Hernandez's Blog

Catching up with on-road fashion, decades later Racers and automobile lovers are a niche group. For those who love to wear the spirit of motoring, this can be termed the ‘golden age’. Casual wear beaming images and design sketches of motorsports and vintage vehicles are available to motorists today.

The growing craze for motorwear has even driven some well-known clothing brands to bring out a line on both classic and contemporary motoring, mainly T-shirts and denims inspired by legendary Hollywood stars and their road flicks — Marlon Brando’s The Wild One and Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider.

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Often available for grabs with fat price tags, the fashion variety spelling out messages of on-road passion has not left the clientele complaining much. But today, basic fashion merchandise — not just affordable clothes but accessories too — on the theme of motoring is available too.

However, motorcycle clubs and riding groups often print their logos and own images or designs on their riding attire, much to the envy of fellow roadies. Over a decade ago, forget a T-shirt on motoring, even a riding jacket was hard to source for a Chennaiite. Ardent souls trotted the country to find riding leathers, boots and clothes that were available in small pockets of Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and parts of the Northeast. Some would get specialised tailors in Periamet and Chromepet to make custom leathers.

But over the past few years, the scene has flipped with a few Indian motorcycle-makers too releasing their line of clothing and riding gear to inspire riders.

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At amfAR’s Fashion Gala, Euros and Cocktails Flow Freely

If you’re at a Milan Fashion Week party, expect late hours.

At the sixth annual amfAR Milan Fashion Week gala last Saturday, the event’s host, Heidi Klum, didn’t make it to the dais until after 10 p.m. A seated dinner finished well after 11, and an after-party raged into the next morning.

“It’s very chill, it’s relaxed, it’s Italy,” Rosario Dawson said around 1 a.m., wearing a big Vionnet gown. “You can’t eat anything bad either.”

The amfAR dinner was not your typical rubber-chicken affair. (“I think that’s eggplant?” one American said, sizing up her meal before examining a program that described it as “carrè di manzo con patata fondente e melanzana alla parmigiana,” which required a trip to Google to confirm.)

And this being Italy, it didn’t take long before the La Permanente art museum, just north of the city center, was shrouded in cigarette smoke.

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“It was hysterical; we sat down and waiters tried to get everyone to stop smoking,” Ms. Dawson said, laughing and taking a long puff from an imaginary cigarette. No one listened. “People are on their own rhythm over here.”

Fashion Week Now Paris

It wasn’t a star-studded week in Milan this season, but amfAR brought in Ms. Klum, Ms. Dawson, Jeremy Piven and Bella Thorne to the event, which raised more than $1.4 million for AIDS research.

Before the dinner, Champagne disappeared quickly during the cocktail hour. With the room filled with models and fashion figures, trays of toasted ham and cheeses and mini-burgers went noticeably untouched.

“I don’t know a lot about runway shows,” Mr. Piven said. “I went to Armani this morning, and it was really cool. It didn’t even feel like a runway show. It was like he directed models and it was a theater piece.”

Ms. Klum, who made it out to the Versace and Roberto Cavalli shows, said she adores Milan Fashion Week. “In New York, the fashion is a little harder, a little more sophisticated,” said Ms. Klum, wearing a Versace gown. “In Italy, they really celebrate women in a different way. It’s always a little bit more feminine and all about the shape.”

Before and during dinner, money flowed freely at the auction, where a Robert Rauschenberg painting and a photo of Elizabeth Taylor and David Bowie by Terry O’Neill were for sale.

“This is worth way more than 100,000 euros,” said the slightly frustrated auctioneer during bidding for a Damien Hirst painting. (It would sell for 250,000 euros, or about $328,000.) Also up for bid: a blown-up (and signed) Grace Jones poster that would sell for 20,000 euros, or about $26,000.

As the auction finished, Ms. Jones herself came out for a thrilling three-song performance. There were outfit changes (an enormous wig, a tutu and a glittery hat). And for the last number, “Slave to the Rhythm,” she came out with a Hula Hoop.

But first she had to figure out where to twirl without tumbling from the stage. She considered taking over one of the dinner tables up front, before she braved an elevated platform onstage.

“It’s the only exercise I can get,” Ms. Jones, who is 66, said to roaring fans.

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Bella Thorne’s Super Smokey Eye At Versace During Milan Fashion Week

ella Thorne, 16, arrived at the Versace show looking a bit paler than usual with her stylist Johnny Wujek on September 19 during Milan Fashion Week. Bella’s pale skin made her eye makeup pop even more — it was perfect for fall. Wanna test it out for yourself? We can help you get the look below!

Bella Thorne’s Smokey Eye At Versace — Makeup During Milan Fashion Week

Bella’s smokey eyes were bold and edgy at the Versace show in Milan. It contrasted well with her pale, porcelain face.

To get a look similar to Bella’s smokey eye, try the LORAC PRO Palette. This palette has super blendable colors and has the best color range to create the perfect smokey eye.

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Sweep the light taupe color all over the lid, all the way up to the crease. Apply the shimmery, light tan color onto the inner part of the lid as well as the inner tear ducts to give your eyes some pop. Line your lower lash-line with the darker brown, and smudge some black pencil liner onto your waterline, avoiding the inner tear ducts.

Finish the eyes with multiple layers of mascara.

As far as the rest of your makeup goes, keep everything else minimal. The face should be matte, and there should be little to no blush or lip color.

Bella Thorne In Black & White

Along with a new makeup look, Bella sported a newer style. She was seen wearing a super chic, long-sleeved, white asymmetrical dress that rested just above her thigh-high boots.

Draped over her shoulders was a black leather jacket that added to the edgy vibe that the rest of the outfit gave.

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On Monday night, Tina Fey stepped out for the This Is Where I Leave You L.A. premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre, where she stunned in an asymmetrical strapless blue-and-red Osman dress and cobalt blue Christian Louboutin “Pigalle” stilettos in python. The almost five-inch heels are named after one of Louboutin’s favorite neighborhoods in Paris, the Pigalle cabaret district. The iconic shoe lent a similarly spirited effect to Fey’s ensemble and garnered many an accolade across the interwebs for nailing the fashion mark.

