Ooh La L.A. Fashion Week

Fashion week is a misnomer because the parties, runway presentations, trunk shows and all-around schmoozefest run for 12 days this month. The workday extends past the 12-hour mark and the waiting in between events would equal enough time required to learn a romance language. You also need the diplomacy skills of a United Nations ambassador and the iron balls of a police detective to track down CEOs, grill them about sales, store expansions and product development in between sips of champagne and remember what they said accurately so that you won't get sued later for libel. But there are perks, such as reuniting with other members of the traveling fashion tribe whom you see twice a year during the seasonal presentations, knowing now what the rest of the world will wear six months later and bonding with ultra-cool co-workers who help blur the line between work and play. There are also the goody bags. Check out the Dr. Peepers sunglasses that I received in a gift bag from one fashion show.

None of my other three buddies got the glasses, which were packed in a Chinese take-out box filled with a long glass bead necklace and fortune cookies. The shades went perfectly with my red collarless coat and retro silk scarf printed with green blocks (another present from a previous fashion party I attended). I look like the lovechild of an Asian Jackie O and Willie Wonka.

I also picked up two bottles of bodywash at the show for the beyond-hip Japanese brand called Evisu. You might recognize the abstract seagull drawing that Evisu prints on the back of all its pricey jeans. I always score so many bath and body products, shampoo and conditioner and makeup that I can set up a beauty salon and never have to restock inventory for a couple of months. It's a good thing that I've become girly the past few weeks. In addition to quizzing my friends about the best mascara that won't smudge (Christian Dior), I've been experimenting with eye shadow and deep-conditioning my hair. Soon you will see me smacking my lips in Smashbox's Sassy red lip gloss tinted with a bit of gold (let's set up a pool now to predict how often the media will use the phrase "the gilded age" to describe how gold will be an important accent for next spring). Still, I have only one body and one head. That's why I always try to redistribute the wealth to my pals.

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