the United Nations in Geneva. In this role, the perception is that she supports her father’s policies. While GK is not new to Fashion Week, her pedigree and employment situation are, hence the hue and cry.

The show was initially scheduled for the Studio tent at Lincoln Center. However, whether bowing to pressure from HRW&Co. or not wishing to see unfold even more of a circus atmosphere outside of the tents, Fashion Week sponsor IMG cancelled the show.

“… In light of safety and security concerns due to the heightened security threats in New York City this weekend, IMG and GULI decided that it would be in the best interests of the safety of guests for the GULI show not to proceed as planned at the Lincoln Center,” a spokesperson said in a press statement. “GULI will proceed with the show at a location to be communicated to the invitees ...”

Naturally, the show of 30 ensembles, featuring fabrics native to Uzbekistan, went on. (See snippets in video above.)

The Spring 2012 Sergio Davila collection is informed by a few seminal moments in the Americas. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images.

In other developments on the last day of Fashion Week, Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Isaac Mizrahi, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren and Stephen Burrows put some clothes on the runway outside of Lincoln Center by choice. Made in Africa: By Arise Magazine showed on site at Avery Fisher Hall in what has become one of the most anticipated shows of the week in only its fourth season. Yesterday, Arise's late start probably caused many to miss Elene Cassis in the Studio tent. Arise gets a notice for Most Important Acknowledgment for its series of shows dedicated to clean water, a commodity that is in very short supply on the Continent.

In what could have easily been a tragic moment during Fashion Week and which earns the distinction, Breathing a Sigh of Relief, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi fell through an opening on stage-left inside the theater at Avery Fisher Hall as she was making her way out to take a bow after presenting the strongest of the seven Arise shows. Several people managed to fish her out of the maw. Mortified and embarrassed, but thankfully in one piece, the Nigerian designer was able to take her turn on the A-shaped runway to deserving praise.

More shortly from Day 8, last day, including Best Overall Show.For now enjoy photos from some of the day’s shows.

Calvin Klein
Photos by Peter Michael Dills/Getty Images.

Elene Cassis
Photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

Marc Jacobs
Photos by Peter Michael Dills/Getty Images.

Naeem Khan
Photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

Ralph Lauren
Photos by Peter Michael Dills/Getty Images.

Next Stop on the Fashion Express – London!
For Spring 2012, designer Paul Costelloe is inspired by a classic Hollywood film. Photo courtesy of Catwalking.

JUST as the lights go down on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York, they rise today on London Fashion Week.

First up is Irish designer Paul Costelloe who has shown in London the last six or seven seasons. He's gotten good notices, not so surprising considering that he cut his teeth at La Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Of course, this is the outfit that decides who shows at the couture shows in Paris.

For Spring 2012, PC is channeling the Bette Davis-Joan Crawford film, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

London Fashion Week shutters on 21 Sept. with Savile Row's venerable Hardy Amies, which is thriving under award-winning (E.Tautz) designer Claire Malcolm. She is presenting her third collection for the label.

Visit http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/ to learn more about London Fashion Week.