Jill SolowayMeanwhile, across town at DTLA's Ace Hotel, powerhouse writer-creator-director Jill Soloway took the stage to introduce the premiere of new Amazon series Transparent, commenting that the project was not only a movement but an "act of love." On her feet? Maison Martin Margiela, of course — fierce begets fierce, after all. The black peep-toe chunky heel suede booties were the perfect complement to her Issey Miyake blouson pleated pencil dress. She chose them both for their beauty and their comfort but admits, “Once I got to the rooftop party and saw that pool — I ended up barefoot most of the night!”

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Vivienne Westwood

Across the pond, Vivienne Westwood (one of THR's Top 25 Red-Carpet Designers) took to the runway after her spring 2015 presentation at London Fashion Week with her 17-year-old granddaughter, Cora Corre, in a draped gold and black dress of her own creation and a pair of red on red pointed elevated court shoes. The nearly six-inch-high platforms featured a bright red suede upper, brick red platform, and chunky slanted heel worn with black open-weave tights for maximum dramatic effect.

Julianne Hough Julianne Hough taped a segment for Extra! in a floral Zimmermamn dress with strategic cutouts. Showing off her dancing gams, Hough paired her colorful outfit with gold metallic Monique Lhuillier stilettos with cutwork and lacing that tied back in to the silhouette of the dress. While Lhuillier is best known for her red carpet and bridal gowns, her Made in Italy shoe collection debuted last fall and we expect to see more of her footwear creations on the carpet this awards season. Stylist Anita Patrickson weighed in on the total ensemble, noting the shape interplay. "We loved the cutouts, and graphic yet summery feel to this look," says Patrickson. "When picking an outfit for a TV appearance, we try to choose something that is interesting on the upper body, as that's what shows most in interviews and the shoes were fun enough to balance out the business of the dress."

Debbie Harry

Performing at the iTunes Festival in London on Wednesday, Blondie's Debbie Harry took a page from Whoopi Goldberg’s shoe playbook and sported two different colors of the same shoe. Her black-and-white striped miniskirt-over-pants tuxedo look was styled with one black and one white flatform sandal with ankle straps. Her set was well reviewed, proving this 69-year-old celebrated rocker will not be slowing down on the pop front — or the fashion front — anytime soon.

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The frenzy of Fashion Week is over; now it’s time to test your knowledge and figure out just what to take away from the endless parade of innovative looks and trend overload. However, weeding out the unimportant can be daunting in the face of 168 hours of fashion. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn of post-Fashion Week bouts of forgetfulness or confusion after viewing multiple shows per day and attempting to cut to its most essential lessons. Added on to the usual delirium of the week is the fact that Fashion Week came early this year, slapping New York City awake directly after a quiet summer and its concluding Labor Day Weekend.

For those who are lost in a sea of ruffled dresses, pastel prints, and celebrity selfies from the front rows, here is the definitive list of lessons to take away from New York Fashion Week. Some lessons seem so simple that they should have been innate all along (Anna Wintour’s vice grip on not just the fashion industry, but the world at large), and some were entirely unexpected (crop tops are now anticipated to be a year-long trend? Who could have predicted that?). So take out your legal pad and pen or pull up your Notes app on the iPhone, because here are seven pearls of wisdom to take away from Fashion Week.

1. IT’S TIME TO WHIP YOUR SKIN INTO SHAPE, BECAUSE MAKEUP IS OUT

From J. Mendel to Marc Jacobs, a number of designers decided to forsake statement makeup in favor of a barefaced, #IWokeUpLikeThis look. While it’s not time to jettison your entire cosmetics collection just yet, the Fashion Week trend may be the perfect excuse to tend to that part of the routine you’ve been neglecting: skin care. Find an exfoliant you love, moisturize obsessively, and spritz your way to luminous skin, because come Spring 2015, you may not see nearly as much makeup out and about.

2. WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE LAST OF MILEY (OR HER, ER, ASSETS)

It seems like just yesterday that Miley Cyrus was causing worldwide hysteria as she twerked with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, but in fact it has been a year. No matter, because Cyrus is just as present as she was in August of 2013. From baring nearly all of her bust at Alexander Wang’s after-party to appearing in the finale of Jeremy Scott’s show, Cyrus can’t stop and won’t stop infiltrating the fashion industry with her wild, wild ways.

3. ANNA WINTOUR IS MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN ANYONE IMAGINED

The editor created a worldwide media sensation with her flip phone, convinced an innocent showgoer to cut her hair with a few well-placed comments, finagled $200,000 out of Condé Nast per annum for her wardrobe allowance, and still can’t be bothered to do things the average layperson would leap at (take a selfie, chat with top models, etc). This Fashion Week proved that Anna Wintour has power the rest of the fashion world wouldn’t dream of.

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While the rest of New York breathlessly follows the circus that hurtles into town twice a year — Fashion Week under the tents at Lincoln Center — I run for cover from the over-hyped haute hoopla.

With its elitism, discrimination against the 5-foot-2 set (and my feeling Lilliputian against six-foot catwalkers) and its famed air kisses, I just can’t bow at the altar of self-important fashionistas taking over the streets of NYC, casually sprinkling the word “fabulous” into conversations like they almost mean it. (And taking over all the prime restaurant reservations, leaving the town to collectively fat-shame itself — and driving up the prices of Uber along with it.)

I may not know my Charlotte Ronson from my Samantha Ronson, or my Karlie Kloss from my Karolina Kurkova. I have a gift certificate in my wallet to Mango and eyebrows that would make Einstein blush. But I still appreciate fashion — and my heart still palpitates over wearable art.

So where’s the joy?

