(Long Island, NY) This week was hectic and exciting attending all the wonderful fashion shows at Bryant Park. A week filled with glamorous fashionistas, top designers, celebrities, models movie stars and paparazzi!
My favorite show of the week that I was invited to was the Carmen Marc Valvo Spring 2007 collection on Wednesday, September 13th in the tents at Bryant Park. I arrived backstage at the event wearing a fabulous silver creation designed by my stylist Count Vlad from his Vladicouture collection.
Carmen Marc Valvo takes his inspiration for Spring 2007 from the dramatic flower paintings of Georgia O’Keefe. The collection is defined with hues of the purity of magnolia white, the drama of midnight black with a touch of gold, a blush of rose and muted tones of sand. The architect of the collection is voluminous pieces and abstract pattern with emphasis on perfect detail creating the sensuality of luxurious evening gowns and elegant cocktail dresses.
Last year’s collection theme was 1960’s Vegas glamour. Black headbands, beehived under-flips and Frank Sinatra singing, “I’ve God You Under my Skin” put everyone in the cocktail lounge mood “. Let’s have a martini darlings, shaken not stirred!
Ms. Wellerlane’s Dress designed by Vladicouture – Photo by UdoR Photography
Carmen Marc Valvo was a ready to wear designer for Nina Ricci and Christian Dior before embarking on his own couture line. In 1989 he courageously launched his first label with just a few thousand dollars. He fearlessly pulled off a collection to show department and specialty stores at the Fall Market in New York. He revealed to me that he had just bought a home in the Hamptons and was dedicated to making his vision of having his own label a reality. After presenting his true passion, his eveningwear collection, the buyers from Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue fell in love with his designs and his collection was brought into their stores. He also told me that Bloomingdales was particularly fond of his collection as well. The Carmen Marc Valvo Couture collection is seen during the New York Fashion Week twice a year. The Carmen Marc Valvo collection is always elegant, glamorous with attention to perfect detailing. The world of Carmen Marc Valvo includes a suit collection, sportswear, recently custom furs which was presented at the FICA show, shoes, limited edition jewelry and soon there will be a swimwear line that Carmen mentioned in our interview.
His soul’s desire is to bring glamorous dressing to every woman’s lifestyle. Every woman should look like a Hollywood movie star. His creations are favorites among Hollywood stars and A-list celebrities including Lucy Liu, Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah, Beyonce, Kim Kattrall and Catherine Zeta-Jones. TIME Magazine is quoted as saying “While other designers seek to shock, Valvo’s creations shine in the marketplace”.
More recently Carmen has joined the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA) as an ambassador to raise awareness of this curable cancer.
Bravo darlings to Carmen Marc Valvo, I too am in love with Carmen!!
For more information please visit www.carmenmarcvalvo.com
The Heatherette showed their Spring collection on September 12, 2006.
Cognac Wellerlane interviewing Fashion Designer Carmen Marc Valvo – Photo by Gary Silberman
Hotel heiress, celebutante Paris Hilton opened the show wearing chiffon rolling a Heatherette wheelie bag down the fashion show’s runway, lip-synching to her just recorded song “Stars are Blind”.
The theme of this year’s collection was our favorite blonde hotel heiress to be kidnapped by exotic gypsies and sexy pirates before being rescued and married. Yes darlings, I said married!
The house was filled with A-list celebrities including Jamie Lynn Sigler, Ingrid Cesares, Oksana Baiul and MTV’s John Norris. In the audience were your local colorful club kids, drag queens and teenybopper socialites talking on their rhinestone encrusted cell phones in the front row.
Another gorgeous heiress to the Hearst fortune Miss Lydia Hearst also did the catwalk on the runway wearing one of the Heatherette’s collection. Socialite and “The It Girl” Tinsley Mortimer wore a campy tennis ensemble to music of Madonna’s “Holiday”.
The cliffhanger of the rock star production fashion show, Paris’s other half suddenly brunette sister Nicky dressed in a strapless tuxedo dress led the bridal procession of models in scantly clad bikinis down the fashion runway followed by the glamorous Reverend Amanda Lepore dressed appropriately as a provocative minister, and of course then came dressed all in blue the blushing bride Paris Hilton, (well darling’s it is ridiculous for her to wear white anymore) on the arm of another toy boy. The couple kissed and posed for photos as all happy couples do.
The gossip is that backstage Richie revealed that his significant other proposed marriage to him after colleagues and friends congratulated him on a terrific show! We all want to know darlings did he accept the proposal? My sources tell me that Richie revealed, “yeah, I’m gonna get married”, “I think I’m gonna do it on the Heatherette runway, too. In a year!”
The show is always a hoot and lots of fun to see! I love the Heatherettes!!!
