Fashion's Night Out

What a great idea- get the entire fashion industry, from Macy's to Henri Bendel to that little boutique in Greenwich Village to stay open till midnight on a friday night. Have all of these places provide music, food, drinks and display their newest, hottest and most fashionable attire in a coctail party setting. It sounds like a  movie, but it was REAL, and (of course) we were there!

In Queens, the stores of the Queens Center Mall were all participating, of course you've got to take the subway to get there, so the models have their subway maps in hand to navigate their way over.

Models on their way to the subway!

 Last year saw Anna Wintour over there, this year the Swarovski shop had a great event along there. In Greenwich Village, the fashionistas spilled out onto the sidewalks, so many boutiques were packed with happy shoppers and folks enjoying the festive atmosphere. I was at our flagship outlet, Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue, where the place was decorated and oh-so wonderful. Even though people came to see me, I got to see some of my favorite designers as well. Do I look happy to be with Allison Overbeke and Alex Woo or what!
And, the hit of the evening was the Ken doll collection, except those hot guys in the windows weren't dolls! They were probably not too comfortable in those boxes but they were really cute. After a couple of glasses of wine, the photo could be sharper, but you get the idea. Unbelievable!

The Roberta Chiarella design counter is on the second floor, and in Bendel's it is a big atrium, here's the view from my perch! We had a great time, and our jewelry was admired, desired, and purchased by lots of happy fashionable New Yorkers.

Then, before you knew it, it was midnight and time to go home. Much to our surprise, the models escorted the partiers and shoppers down Fifth Avenue in a parade of umbrellas!

It was a really great night, coming in the middle of Fashion Week (now at Lincoln Center) and on a beautiful summer evening. I hope you enjoy the pics, and we'll have more fashion week items in the next post. Ciao!

co·te·rie : an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest

It's time for the coterie!!! This is probably the best fashion trade show in New York. It's a juried show so each designer must apply and wait for acceptance. I always get anxious, even though I've been doing this for years. Usually you need to be super-famous, or have great sales and be a hot hot line. Must have been one of the above, cause I got a great booth location in the Javits Center. Sometimes if they are not sure about you, the booth will be over on a pier near the hudson river.. ..


I love doing the coterie, which takes place twice a year. It's fun to set up the booth, to wander around the convention center and check out the merchandise that my fellow designers have on display. Like a family, the other designers and I get to see each other, get a cup of coffee and catch up. Sometimes it is not easy to find your way around, this event has over 1200 exhibitors. This year, around the exhibit hall they set up cute little 'lunch trains' that look like subway cars that served up some nice snacks. Customers come from all over the world, usually buyers for upscale stores although anyone with proper trade identification can get in to look around. This week, we saw accounts from Spain, Japan, Mexico and Dubai. The long distance winner was a buyer from New Zealand!

We are showing our bestsellers, a new line of earrings made with Crystallized by Swarovski Austrian crystals. The reception has been fabulous, and plenty of people have come over to the booth over the last couple of days. We're told that there will be 14,000 people coming through the doors, and I like to see as many of them as possible! Once the show is over, we head back to the studio to count up the orders and give instructions to the factory in Rhode Island. Then it's time to relax and enjoy the wonderful weather here in New York this week. And why not, it's the last week of summer. enjoy!