You’d think these glamazon models would have something to smile about — why do they seem unreasonably sour all the time? They’re young, gorgeous, have the world in the palms of their hands (and many men at their mercy) — would it kill them to show some teeth? Ladies, you have too much going for you to look so pouty all the time — crack a smile; there’s no reason for worshipped, well-paid and respected models to look miserable.

They can flaunt leather lederhosen — or a sack that looks like it had previously served in a potato field — and pass it off as chic, while I get the death stare for walking around in my earnest Gap ensemble.

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(Granted, my skirt was tucked well into my undies, and the blogger insisted that she was only trying to help. But if she had her skirt stuck in her underwear parading around the plaza at Lincoln Center, no doubt we’d see the trend trickle into Zara four months from now.)

It all adds up to one big, week-long inferiority complex for New York women.

And how soul-crushing is it to hear slack-jawed men around our city timidly ask, “Are you a model?” to every wispy woman clutching a skim cappuccino?

While my Starbucks near Lincoln Center has a bloated line all day, every day during Fashion Week, that’s about the only thing bloated around here. Sure, it’s a well-worn cliché that fashion is famine, but when you’re the only one at some swanky Fashion Week party who’s actually there for the free food — like I was Tuesday night at the Empire Hotel — it’s time to do some genuine soul-searching. I didn’t even have to tackle the doe-eyed waiter-slash-model to score the last beef tartare — I still can’t shake the look of horror on fashionistas’ faces at the party when they realized that the passed hors d’oeuvres weren’t mere decoration.

I’ll concede this one’s admittedly a potential win-win for me, but you’d be amazed how easily you can draw attention to yourself when you’re the only one in the room who’s double-fisting pigs in a blanket in a sea of selective eaters. So I try to squeeze in little bites when no one’s looking, lest anyone catch me, you know, eating.

When Fashion Week leaves town on Thursday, I can once again rejoice — but, more importantly, I can once again wear baggy sweatpants with impunity. Maybe one day — two and a half years from now — I will pick through a bargain rack at Century 21 and happen upon that “fabulous” Thakoon dress I’m gushing over right now. Then, I’ll finally be able to say I wore something from the runways.

For now, I’ll say this: Fashion Week does allow our fine city to forget about all our troubles and real-world worries and slip into an altered-reality — if only for eight days.

See you next year, fashionistas — if I can drop these stubborn three pounds, that is.

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Feet and hands pounding in a rhythmic whirl -- stepping traces its roots deep within African American history and over the past year has taken the fashion world by storm.

One of the stars of step, LeeAnet Noble, collaborated with US designer Rick Owens in last September's Paris Fashion Week, and this week, she and her dancers are performing at a fashion and dance exhibit during New York's shows.

In the Washington studio where she rehearses with her company, the 30-year-old sometimes plays the drums. But just as often, there's no music at all: the rhythms of the hands and feet the only accompaniment necessary.

Stepping was born in the United States at the start of the 20th century as a sort of rally cry for African American fraternities to "express their unity, to express the spirit of their organizations," said Virginia Tech professor Elizabeth Fine, who has written a book on the dance.

Its roots, however, reach back further, to the slave era, when white owners forbid slaves to use drums.

"When the drums were taken away, it allowed you to come with creative ways to bring those rhythms back into your life. And it came to clapping and stepping and moving your feet," said Noble.

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Today, said Fine, step dancing is "a way to celebrate black identity in America and black community."

The high-octane dance form -- with its quick tempo and sharp movements -- is not explicitly political.

Black "fraternities and sororities were hugely involved in the civil rights movements," said C. Brian Williams, founder of the Step Afrika dance company.

"Stepping, however, was not at the center," he said.

At rehearsal, the girls go through their moves as Lauretta Malloy, Noble's mother and co-choreographer, reminds them to stay "all together."

"There was a movement through the movement. It stood for empowerment and showing dignity and pride," said Noble, who learned to dance from family in Cleveland, and whose grandparents were fraternity members.

Stepping first became known beyond college campuses through the 1988 Spike Lee film "School Daze," which took inspiration from Lee's own student days.

Over the last year, the dance has found a new stage: in the world of high fashion.

During Owens' 2013 show in Paris, 40 dancers of all sizes and skin tones sported the designer's custom leather creations.

Eyes serious, jaws locked, the women danced on the catwalk with a near military-style cadence -- an allusion to many black students who serve in the US army.

The unorthodox show was received with raves, said Noble. "They were crying," she said of the audience, adding she has since received a slew of requests.

Noble will collaborate next with stylist Joshua Liebman, and, on Friday, she and a crew of her dancers will perform at the opening of a "Dance and Fashion" exhibit at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology.

Last year's appearance at Owens' show also struck a chord, because it came amid a firestorm over lack of diversity in the fashion world sparked by black model Bethann Hardson's list of designers who fail to hire women of color to showcase their work.

"It helps to change what’s happening on the runway," Noble said.

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Joan Rivers was a comedian through and through, starting her journey in comedy clubs and working her way up through various talk shows. So why is it that certain generations will more quickly associate her with fashion? Well, because she conquered that world, too.

The transition from stand-up comedian to the host of E!’s Fashion Police isn’t a typical career trajectory in the land of Hollywood. But for Rivers, the move from comedian to fashion maven was perfectly natural, and that probably had something to do with the fact that it wasn’t much of a “move.” Rivers never stopped being a comedian. Rather, she simply redirected her jokes toward a new topic.

After finding great success as a comedian in the 1980’s—launching The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers and becoming the highest paid performer in Las Vegas—Rivers’ world shifted when her mentor, Johnny Carson, declared that Rivers was dead to him after her show competed against his. Rivers and her husband, producer Edgar Rosenberg, were then fired from the late-night gig. Rosenberg committed suicide soon after.

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Following a deep depression, Rivers found her way back into the entertainment world through the red carpet. Rivers had worked fashion into a handful of her monologues throughout the years, but it was her daughter, Melissa, who gave her the final push into the fashion world. “Melissa knew someone at E!,” Joan told Vanity Fair. “And they were saying, ‘Who should we put out on the red carpet?’ It is a horrible job and no one was doing it then. And Melissa said, ‘My mother.’ It was a very low time for me [in my career].”

