Features

It’s In NY #2

Fashion Week
The letters “ST” are my initials and also how fashion week publicists indicate people that will be “standing” during the show. Friday, February 3rd, was the beginning of Fall 2006 Olympus Fashion Week and Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons is always one of the most anticipated shows of the season. The crowd outside New York’s Bryant Park tents on 42nd Street and 6th Avenue grew to the hundreds. Those without the pink and white invitations pleaded with publicists, bragged about their professions, or claimed to know Kimora, Russell, and others. Some even made up names to get inside the “Super Bowl for Clothes.” The publicist simply replied, “If you know him, call him, and then you can get in.”

I was almost left on the wrong side of the fence until I remembered the name of the guy who gave me my “ST” status. Quickly, I was led into the holding pen on the right of the 6′ cement water fountain to wait for those with invites to be seated. Who will be in the front row? What will be the theme? We all pondered as we watched earlier shows on the 19-inch flat screens. Then came the bad news. No standing room. Curses flew furiously across otherwise sophisticated lips glued to pink, Baby Phat cell phones.

How could I write about Fashion Week without seeing the Baby Phat show?! Desperate situations lead to desperate measures. I remember Kimora Lee Simmons herself stating in the NY Post that women have to be more aggressive and be willing to “crash a party.” A rep for Baby Phat spotted DJ Clue and lead him and his crew outside and to the V.I.P. entrance. So a gentleman in a similar predicament and myself followed. By that time we the reached V.I.P. backstage entrance the show had already started and they were not letting anyone else inside except DJ Clue.

While waiting for backstage access. I ran into Bob Skinner, C.E.O. of Kellwood, Inc. which owns Baby Phat and Phat Farm, who thought the show was “Fabulous and Fabulosity.”

Anthony, a fashion designer for a new line of denim called Yellow Bannana, confirmed that this seasons show was the best ever. “I loved the cuts, the fabrics, and the volume in the pants, the volume in the jackets…I thought it was very eclectic.”

Supermodel Tyson Beckford raved that the show was, “Very different, very Kimora. Brown was the theme, all the girls had on brown stockings, there was a lot of browns and pinks.” He also shared that Foxy Brown “just had surgery a couple of days ago, we are going to pray for her, and she is very anxious to get back in the studio.”

Voila! I then I saw Mr. Lee Sippola, Director of Marketing of Baby Phat, and last year’s sponsor of the Nyack African-American Author Conference, who escorted me backstage to Kimora Lee Simmons. Kimora is a bold, beautiful, and brilliant woman whose clothing line always exudes these qualities. Publicist Marie Griffin politely introduced me to Kimora, standing over 6′ 5″ in her stilettos, wearing dark blue Baby Phat jeans topped by a low cut, Zebra print shirt.

Kimora told me that this season, “we were sort of all over the place. It’s about red carpet glamour from the 50’s, 60’s, the 70’s, it’s like a mixture of everything with the little hats, the bangs, the long pony tails. Always very fabulous and very beautiful. Its about mixing and matching to how it suits you, and moving on up with it!”

Her new book entitled Fabulosity, grew out of all of the questions women around the world asked her about her life. “It’s not about being like me, or having these diamonds, it’s about whatever draws you to me, if I could use that attraction to inspire, to do something better for yourself, for your family, and the people around you.” Kimora believes that it’s time for women “to celebrate together.”

Jay Manuel, Miss J. Alexander from “America’s Next Top Model,” Rolling Stone writer Toure were all waiting backstage to congratulate Kimora on a great show.

Exiting the tent, a Mercedes Maybach approached the curb and inside sat the always cheerful Kevin Leong, Creative Director for Phat Farm and Baby Phat. He was 17 years old when he met Russell Simmons in the elevator, was given an internship and worked his way up. Smiling, he verbally depicted the pieces in the show. “[They were] sexy bell boys. They had the little bell boy hats, the pill caps, it was really nice.”

He also mentioned that “Phat Farm is coming out with a devotional jewelry collection based on Sanscrit and Yoga,” and explained, “we will incorporate that into our clothing as well.” All Phat Farm clothes “have to have a classic aesthetic.”

And in my opinion, Baby Phat is the first line catered toward the fashionista’s of the hip-hop generation. My first and favorite Baby Phat outfit consists of my jean capris and a Baby Phat T-Shirt both adorned with the famous feline symbol. While we might have to conform to certain standards for work; on our days off and nights out we want to be “pretty Hot And tempting.” We all know that sometimes the European designer clothes found at Bloomingdales just don’t quite pop, or fit.

The Luca Luca show was sensational. His pieces would definitely be in my dream closet. Standard colors of black, soft gold, and gray floated down the runway flanked with applause from the front row stars Rachel Roy, Damon Dash, Serena Williams, Mya, and Nicki Hilton. The blush, quilted silk Luca Luca jacket worn by Nigerian born model Oluchi is perfect for your everyday wardrobe, while the gold jacquard silk dress could be worn for a charity ball. Oluchi also wore a fly, charcoal wool jersey dress under a marvelous orange and black, spotted fox stole.

At the show, Damon Dash looked distinguished next to his wife Rachel Roy. Damon, a friend of designer Orlando Luca thanked Luca for always being there and giving him advice on the fashion industry. He divulged that his diamond watch, which literaly blinded me as I tried to read the time, was part of his Damon Dash watch collection. I loved his clean cream colored Ralph Lauren cardigan sweater over a rust brown tie peeking out of his white shirt.

Still torn up by the break up of Roc-a-Fella, he explained that he was hurt because he could not “share” the Roc-a-Fella name with Jay-Z. I asked him “was their an opportunity to share?” And he said “Yes.” He was quick to express that he has no hard feelings toward Jay-Z. “We never had an argument, so there is no beef,” Damon emphasized. I admire Jay-Z and Damon Dash’s business acumen and I hope that one day, they will be partners again. Damon was unsure of whether he will film a new season of his popular reality show “Ultimate Hustler.”

Bubbly singer and dancer Mya, whose yet untitled new album will be out in the Spring, told me after the show that she spent her summer teaching youth in Washington, D.C. to dance for her foundation Mya Arts.

Also, Serena Williams made it known that Flirt will be her new line of cosmetics.
Thanks,

www.ItsInNY.com with Stephanie Taylor

E:stephanie@itsinny.com
P:(845)353-1954

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By Stephanie Taylor on 2/15/2006[read on] [2 comments]

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