Brazil has always been notorious for its beautiful women, sandy beaches, carnaval and bossa nova. Recently, however, Brazilian fashion has upstaged the attention usually reserved for our lifestyle and joie de vivre. What started with our infamous barely there bikinis has now evolved into a full fledged coup. In the past few seasons, Brazilian designers have clocked in their fair share of runway minutes, and the trend seems to be catching on; whether it be designing for some of America’s iconic houses, like Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein, or for their eponymous fashion houses such as Carlos Miele, Alexandre Herchovitch and now Iodice.
My evening started with an afternoon cocktail at the tents for Q Magazine. Visionaire Elizabeth Meigher created the magazine as an ode to the lifestyle of the bon vivant. The quarterly features the most luxurious products in the market and as a result has quickly become the go-to “catalogue” for those looking for something beautiful and unique. After a vodka cocktail and a little caviar I headed home for a shower and a shave.
I returned to the Tents at 9 to witness what would be Waldemar Iodice’s first showing in New York. Iodice was founded in the early ‘80s as a knitwear company but it wasn’t until 1995 that the Brazilian designer launched his first prêt-a-porter collection. In the last 15 years, the brand has grown to be one of Brazil’s most celebrated for its unique voice and ultimately for its cosmopolitan aesthetic.
I am always a bit hesitant of viewing the Brazilian collections when they are showcasing abroad. Sometimes designers tend to highlight our cultural heritage so their vision and narrative gets lost in the pageantry of tribal head pieces, native face paint and Amazonian beading. Fortunately that was not the case at Iodice.
Waldemar presented a comprehensive collection designed for the “jet set girls of Tokyo, New York, Sao Paulo, Paris and London.” The designs captured the essence of Brazilian urban glamour without limiting itself to South American stylistic borders. The wide variety of cocktail dresses fitted for both magazine day-job or dinner at a swanky no-res restaurant were skillfully and beautifully constructed -- romantic sleeves and flirtatious sheer were perhaps some of the most memorable details. Bursts of color added flavor to the mix while the most divine compilation of Brazilian rhythms played in the background. Overall, a very successful first run – Iodice accomplished a most charming and highly wearable collection that any girl would want in her closet, no matter what continent she is in.
In the front row, I had a chance to catch up with Olivia Palermo and Ally Hilfiger. Both had also been invited by PR man and always dapper Daniel Urzedo, who did a great job in sitting the four of us together. Ally was wearing these amazing thick-framed tortoise Tom Ford prescription glasses fit for a Fellini protagonist. I tried convincing her that they suited me better due to my Italian blood -- but to no avail. Another great surprise was running into my Brazilian friend Fernanda Abdalla who decided to ditch carnaval this season and instead come to New York for the collections.
After it was all said and done, Olivia and I headed to 1 Oak. My best friend and blonde beauty Amanda Hearst was helping Catherine Malandrino host her after-party, fitting as the designer is one of Hearst's favorites for her feminine and very Parisian style. The place was filled with a mix of people all dancing to the sounds of divine French disco. I ran into co-blogger and party boy Fabian Basabe who is back in town for a good part of a month, and my friends Georgina Cavendish, Jennifer Missoni and Theresa Berkery. After a little song and dance I headed over to Greenwich Street for the Halston fête.
Having missed the collection earlier in the day, I wanted to hear first hand accounts and impressions from those at the party. As I walked in, I ran into another one of my favorite blondes and perhaps the hottest mother in town Jackie Astier and for the rest of the night we migrated together. We attempted to properly congratulate our dear friend and Halston’s PR guy Matthew Marchak but he was on duty entertaining lovebirds Tamara Mellon and Christian Slater.
The final destination of the evening was Rose Bar. Completely teeming with people and oozing great energy, it was the perfect place to see my friends and swap Fashion Week stories -- all in one room. The high spirited crowd of beauties reminded me of the second thing I like most about the week: everywhere you go there are interesting people with great style. So after a long night of countless cocktails, air kisses, and a pack of Marlboros I headed home to a comforting combination of Advil, cold water and a pound of eye cream.