Joan Rivers then hosted the 1994 Golden Globes red carpet alone before Melissa joined her for the following year’s Oscars. Bringing their comedy and staunch criticism to the carpet, Melissa and Joan quickly revolutionized red carpet coverage. In fact, the duo is often credited with coining the phrase, “Who are you wearing?”

Joan explained the thinking behind the often-criticized question by saying, “Other reporters always said, ‘I’m not going to ask that. I’m going to ask how [the actors] feel politically!’ But actors don’t want to hear that! They’re nervous. They haven’t eaten for three days. They’re trying to remember who the damn designer [who made their dress] is. Their hair is held together with extensions. You can’t ask them anything difficult!”

After a couple of shows, Joan and Melissa became their own brand, with their critical approach being recognized by all involved. Actors began asking Joan and Melissa what they thought of their attire. Suddenly, everyone needed to know the opinion of the Rivers duo.

It was only after the red carpet became so packed with publicists and reporters that Joan recalled having to reach out and grab celebrities that the duo decided to leave. “I remember almost pulling Cate Blanchett’s arm out of her socket to talk to her, because BBC had her other arm. The girl almost had two dislocated shoulders,” Joan told Vanity Fair. “And I just thought, I am standing here, an Emmy winner and a Tony nominee, nearly dislocating someone’s shoulder to ask her, ‘Who are you wearing?'”

But having fully immersed herself in the world of fashion at that point, Joan simply redirected her career. In 2010, E! launched Fashion Police. Hosted by Joan, the show ran the day after red-carpet events and discussed the looks from the night before. From there, it became a weekly program.

There’s no word yet on whether Fashion Police will continue in the wake of Joan’s death, though Joan’s feelings toward the show were obvious. She once described it to Access Hollywood the way she described many a dress on the red carpet: “It’s just fabulous.”

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The fashion flock on both coasts has discovered meditation, and now "OMG!" has given way to "Om." Many credit Gwyneth Paltrow guru Andy Puddicombe and his Headspace app, and Deepak Chopra's and Oprah Winfrey's 21-day meditation challenge with taking inner peace to new levels.

Now, red-carpet commentator Suze Yalof Schwartz has opened Unplug Meditation in Santa Monica. "That doesn't mean I don't still love Manolo Blahniks!" she says. "I wanted to do for meditation what Dry Bar did for blowouts: walk in, walk out, feel great." Laurie David, Good Morning America producers and Gucci PR have turned up since its April opening.

New York is mellowing with increased mindfulness, too. Neuehouse, a members-only workspace collective, holds meditation seminars. Style-branding tycoon Tracy Paul says, "Our office now does it together, the only way to function when things move this fast." Branding specialist Howard Collinge (Levi's, Uniqlo) discovered Vedic meditation as taught by Thom Knoles, who holds classes with Google execs, designers and musicians. "Vedic can rid you of useless thoughts and help you access creativity," says Collinge. "It also helps you sleep better."

Schwartz offers a simple meditation for New York Fashion Week called "STOP": Slow down. Take a breath. Observe your situation. Proceed from a calmer place -- even if that place is not the front row. "If people do this," she laughs, "they won't care where they sit."

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Blonde-spotting may well become an official sport when New York Fashion Week gets going on Thursday.

Fashion-followers all over town are hoping to catch a glimpse of Donatella Versace, who will show her Versus Versace collection -- new to the show roster -- on Sunday night. Gwen Stefani is back to present her L.A.M.B. collection followed by cocktails early Saturday evening. And while we're on the subject -- of both blondes and cocktails -- later that night perhaps the best-known blonde of all, Barbie, will team up with the CFDA for a VIP event at the Fashion Lounge in the Meatpacking district.

Legendary tennis champ Serena Williams will relaunch her Signature Statement Collection by HSN Sept. 9 -- she's a busy gal, the U.S. Open ends the day before. Fashion Rocks returns with a Sept. 9 concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, hosted by Ryan Seacrest and featuring biggies such as Jennifer Lopez, Miranda Lambert and Pitbull. And the fashion flock is #thankful that Alexander Wang is back in town at Pier 94 after fleeing the city last season to show in Brooklyn.

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Sadly, the fancy frocksters at Marchesa have opted out of the schedule completely this season to show, instead, in London. Ralph Lauren has divvied up his shows -- the high-end collection will appear as always on the last day of Fashion Week, while his less expensive Polo line will be presented on Sept. 8 in Central Park.

Some are getting into the act early: The Little Black Dress Wines and Fatigues to Fabulous show this Wednesday at Lincoln Center honors both military servicewomen and veterans who will model little black designer dresses to raise awareness of our female soldiers as they transition back to civilian life. Athleta -- the activewear brand -- is also doing a presentation the same day, with a heart-pumping display at its "Crush of Adrenaline" show melding a traditional runway presentation with a high-impact performance.

And even though the shows are dispersed throughout New York, there's still a mob of designers at the Lincoln Center tents. Some are newcomers like Aussie sister act Nicky and Simone Zimmermann. But many are regulars, such as Carolina Herrera, Anna Sui, BCBGMaxAzria and Carmen Marc Valvo, who will introduce a menswear collection along with his swanky women's line. And he's celebrating his 25th anniversary in the biz on Saturday night with a splashy gig at the Players Club -- the invite calls for "formal festive attire." Oh dear, what will we wear?

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A rainy day at Saratoga Race Course on Thursday didn’t stop the glamorous crowd attending the 16th annual Saratoga Fashion Show — nearly 500 fashionistas filled the At the Rail Pavilion tent to support Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region.

Guests sipped on champagne generously donated by Crush and Cask and began bidding on silent auction items while backstage local models were putting on their first looks.

Each place setting featured drawings from children at Ronald McDonald House that were transformed into place mats as well as bottles of olive oil from DZ Restaurants.

