Adri here, filing my first report from the NYFW scene!
Thursday afternoon I hit up what’s so far been the best show (for me) of the season, model-turned-designer Lois Samuels’ launch of her collection, the Vessel.
The Jamaican-born Lois (above)–who’s modeled for everyone from ESSENCE to Vogue, Banana Republic to Calvin Klein–was inspired by “menswear as well as the uniform” for her Spring 2010 collection.
As Lois told me backstage, “I grew up in a society where having a uniform was so important. I think it gives calm to the chaos, and in a time like this you want to invest in something that’s multi-seasonal, comfortable, sexy, and not the fad–something that’s going to last.”
Indeed, the pieces were well-tailored, timeless, and rife with an understated panache I termed “prefect-chic.” For those of us with ties to the Carribean, especially, the uniform look is very familiar and makes you nostalgic for home!
Aside from the funky edge of the clothes, what I most enjoyed about the show were the models, which reflected the diversity of peoples you find in the West Indies (black, white, Asian, Latino), and just in the world, period. Models of all hues and backgrounds were presented in a gorgeous, inclusive kaleidescope that made you wonder, “Why can’t other designers follow suit?” Hmm…
Aside from chatting up the gracious Lois, I also ran into Stacey McKenzie, model extraordinnaire and a fellow Jamaican compatriot of the designer!
After the Vessel show, I headed uptown to pick up my Zipcar ride and make my way out to Macy’s in the Queens Center Mall, where I was scheduled to cover Anna Wintour’s Fashion’s Night Out event. Unfortunately, I made it about a quarter-mile from the crib before getting into a minor fender bender. Booo!
But as fate would have it, I ended up having a much better FNO than I could have imagined. How many writers can say that their ER doc recognized them right away and turned out to be a die-hard Fashion Bombshell?
That’s me and one of our fabulous readers, Dr. Uché Blackstock, who checked me over and pronounced me fit to return to my NYFW duties. The Fashion Bomb community really takes care of its own. Now that’s truly Hot!
~Adri
Increasing awareness of a certain product and providing consumers information about it are just two of the tasks promotional models perform.
