Written and photographed by Baille Gelwicks.
FOUR DAYS OF FASHION – DAY 3
Brunch in the morning and no early shows gave me my only opportunity to sleep in. I got to Mercer Kitchen early and so I decided to wait on a bench outside. Lais, Jane, and Kimberly step out of the cab and I realize that without any previous planning, we had all worn black and gold. A moment worthy of a picture of course. A relaxing two hour brunch gave us time to catch up, make future plans for greatness, and fuel for the day ahead.
After brunch and a group photo which drew much attention from passers-by, Lais, Jane and I made our way over to Pier 57 to view Kara Laricks’ collection. Models stood on top of pillars of varying heights. I was very impressed by the collection. A tom-boy collection with youthful feminine accents in stark colors with hints of a lovey red-orange had me thinking “I’m not quite sure what it is that I like about this collection, but I just do”. Maybe it was the models and the slicked down hair and dark lip or maybe it was that this collection was so unique and however small it may have been it was well thought out and executed.
Our next show was not until 7 pm which gave Lais and I enough time to check out a make-up/make-over party. We entered a room with an entire wall filled with candy and beauty products. We were handed a box and instructions to fill the box with any beauty samples of our choice on the way. Yes please! Boxes filled, we signed up for hair and make-up touch-ups. Definitely feeling pampered at this point, we leave to meet Walter for a drink at the Empire Hotel before we would head back over to the tents for more fashion shows. Before getting on the subway however, there was one much needed stop at the CVS that had to be made. A combination of heat and walking all day for three days now had left my feet with blisters and sores that no amount of Band-aids could fix. And so Fast Flats by Dr. Scholl’s would have to be purchased before going any further. Fast Flats = comfortable transition shoes for walking from location to location. Arriving at Empire Hotel to meet with Walter and Sara, we run into Paris and Nicky Hilton coming in for a drink at the bar on their break between shows as well. Empire Hotel is definitely a sure fire location for celebrity sightings.
Back to back shows at Zang Toi and Emerson were shows where I had seats, so I did not have to worry about fighting a crowd and finding room to stand, which is associated with that time crunch. I was most impressed by Emerson’s show. A combination of three upbeat songs and an ending that literally went off with a bang as balloons popped and red confetti rained down on the audience as the models did their final walk on the runway, or the snake as they call it. As the final show of the night it was the perfect way to end the evening on an energized note, sending us off to dinners, after parties and rest.
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