Walt Adams took the stage introducing the day’s events to a crowd that included Honorary Chair Nancy Bambara, Michele Riggi, Patty Riggi, Sandy Foley, Gerard and Heather Wise and Dr. Mark Moreau.

Natalie Sillery, fashion icon and owner of Saratoga Trunk, took the stage and began her presentation.

Natalie’s contributions to this annual event and RMHC are breathtaking, and each year she seems to outdo herself with the amount of energy and passion she puts into the day’s events. This year was no exception, as Natalie’s runway show featured a dazzling array of fashion including Don O’neill for Theia, Kay Unger, Kokin and local designer Daniel Moses, amongst others.

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Guests were transfixed by Natalie’s “Trunkettes” as they took to the runway showcasing everything from separates to couture gowns.

The Theia pieces stunned as they glided by, striking a beautiful balance of classic elegance and ethereal allure. Carole Moreau, Trina Lucas, Christianne Smith, Cassandra Partyka, Melissa Brumley, Hagen Morris, Alexis Mokler, Anne Donlan, Samantha Bosshart, Melissa Zieker, Amy Raimo and Mayor Joanne Yepsen were some of the lucky ladies wearing the designer clothes and did a fabulous job showcasing each look.

Immediately following the runway show was a live auction, opening with a trip to New York City and the Theia showroom to pick out a gown with Don O’neill himself.

There were several competing bids before the trip sold to Patty Riggi for an impressive $7,000, but before Natalie was able to move on to the next item Michele Riggi offered a matching bid and another Theia trip was sold to huge applause from the audience.

Other live auction items included two stunning photographs from Lisa Miller’s Foal Project Collection, which depict the indescribable moment of connection between a mare and her foal at birth.

Also on hand supporting RMHC were Colleen Carlson, Elaine Sillery, Beth Smith, Stephanie Collis, Val Collins, Jenn Perry and Mara King as well as RMHC’s Jeff Yule and Chris Turner, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the event a success.

Backstage, Don O’Neill was spotted surprising new mother Rebecca Beers with a custom painted romper for her adorable son Julian, who may now officially be the best-dressed baby in Saratoga.

While the day was full of fun and fabulous style, the reason behind the Saratoga Fashion Show was never lost. It has become a place of love and support for families as their lives are turned upside down, a message that was beautifully articulated by Leisha Arbogast, who shared her family’s story with the audience. As her son went through multiple heart surgeries, the House became the one constant for her family.

The funds raised will ensure the Ronald McDonald House of Albany can continue to welcome families whose children are receiving care at nearby hospitals, never turning anyone away due to their inability to pay.

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Five years ago Jennifer Hyman was a 29-year-old Harvard Business School graduate with no experience in fashion or technology, pitching her startup, Rent the Runway, to a boardroom full of partners at a big-time Boston venture capital firm. The idea then, as now, was to buy designer dresses wholesale and rent them, over the Web, for a night or two for a fraction of the price. When Hyman was about to get to the part where she explained how many inventory turns she could get from a Diane von Furstenberg, one of the men interrupted the presentation, cupped her hand in his and said, “You are just too cute. You get this big closet and get to play with all these dresses and can wear whatever you want. This must be so much fun!”

Hyman now laughs about it, doing an imitation of the guy in a baby-doll octave. But at the time she was floored. Weeks before the patronizing VC trapped her hand in his grip, Hyman had gotten six term sheets from some of the country’s best venture firms, which valued her “big closet” at $50 million. The comment left her more driven than before. “Opposed to screaming and shouting about inherent sexism in this entrepreneurial world, I thought, Let’s work it–let’s build the most kick-ass logistics company in the whole world, and then we’ll reveal what’s under the dress.”

What Hyman and her cofounder, Jennifer Fleiss, have built is the furthest thing from cute. Buzzing around Hyman’s cubbyhole-chic office in an old printing building in lower Manhattan are 280 employees with a strange blend of talents: data scientists, fashion stylists, app developers, apparel merchandisers. It’s as if MIT and FIT threw a mixer.

The operation is downright daunting in its complexity. Each day Rent the Runway and its software algorithms juggle more than 65,000 dresses and 25,000 earrings, bracelet s and necklaces as they zip across the country among its 5 million members. Sixty percent of the dresses fly back out the door the same day they arrive balled up in Mylar UPS return envelopes. Its Secaucus, N.J. warehouse employs more than 200 people who sort returns, remove all kinds of stains, sterilize jewelry and mend tears. This fall the operation moves to a larger, 160,000 square-foot warehouse, at which point Hyman will officially become America’s largest dry cleaner.

Hyman and Fleiss’ idea emerged at the right moment. Millennials are leading a migration away from ownership to subscribing and sharing: Spotify invades our speakers, Netflix our TVs, Uber our curbs, Airbnb our entire homes. Rent the Runway wants to stream your wardrobe.

Fashion is, after all, a rotten investment. Hot colors cool, styles change fast–so can your dress size. For $70 on Rent the Runway you can wear a $2,295 white strapless Calvin Klein Collection gown; $30 rents you a $1,295 Vera Wang Jawdropper dress. The company just launched a new subscription service called Unlimited that lets customers borrow up to three accessories (sunglasses, bags, jackets) for as long as they want for $75 a month. “We’re giving our customer access to things she wouldn’t have otherwise purchased, either because it wasn’t smart to buy it or she couldn’t afford it,” says Hyman, the CEO. Adds Fleiss, who oversees strategy: “Being naive helped. If we knew how hard this was going to be, I doubt we would have done it.”

On average, an American woman buys 64 new pieces of clothing a year–half of which she’ll wear once, according to Rent the Runway’s internal research. Facebook and Instagram are making matters worse. “It creates pressure for women,” says Hyman. “Now you can’t repeat outfits because your friends have seen that outfit on social media. As ridiculous as that sounds, that is what drives our business.”

