bee shaffer

>> The Chateau Marmont hosted the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund West Coast runway show and tea yesterday afternoon — part of the competition for fund finalists (Joseph Altuzarra, Pamela Love, Prabal Gurung, Christian Cota, Moss Lipow, Gregory Parkinson, and Eddie Borgo among them); each finalist showed five Spring 2011 looks to an audience that included Rachel Zoe, Erin Wasson, Noot Seear, and Jenna Lyons.

Nerves were high for the designers, with a winner to be announced next month. “I have to tell myself to stop and enjoy the moment,” said Gurung. “But it was hard for us all not to tear up.” And Laura Love, Vogue West Coast editor Lisa Love's daughter, who was reportedly convinced to check out modeling by Anna Wintour and has since signed with Ford Models, walked the runway for Altuzarra.

Last night, the Fashion's Night Out runway show set a fierce fashion pace and paved the way for the Fashion Week ahead. Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Olivia Palermo, and more joined forces with fashion greats like Anna Wintour, Diane von Furstenberg, and Michael Kors to watch Gisele, Karolina, and other Fab favorite models take the catwalk at Lincoln Center. Stylish celebs and a full-on fashion show at an NYC landmark — could there be a better way to kick off the fun?

>> The audience at tonight's Fashion's Night Out fashion show wasn't limited to the 1,500 ticket-holders — crowds gathered behind police barricades across the street from the Lincoln Center Plaza for a glimpse of New York City's largest fashion show. Those who were lucky enough to nab tickets to the show were treated to a concentric-circled runway setup, with rows no more than two deep. Not only that, but among the audience was a large smattering of designers — Tory Burch, Tommy Hilfiger, Diane von Furstenberg, Jenna Lyons, Michael Kors, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Vera Wang, Francisco Costa, and Donna Karan among them; models — Lauren Hutton, Bar Rafaeli, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann; and other industry figures, including Anna Wintour, with favorites Blake Lively and Roger Federer next to her, and Si Newhouse himself. Bee Shaffer arrived 45 minutes early to the event, holding hands with boyfriend Jake Hurwitz.

Anna Wintour's fears that the show, scheduled to start at 7:30 pm, would begin late were unmerited — it started on the dot with Alicia Keys's "Empire State of Mind" playing on the loudspeaker as spotlights searched the audience and the fountain in the center of the setup rose and then fell.

As the audience looked for Gisele Bundchen, set to open the show's 171 looks, a Fashion's Night Out doubledecker bus pulled up next to the Plaza, carrying Bundchen, Angela Lindvall, Karolina Kurkova, Coco Rocha, Lily Donaldson, Lara Stone, Jourdan Dunn, Caroline Trentini, Sasha Pivovarova, Adriana Lima, Chanel Iman, and Karlie Kloss, each dressed in a Fashion's Night Out tee paired with a long ballgown skirt and heels. The twelve models dismounted the bus one by one, forming a line in front of the Plaza steps as the rest of the 150 model cast filled in behind them.

Gisele leading the way, the twelve openers made their way around the fountain, soon followed by groups of models clipping by showcasing "Fifties Flair," "Tartan Twist," "Rock Chic," "Go Global," and "Jazz-Age Cool." Each group wormed their way around the circular runway, the models coming in quick succession, highly choreographed and sometimes stopping and turning. A few were suffering from their heels by the end — Rose Cordero and Heidi Mount among them — and those in the "Weekend Wrap-Up" group, all swathed in capes and jackets, had sweat rolling from their temples after all the parading, thanks to the humid Indian Summer air.

Pharrell Williams popped up on the center fountain to close the extravaganza in a surprise performance, and Gisele and the rest of the openers paraded and danced back to the bus, this time in full-on designer gowns, with Naomi Campbell in the finale spot. As Pharrell joined them, he encouraged the audience — ticketed and not — to shop New York, because after all, that was the whole point of this 15-minute shindig. So will it work?

>> This evening at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, fashion's finest gathered for the 2010 CFDA Awards. Jak & Jil's Tommy Ton snapped photos of the arrivals, J.Crew's Jenna Lyons introduced herself to Isabel Toledo, and the ever-punctual Anna Wintour was later than usual, appearing after the pre-awards cocktails were in full swing.

