Fashion’s Night Out came on an eve of thunderstorm watches and threats of terrorist attacks, but thankfully neither made an appearance. The only vague threat I experienced was that of being doused in red paint as I was called “animal killer” in reference to my Daniel Boone inspired raccoon hat I picked up in the Poconos. For the record, that furry find was only ten dollars so I am assuming its fake. If rocking that rage-inducing hat and campy cowboy boots that reminded my friends of Reba McEntire circa 1985 can somehow earn me a title of a “killer” trendsetter, then I can learn to accept that.
I arranged to meet friends at Comme De Garcons on 22nd and 10th avenue. I arrived early for once, so I spent some time scoping out outfits in the area under the Highline. There were a lot of people sporting harem pants and I noticed an unusually high volume of ladies sporting hats and hairpieces reminiscent of the recent royal wedding.
Once inside Comme De Garcons we enjoyed the abstract ambiance and clothing that its creator, Rei Kawakubo is famous for. If you recall, this is the same designer responsible for the deformity-chic Lumps and Bumps Collection of 1997.
While enjoying the free champagne and frameless glasses offered by the Tokyo based creator, we admired the impressive hat collection by Stephen Jones, which also reminded me of the recent royal wedding with a touch of Dr. Seuss.
We grabbed a cab to Wooster Street as time was running out, the twin tower beams illuminating the sky during our ride. Hot pink balloons next to a graffiti-ridden truck welcomed fashion fiends into the Betsey Johnson boutique, which was packed as predicted. Hair artists were styling women’s dos while the crowd enjoyed vinyl being spun by the adorable “Bollywood Barbie” DJ Kalkutta who was wearing one of Betsey’s turquoise tulle dresses.
We made our way to Desiron by Frank Carfaro, which was out of food and drink but full of luxury furniture. We were too late for the fashion show that was taking place at Poltrana Frau, so we checked out the ADIDAS store which had live girls modeling shoes on boxes.
We tried making it to Bond 9, one of the nicest smelling stores around, but when we got there it was already locked down. Stores seemed to close earlier than usual this year, which gave us the opportunity to absorb the street scene, which was packed with a wide variety of fashion lovers.
From people sitting on storefront stoops draped in fur to jaded doormen wearing bright bow ties, everyone seemed to have added a little extra to their outfits for the evening.
Photos made possible by Eloy Nava and Paul Lemieux