Streaming Halstons turned out to be more painful than Hyman thought. A source says that Rent the Runway hit the $50 million revenue milestone only last year–later than the explosive growth of its first two years would have indicated. A year long slump in between caused it to miss internal and VC growth projections. “It forced a very important come–to–Jesus moment,” says Hyman, who overcame the bump by plowing resources into data science, pricing models and a mobile platform (which today accounts for 40% of traffic).

User numbers, repeat business, rental volume and revenue have doubled in each of the last two years, and Hyman says she has lent out more than $350 million worth of fashion so far in 2014, which would track toward another doubling, $100 million in revenue, this year. Hyman says Rent the Runway would have turned a profit last year if they hadn’t continued to expand infrastructure and systems.

Accordingly, linking fashion into the sharing economy has proved very enriching. A $24.4 million funding round in March 2012 placed a $250 million valuation on Rent the Runway. Hyman is looking to raise another big chunk this fall, likely at a valuation north of $750 million, sources say. (Hyman and Fleiss won’t talk ownership stakes, but ballpark estimates based on similar trajectories would be that they still collectively hold 30%.) Given the current frenzy for these type s of companies, it could run up against the coveted $1 billion mark–an especially rare feat for a New York startup with two female founders in this era of Silicon Valley bros.

Hyman has the frothy pitch to match. Dresses, she argue s, are a Trojan horse: “We started off with the goods that are the most difficult to rent because of the durability of the product and all the services you must build. Now we can rent any product in the world. “She envisions Rent the Runway as a marketplace for retailers and brands to rent unsold inventory instead of shipping it off to discount outlets. Or perhaps a high-end consignment store for the wealthy? At the very least, guys will be able to stream their ties and cuff links.

“The idea,” she says, “is to build the Amazon of rental.”

Rent the Runway has a long way to go before it can call itself the Amazon of anything, but its founders have mastered their industry in a manner that would make Jeff Bezos proud. Hyman grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y. Her father was in international trade. Her mother, who had earned an M. B.A. from NYU, was the con troller at a Pirelli Tire subsidiary but quit when Hyman’s younger sister Sherri was diagnosed with autism. “She required 24–hour care, and the whole family had to function as a team and collaborate to survive,” says Hyman. “That philosophy is so critical to who I am.”

A self-described high school nerd, Hyman sang, danced, played volleyball and volunteered with autistic children. She attended Harvard with plans to be a journalist, but after the 9/11 attacks she became interested in the travel industry and eventually launched a wedding registry program for Starwood Hotels that let newlyweds ask friends for experiences instead of picture frames and pots. In 2005 she moved to Los Angeles to run ad sales at Wedding Channel.com and applied to Harvard Business School. That year another sister, Becky — who now oversees Rent the Runway’s four retail stores — had back-to-back surgeries to treat her thyroid cancer. Hyman returned to New York, took a business development job at IMG and deferred her admittance to Harvard, entering the program in 2007.

On her first day at business school Hyman met Fleiss, who had a mutual friend with her sister. “She came up to me with this Post-it that had my name on it,” says Fleiss, who grew up in Manhattan and went to Yale before working in business strategy at Lehman Bros. The two became fast friends and often pitched each other start up ideas over lunch at Harvard’s Spangler Center. Hyman was always going big-picture, while Fleiss was better at figuring out how to get things done.

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The dress-rental lightbulb went off when the Hyman sisters were home for Thanksgiving in 2008. Becky was showing off the $2,000 Marches a dress she had bought for a wedding and the huge dent it had made in her credit card balance. “As an older sister I looked at her packed closet and started freaking out on her,” says Hyman. “Becky told me how she wanted something new to feel great and that she had already been photographed in all her outfits on Facebook.”

Hyman put two and two together and told Fleiss about her dress–rental idea. They decided to test it out at Harvard. If it flopped they could always take corporate jobs; Hyman had an offer from NBC Universal, Fleiss at job site The Ladders. In a move that is now an HBS case study, the pair bought and borrowed dresses, running a series of tests at Harvard and Yale to see if women would rent, first, a fancy dress they could try on and, later, one they saw only in a photo. In both cases the answer was yes. Test results in hand, they cold-called investors.

Despite their lack of experience in fashion, technology or start ups, Bain Capital Ventures came in with a $1. 8 million seed investment and a few months later led a $15 million round with Highland Capital Partners. “I meet new entrepreneurs each week, and I’m rarely blown away by people out of the gate,” says Bain managing director Scott Friend. “The structured way they thought through the opportunity was unexpected and super appealing.”

Hyman and Fleiss ran the company out of extra space in a Tribeca architecture firm, using a local dry cleaner to store and turn around dresses. As the business grew, they got another $15 million in a round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in April 2011 and moved operations to a floor in their current building, later leasing a second level to store the growing inventory. They lured in college-age women, a core customer base, by deploying hundreds of “runway reps” at campuses and sororities. Says Juliet de Baubigny, a partner at Kleiner Perkins, “We didn’t back them as a fashion start up. It’s the sharing economy meets the Facebook–Instagram generation.”

Hyman had always planned on outsourcing the cleaning and shipping of clothes, but as the business grew, she realized that doing the dirty work wasn’t only a necessity but a competitive advantage. Hyman recruited Charles Ickes, who had run high-end dry cleaner Madame Paulette, to oversee logistics and Vijay Subramanian, a former data scientist at Oracle, to build the computer brain for the whole operation. (Hyman calls the firm “a fashion company with a technology soul.”)

Despite the comparison with Netflix–and there have been many–Rent the Runway i s in a business where the stakes are higher, the problems more complex. Delivering a delicate designer dress is trickier and more expensive than slinging scuffed copies of Breaking Bad across the country. The dresses must arrive on time and in perfect condition. One mistake–a late arrival, an unsightly stain, a poor fit–creates a customer relations nightmare. “If we mess up it’s not just the customer who hates us,” says head of marketing A.J. Nicholas. “Her friends hate us, her sisters hate us, her mom hates us.”

