CFDA |

Truly Julie with the “it” designer of the year Prabal Gurung.Prabal Gurung and Michelle Smith briefly ditched fashion design to play photography curators this month. Michelle is the designer behind the vibrant brand Milly. The two along with three other fashion greats — Diane von Furstenberg, Vera Wang and Zac Posen — sifted through the New York Times photography archives from the past 100 years and picked their favorite 50. Reprints of the photos are available for sale in three different sizes, framed or unframed, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which fosters and cultivates emerging designers. Prabal is the CFDA winner this year! The Fifty Photographs exhibit is on display at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street until November 26…just head up to the Designer Collections on the 4th floor. My personal favorites include the NYC cabs and Flatiron Building (both from DVF’s picks) as well as the dancers (Vera Wang’s picks). If you’re stumped on holiday gifts…these photos would be easy as a…pun intended…snap! Check out the entire story including my interview with Prabal by clicking here. And on a sidebar…I wore this Prabal dress to an event…and it was a big hit!

Truly Julie with Aaron Eckhart

Alexandra (“Ali”) & Kristen O’Neill are the sassy sisters behind the label Porter Grey. The two are brains, beauty, and fashion! Ali (left) attended NYU and Kristen (right) went to Harvard. This is their 2nd year showing at NYFW.

The hip O’Neill sisters grew up in Denver…so while their collection is fun and girly with a touch of East Village, it’s very Colorado grounded….literally! All the models had flat oxfords on. My favorite dress was actually the one Kristen was wearing…cool open back.

Of all my years covering Fashion Week…I have never ever met a designer as chill, humble, and relaxed as Richard Chai. When all that hard work boils down to a 10 minute runway show, designers are usually on edge backstage…to say the least. But not Richard. Much like his clothes…Richard is no frills, just finesse. Having sketched for Lanvin…designed for Donna Karan…only to become the creative director for Marc Jacobs, Richard is trained and equipped to do it all. He won the CFDA award last year for his men’s line. Today was the first time he showcased both the men’s and women’s lines in one runway show. Yes, this meant male models for me to gawk at:) Known for his understated, architectural style…Richard is spicing it up for Spring 2012…more colors and prints.

In the midst of the fashion frenzy: steamers puffing at your face, hairspray hurricane, makeup mayhem…
I couldn’t help notice a beaming face: a woman with flawless skin just radiating health. It was Tata Harper, the organic skincare guru who’s been all the buzz lately. The Columbian beauty says all of her products are made at her farm in Vermont. I actually use the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask and love it because it gently tightens my pores. Tata was in charge of keeping the models’ skin glowing…which is no easy feat when they are piling on and scraping off makeup…show after show. Alright, kids…it’s Day 1 of New York Fashion Week. More adventures to follow!