Text and Images by J. Ecochard except as noted
Runway shows are one way to celebrate/re-invent parts of the fashion biz…the design/beauty/styling side of things.
Image of Elettra Rossellini Weidman and Peroni Waiters courtesy of Dan Klores PR
Photography of fashion can be as memorable and groundbreaking. We jumped at the chance to take in the Vogue/Peroni-(the primo Italian beer brewery) opening night party for the exhibit “50 Years of Italian Style….Iconic Images That Go Beyond Fashion And Time” A great cause, Save Venice, was the charitable beneficiary of generous attendees.
Naturally, the jammed to the rafters’ party was full of impeccably dressed Europeans who did not even break a sweat in their tailored threads. A few NAMES including Elettra Rossellini Weidman (who’s Mom, Isabella Rossellini adorned some of our favorite images) and super model/environmentalist Shalom upped the fashionable quota. Definitely a highlight for us.
A few nights later, we tailed it over to a presentation coined 360 Style at the Caravan social space on Great Jones Street. More of a viral marketing soiree than fashion week party, top brands like socially conscious Edun designed by Rogan Gregory and Bono's wife Ali Hewson, the reinvigorated Fred Perry line of street casual garb, and lady-like television's GOSSIP GIRL wardrobe staple Lorick were modeled by good looking young’uns posed in the floor to ceiling windows.
Hair products manufacturer Conair also had a hands on exhibit featuring their new technologically advanced Infiniti™Nano Silver line of hair dryers, heated rollers, and ceramic stylers. Reasonably priced unlike their competitors, there were cutting edge bells and whistles that dry hair faster and safer…and priced about 50% less than competitors.
A next day, mid-day break at the eBay Suite at Bryant Park Hotel gave us a few minutes with eBay Style Director, fashion veteran Constance White. Now that the large auction houses like Doyle’s and Sotheby’s have abandoned their immensely popular but probably not too profitable vintage clothing and textile auctions, eBay has become the global marketplace for used/new garb and collectables. So we asked Ms. White how long does it take for fashions seen on the runway to wind up on eBay?
“We see things from the runway start to appear on eBay within weeks. However, the majority appear around six months later when shoppers are really looking for in-season items” she noted
We also wondered what Ms. White had in mind for eBay’s next step-perhaps a dedicated high-fashion search hub? Her reply was a succinct “You nailed it. I'd love to see a fashion hub. I'd love to see a place where our users can just come for everything fashion - and then be directed to burrow deeper.”
We also queried another eBay rep how the company is dealing with fakes put up for auction and she noted how the online company is working with designers and companies' affected (like Tiffany’s) to eliminate the duds.
Image of eBay Style Director Constance White courtesy of Kaplow PR