So with every dress it lends, Rent the Runway’s algorithms get a bit smarter about ways to track the location of each item, forecast demand, select shipping methods, set prices and control inventory. Algorithms crawl customer reviews to tabulate which dresses women are renting for certain occasions and then forecast demand to determine if a pre paid shipping label that goes out with a dress should get that dress back overnight or if it can wait for three-day return.

When sizing up a new dress, merchandisers go through a list of 40 data points such as fabric, zippers, stitching and shape to determine whether it will hold up to the rigors of rental. “Our buyers literally try to tear the clothes apart,” says Hyman. After all, the longer the life span, the higher the return on capital. “When I initially went to fundraise,” says Hyman, “I had a Power P oint slide that said the average dress would turn 12 times. They said, ‘You’re crazy,’ and cut that assumption to 8 times, saying if I can do that this is an amazing business.” Today Rent the Runway is averaging 30 turns per dress, which means some get worn many more times. That’s borderline icky, but the fact that an increasing number of women no longer get hung up on such boundaries is a testament to Hyman and Fleiss’ deep understanding of their customers. “The brilliance of what they’ve done is figure how to convince women it’s okay to rent and make it cool to rent and make sure a woman would be satisfied,” says Dan Rosensweig, who runs textbook renter Chegg and sits on Rent the Runway’s board.

In the male-dominated tech world Rent the Runway looks refreshingly like something from an alternative universe. The noxious Silicon Valley HR math (70% male at Facebook and Twitter) is precisely flipped female at Rent the Runway. The second men’ s room was recently converted into a third ladies’ room, and unlike so many female-focused companies with men at the top, the executive suite also includes Beth Kaplan, as president and chief operating officer, and Camille Fournier, who runs engineering, in addition to Hyman and Fleiss.

For the overworked Hyman it’s something she doesn’t obsess over. At 9 a.m. on a scorching summer day in New York, she’s running up the dank stairwell to her conference room, just off the red–eye from London, where she attended a conference with British designers from Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Hyman has to prepare for the launch two weeks away of the Unlimited subscription service. Then there’s the presentation for an August board meeting and the investor road show for the fall. Hyman remains cheerful and peppy as she marches through meetings–technology infrastructure, dynamic pricing, e–mail marketing, home page redesign and mobile apps.

At 5 p.m. Hyman leads a company wide meeting. Beer from Brooklyn Brewery and Skinny girl Margaritas sit on ice. Hyman takes the mic, reminds everyone that they’ll be locked out of the office for an upcoming mandatory Hamptons beach day and hands the mic to employees who use the air time to give shout-outs to co-workers who they think deserve special recognition and applause. Hyman has been known to belt out Madonna tunes at these meetings. “I can dance to Beyonce, sing karaoke, create strategy, go on dates,” says Hyman. “And build a multi billion company and show the world that women can build big businesses.”

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The right summer dress is all about being comfortable

WITH summer right around the corner it's time to find the perfect dress.

Maxi dresses never go out of style and Narelle Perrett, owner of Rellz Clothing and Giftlines, is making sure the latest styles are on offer.

Narelle said getting the right dress for summer is all about being comfortable and having items that you accessorise with.

But it's not just about looking good; she wants her clientele to feel good when they're wearing the latest fashions.

The Gracemere store focuses on the Go Girl and Bodacious clothing ranges which promote a responsible and healthy body image, and believe that women should not have to compromise fashion because of their age, size and shape.

"I want my ladies to feel up to date, and they want to be trendy," Narelle said.

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"And the clothes complement your figure."

A style like the V-neck Aztec print kaftan can be worn on its own or teamed with tights. It's a style that can even be thrown over your swimmers when you're at the beach.

A look with a floral pattern, like the frill hem dress, has a print that is ready for summer.

"A lot of my clients like these patterns because they're fresh," Narelle said.

The shop owner suggested adding a denim jacket to the look for spring.

"Any of the maxi dresses can easily be teamed with heels to dress up the look and accessorise with jewellery," Narelle said.

"All the clothes are cool and easy to wear for the Rockhampton climate."

Some designers craft looks. Benji Wong tells stories.

The 28-year-old Toronto designer sent out a thought-provoking collection at the premiere of TOM Fashion Week, Toronto’s first men’s fashion week. Gory close-ups of wounds were printed on coats and shirts, often scattered with yellow cartoonish happy faces. One T-shirt read “Baby wanna watch me die?” over a crooked gash.

“It was all about self-destruction, pain that becomes pleasure at a certain point. Smiling so much that no one ever knows what’s wrong,” said Wong, seated at the edge of a couch after the runway show. “It was really about looking at imagery of violence and how does that turn into an emotional reaction for the audience and people who wear it.”

Taking fashion to odd and sometimes uncomfortable places is nothing new for Wong, whose motorcycle jacket was worn by weird icon Lady Gaga. His debut collection, for Fall/Winter 2014, showed at FAT (Fashion Art Toronto) and included images of a fetus floating on a long jacket with belts strapped all over, straitjacket style.

“It was all about heartbreak and fast rides,” Wong explained.

His second collection is just as provocative. The Spring/Summer 2015 line is dubbed “Roses Drowning in a Molotov cocktail,” a phrase that came to him rather organically during a media interview. The poetic line was Wong’s answer when a reporter asked him what he would smell like if he were a marker.

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“It just stuck with me, and I started building this collection around emotions I feel a lot — depression, sadness, hate, but also love.”

It’s been a fast ride for the burgeoning designer, who has a bachelor’s of architecture from the University of Waterloo. He switched gears in 2010 and moved to Belgium for fashion school at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts where he began applying his design ideas to youth culture and the Internet, two common threads in his work.

But there was one catch: learning to sew.

“At that school they push you to learn and find your own method, it’s not really technical. I learned to sew with trial and error and from my friends, who did go to technical schools,” he said.

His non-traditional education seems to have paid off. Sharp lines and dramatic tailoring are tenets of his bold styling and are best exhibited in his latest iteration of the motorcycle jacket, a staple he reimagines every season.

