taffetadarlings: October 2011

10.30.2011

Night of Stars!

I'm a lucky girl! I was fortunate enough to be invited (by the publisher of Lookonline, Ernest Schmatolla) to cover FGI's 28th Annual Night of Stars on October 27. You can read the full article on Lookonline's website HERE.

with David Byrne

Though it was thrilling to be surrounded by so many fashion greats under one roof, I must admit that for me, the highlight of the evening was meeting Talking Heads' David Byrne. I'm a long time fan. He was extremely gracious and I was, well, hopefully not a giddy mess!

in my safety orange rip-stop dress and wendy brandes earrings

Luckily, I was able to squeeze into one of the new Biohazard pieces from my spring 2012 collection and I was thrilled to accessorize the orange gown with some stunning Wendy Brandes earrings. Like I said, I'm a lucky girl!

10.26.2011

The Emperor's FAB Clothes!

Just a typical day in NYC -- hustle, bustle, traffic jams, train delays, smelly subway platforms, crowded subway cars... Sometimes a city girl has to stop, take the good with the bad, soak it all in and appreciate how lucky she is to live in such a marvelous, colorful town. So, that's exactly what I did the other day when I found myself on the #6 train sitting next to none other than the Emperor of New York City! That's right, I said the Emperor! Yah, I didn't know there was such a thing either.

one of the cards the Emperor gave me (he is on the left)

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Upper East Side, suffice it to say it's not exactly edgy. Think UGG boots, little dogs, manis, pedis, nannies, baby carriages and lots of girls named Alexis. Even in NYC, unique people attract a lot of attention. And so, when a tall stately man wearing a fur stole, an awesome top hat with two extra large, curved plumes and rocks for rings on each and every finger (with nails painted black) was spotted on the train, people stared. Alexis' jaw dropped. A boy in a Pittsburgh Steelers tee shirt, (obviously a tourist), took a photo with his phone. I didn't bat an eye. I'm jaded. But, then I noticed the rings. Then, I noticed the earrings. I thought about passing him WendyB's card! Then, I noticed the pretty fan he carried with what seemed to be seven feet of tassel dangling off the bottom. He had to keep picking it up off the floor and draping it over his lap, delicately sitting it on top of the fur stole.

another postcard

Okay, I was intrigued. Okay, I was more than intrigued. "Who is this fabulous man?" I thought. It takes a special kind of person to walk around in such an outfit. It takes a confident, social and creative person. Well, that's my kind of person! So, I waited till we hit Union Square and it just so happened we both exited the train at that stop. I just HAD to find out who this dude was... what he did... what his story was. So, I asked what he did for a living. "What don't I do?" he said. "I'm the Emperor of New York." To which I responded with a chuckle. I quickly realized he was dead serious. "Oh, I didn't even know there was an Emperor," I said. Luckily, that didn't offend his Royal Highness (is that appropriate in this case??) and he told me about all the fundraisers and parties he attends as an official representative of NYC. Cool. I want that gig! And so we exchanged cards and I scooted along because I was running ten minutes late as per usual and I left him to be accosted by a group of Hasdic Jews for a photo opp (which I found kind of odd)! Such a New York moment!!

thinking maybe I should go to this!

10.11.2011

Paco Versus Stacy

I've never hidden my admiration for great designers who've inspired me whether they be new on the scene or from generations past. Paco Rabanne has been a big influence for me ever since I can remember and most of you know that I looked to his metal creations from the sixties when I started working on my debut collection last year, "Precious Metal" (for Spring 2011). Even though the great Rabanne is alive and kicking, he hasn't been at the helm for a while and the collection has struggled in recent years (including an unsuccessful attempt by Patrick Robinson). Still, the label has continued to be an important part of the fashion world and I am always excited to see what the they send down the runway each season. This year, it looks like Rabanne's new designer, Manish Arora, tapped into Stacy Lomman : New York for some inspiration (IF ONLY!) as some of the similarities are uncanny. At least I can say I did it first!