Spring 10 is a blur.

Today a lot of the action kicked off. It was an interesting day and at moments there were very beautiful and compelling pieces. At the very same time there was a feeling of a blur. There were great things that came so fast and furiously that it was hard to take in.

Creativity was not an issue for most. I was more curious what store buyers and the press were thinking. To see the action from the front row is an extra special vantage point. You can see everything; the beauty of the fabrics, the quality and construction and technique that is or isn't evident. I felt like an alien amongst those seasoned journalists and buyers as if I were some strange hybrid . I'm a designer looking at other designer's work from a critical stand point and at the same time I feel like a comrade . There is an empathy that comes with taking in and processing the collections when you've performed the same dance for so many years yourself.

Before I get into what I had the pleasure of seeing today I'd like to just share the theater that is Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. The energy and excitement is truly weird. People, namely the Fashionistas are a very special breed. I guess by profession and proximity I'm one too, only I've never felt like one. I've always felt as though I was on the outside looking in. Today was different. I was in the audience instead of reading the reviews in the NY Times or Women's Wear Daily the following morning. Sitting on the edge of the runway made me feel two interesting emotions. I felt lucky to get a front row seat and also felt a certain nostalgia for the collection that used to bear my name.

That said, I got a real kick out of how deadly serious so many take the scene. No matter how you slice it, this is a circus. The attractions are the collections but the circus is all and everyone that surrounds the spectacle. I want to share some images I shot today before and during the shows I saw. They are evocative of the world of Fashion and the people who live for it and keep it alive . The crowds outside were like supplicants worshiping at a holy site. Weird, when you think of how many people have lived and died believing that salvation lays in a garment.

Pleasure, yes; salvation ? I don't think so.

Enjoy the images. There's the overwhelming shoe story. I was mesmerized by those across the runway, and the ones walking the runway and those of a particular young man dressed smartly. He caught and held my eye by mixing things up; a dress shirt, vest and low slung pants all in super-fine grey flannel. The twist was in his accessories. He sported an important bag and red patent sling backs. He was not the only boy dressed as a cross between male and female, but the most striking. So handsome and so lovely. It was a blur but an amusing one. I have a feeling that this blur, a bending of gender, will somehow inform Fashion as we see it in the coming year. The rules will be tossed to the wind.









Nothing will be as it was, tomorrow.