Pieces from his latest collection might seem difficult to imagine spotting on a walk down Queen St. W. Small 3D anime characters haphazardly blossom from jackets like barnacles on a hull. Simpler garments included classic dark-wash jeans with bold red stitching. Regardless, Wong insists his clothes could find space in many a Torontonian’s closet — something he hopes for as he launches his online shop in the coming months.

“I think about how to build up a character and a look in each collection, and because of that each piece can be taken apart and styled into a regular wardrobe as well,” he said. “It’s for people who want to tell stories on their bodies.”

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Models worked stage at Jackson United Methodist Church on Saturday, showing off a variety of fashions for a good cause.

The Sylvan Grove Hospital Auxiliary hosted its fourth annual fundraising fashion show and brunch event, highlighting women’s and children’s fashions from Daisy Pearl’s Boutique and Lady Bugs and Tadpoles Children’s Boutique in the Village at Indian Springs and Belk department store.

Carolyn Chastain, the president of the Sylvan Grove Hospital Auxiliary, said the funds raised during the fashion show go toward the group’s efforts to support the hospital. The auxiliary also hosts a Christmas tree-lighting fundraiser in December.

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Chastain said the 31 members of the Sylvan Grove Hospital Auxiliary support the needs of the hospital by volunteering time, purchasing furniture and equipment and hosting activities for patients at Sylvan Grove. Last year, for example, the group purchased a new set of leather lobby furniture for Sylvan Grove. In the past, it has pooled grant funds to purchase a specialized crib for the hospital’s emergency room. The $6,000 pediatric crib was purchased with money from grants from the Central Georgia Electric Membership Corp. and American Woodmark.

“Last year we had a good fashion show and we’ve had some very good backers,” Chastain said before the start of this year’s event. “It’s something that’s a lot of fun.”

Ed Whitehouse, administrator of Sylvan Grove Hospital, said the auxiliary members are an asset to the hospital’s operations. He said auxiliary volunteers answer phones at the nurses’ station, greet patients and assist with registration for the hospital’s annual health fair, among other contributions.

“They’re at the hospital every day,” Whitehouse said.

Those who helped prepare the models for the fashion show were Rita’s Beaute Rama providing hair styling and April Freeman’s Mary Kay Cosmetics with makeup. Frankie Willis of the Village at Indian Springs emceed the fashion show, describing the outfits and models.

In addition to the fashion show and brunch, the event included a number of vendor tables showing off makeup, jewelry, knit hats, gift items and canned garden products. Lacey Little and Garrett Collins of Jackson High School provided musical entertainment before the fashion show began.

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Everybody needs clothes, but clothes aren't always designed to flatter every body.

In the United States alone, more than half of women identify as plus-size, which typically means they wear a size 14 or larger. Yet their spending traditionally has accounted for less than a quarter of women's clothing purchases, largely due to apparel options that are deemed poor in fit and quality or unimaginative in their style sense.

Now designers are elevating their creations for ladies with curves -- and it's showing. According to a recent NPD Group report, the plus-size women's clothing category has grown 5 percent from last year. It generated $17.5 billion in the 12 months that ended in April, up from $16.7 billion in sales during the same period the previous year.

"There's just opportunity across apparel, even intimates as well, to capitalize on that," says Nicole Haase, senior director of merchandising at Pittsburgh-grown e-retailer ModCloth. July marked one year since the business expanded its plus offerings. In that time, plus sales have doubled and are the company's fastest-growing segment.

Rather than just introducing a plus clothing collection, ModCloth chose to work with vendors to offer "extended sizes" for pieces also carried in straight sizes. So a dress that comes in a size 2 or 4, for instance, would also be available in a size 22 or 24. This approach provides for a more inclusive shopping experience for consumers, Haase says, instead of making women with curves choose from their own group of clothing styles.

Encouraged by its initial success, ModCloth has teamed with New York-based style blogger and Marie Claire contributing fashion editor Nicolette Mason on a collection of dresses, tops and bottoms in sizes XS through 4X that will be available at modcloth in October. ModCloth also plans to direct more attention to improving its extended sizes for pants and tops.

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Meanwhile, other brands have created websites that are set up exclusively for plus-size apparel. Earlier this year, the revamped Eloquii launched a website stocked with trend-inspired styles. It initially existed under the retail chain The Limited as a plus-size sister brand but was shuttered not long after it started in 2011.

"There was so much outcry among the customers saying, 'Once again no one has given (a plus) business a chance,' " says creative director Jodi Arnold. Much of the team stuck together and ventured out on its own.

Like ModCloth, Eloquii strives to squash the stigma often associated with plus-size style by branding its business as "a fashion site that happens to cater to sizes 14 to 24," Arnold says. It also tries to fill the void for trend-focused, sophisticated fashions for fuller figures by debuting new collections every two weeks.

More and more plus-centric brands are looking to the runway when shaping their collections. In the fall, plus clothing chain stalwart Lane Bryant will debut its new 6th & Lane line, flavored with runway fashions including structured moto jackets, vivid prints, leather skirts and sexy sheath and mini dresses. Lane Bryant also has received rave reviews in recent months for its collaborations with Isabel Toledo, widely known as the designer behind the sparkling yellow dress with coordinating overcoat that Michelle Obama wore to the first inaugural parade in 2009. More designs by Toledo for Lane Bryant are expected for the fall.

Pop culture figures and celebrities are pitching in, too. Fashion consultant and television personality Tim Gunn of "Project Runway" has expressed an interest in having a season with plus-size models on the reality TV show. Since 2009, multiple days of runway shows in New York City have been held as part of Full Figured Fashion Week, which showcases the beauty of everyday women and designer fashions for them. Actress Melissa McCarthy also has been very vocal about her struggles to find designers willing to dress her during awards season.

"When I go shopping, most of the time I'm disappointed," she told Redbook in a recent interview.

Putting to work some of what she learned during her stint at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she is working with friend and couturier Daniella Pearl on a plus collection called Pearl.

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