Fashion Plates: Events for New York Fashion Week 2015
By Troy Segal
Just as we’re dealing with the post-Labor Day onset of autumn, along comes New York Fashion Week 2015 (Sept. 9-17), highlighting warm-weather garb—for next year. Until the clothes hit the stores, satisfy your sartorial sweet tooth with these delicious style-oriented symposia, special events and exhibits.
Showtime: Most of the NYFW designer fashion shows are by invitation only (yeah, we know—yours got lost in the mail). But there are a few events open to the public. Eveningwear designer Rita Vinier is presenting her collection at an afternoon tea-and-champagne event, which includes a discussion between Harper’s Bazaar Fashion and Beauty Editor Avril Graham and stylist Freddie Leiba, followed by an after-party. Just note that the tickets start at $550. Rooftop Garden at Carnegie Hall, Friday, Sept. 11…Musicians and models mingle at Fashion’s Front Row, a Macy’s-sponsored runway show. The designs are by the likes of Heidi Klum and Tommy Hilfiger; the tunes by Nate Ruess and Jason Derulo; and the proceeds all go to charity. Theater at Madison Square Garden, Thursday, Sept. 17.
Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (French (born Russia), St. Petersburg 1892–1990 Paris) Date: 1934 Medium: Gouache
Museum Quality: Before it closes at the end of this month, check out the current crop of Drawings and Prints: Selections from the Permanent Collection on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It includes a number of gouaches of vintage shoes by the Art Deco illustrator Erté, accompanied by some actual heels from the 1930s. Through Monday, Sept. 28…A little more time remains to catch the Ralph Pucci: The Art of the Mannequin (through Oct. 25), a tribute to the real and surreal figures used to display the creations of designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Sui. If you itch after that for a hands-on experience, take a woven-jewelry workshop that’ll teach you how to create and decorate a paper-fiber bracelet. Museum of Arts and Design, Saturday, Sept. 19.
Walk This Way: New York is the fashion capital of the U.S., and, beginning in the early 20th century, its epicenter has been a square mile in the West 30s, where showrooms, manufacturers, suppliers and companies cluster. Take a complimentary Garment District Walking Tour through its narrow streets, tracing the Fashion Walk of Fame and hearing tales of the trade from a veteran of the biz. Tuesday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 4.
Eco-Fashion: While nothing seems as wasteful and live-in-the-moment as being a la mode, clothing can have a conscience too. After all, “You Are What You Wear,” notes a panel that parses New York’s ethical fashion industry (goods locally made for a fair wage and in ways safe for both workers and the environment). Museum of the City of New York, Thursday, Sept. 24… Two curators look at the past, present and future of the sustainable fashion movement, which actually dates back to the early 1800s, at this book event/signing. Museum at FIT, Thursday, Oct. 1.
Fashion Past: Was it really almost 30 years ago that Cindy Crawford first burst onto magazine covers and runways? (You can’t tell by looking at her, at least in un-retouched versions.) She dishes about her days as a member of the first supermodel generation and her subsequent designing career with fashion industry consultant Fern Mallis. 92nd Street Y, Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Fashion Present: T-shirts that track your temperature! Sneakers that mold to your feet! The Apple Watch! Used to be that fashionistas and techies were a species apart. No more. Learn all about geek chic and the joys of wearable technology at this panel discussion. BRIC, Tuesday, Oct. 6.
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