Wintour put on her signature shades for the ceremony itself, but off they came when International Award winner Christopher Bailey thanked her (along with Tom Ford and Donna Karan) — in fact, she was beaming. Later, she got on stage to present Michael Kors with his Lifetime Achievement Award — he received a standing ovation — and told a story about how she went on a trip to Jamaica with Kors; when Ralph Lauren arrived, Kors got in the ocean and stayed there for hours because he didn't want Lauren to see him in his swimsuit.

Speaking of Lauren, he received the Popular Vote for the second year running — although he wasn't in attendance this evening. Sarah Jessica Parker, dressed in a custom gown by new Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton, presented Lee Alexander McQueen posthumously with the Special Tribute Award, noting that the designer had "the most beautiful hands I've ever seen," before models took the stage in the designer's last works.

Accepting her Fashion Icon Award, Iman thanked her parents for the longest neck on any model at any go-see in the world and joked to husband David Bowie: "Move over. You're not the only icon in the house." And finally, Marc Jacobs scored the Womenwear Award — he thanked bloggers for his win and said to Robert Duffy: "i want to thank [Duffy], without you this dream would never have come true."

And the winners are . . . (nominees here):

• Accessory Designer of the Year: Alexis Bittar
• Popular Vote Award: Ralph Lauren
• Menswear Designer of the Year: Marcus Wainwright and David Neville for Rag & Bone
• Swarovski Award for Menswear: Richard Chai
• Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Jason Wu
• Swarovski Award for Accessories: Alexander Wang
• Womenswear Designer of the Year: Marc Jacobs

>> If you didn't get enough late '90s references at Alexander Wang, look to Proenza Schouler to fill your Fall 2010 quota. Newcomer Ann Kenny — who has the most arresting blue eyes — opened the show in high-waisted graffiti pants, made in collaboration with J Brand, and a shrunken navy toggle jacket. All the John Fleuvog-style curved platform heels and sheer thigh highs paired with full pleated school girl-style miniskirts must have caught Anna Wintour's attention — she sat next to Bee Shaffer the entire show, sunglasses-less (a first?), until the final runthrough when she finally put her trademark shades on.

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez had the house packed: benches arranged around the X-shaped runway sat as many as they could possibly fit — with the likes of Pamela Love, Mary-Kate Olsen, Jen Brill, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld (in green furry heels), Joseph Altuzarra, Lauren Santo Domingo, Vanessa Traina, Chloe Sevigny, Craig McDean, Terry Richardson, and Olivier Zahm all accounted for. Bass pumped through Milk Studios loud enough to shake the walls, while fuzzy printed flannel dresses and alpine knits evolved into razor-sharp cropped jackets and finally, patterned minidresses with bubble skirts and trapeze shapes.

Marie Chaix styled once again, and if you're a fan of straight-off-the-runway (many front-rowers had their PS 1 clutches handy), for the next 24-odd hours, two of the runway handbags are available for purchase.  Post-show, a sight: Hamish Bowles, in his usual dapper suit, but instead of his usual brogues, his trousers stuffed into shiny black wellies.  A video of the show can be seen here.

>> Imagine having Anna Wintour and Bee Shaffer sit in on your first ever runway show; that's just what happened to Prabal Gurung yesterday in Bryant Park. Rachel Zoe, who helped the designer score his first major red carpet dressing moment by putting Demi Moore in one of his dresses, too, was there.  As were Prabal's sister and brother-in-law, who flew in from his native Nepal for the occasion.

So could Gurung live up to all the hype that he's been garnering in the past year? His Fall 2010 collection, which was about "warp speed" and the fast-paced modern world (appropriate considering his rapid ascent), started off with a cashmere coat: white in the front, black in the back.  The colorblocking effect ran its way through pants with flatteringly curved seams, across the bodice of a dress, and on to highlight the lining of a hooded jacket. Then it was on to dresses: Gurung's specialty.  One black and white ruffle-fronted number with a revealing mesh back is sure to get play. Zoe Saldana was front row — perhaps scoping out options for the Oscars?  If true, one thing will play in her favor: the collection photographs strikingly.

>> Last night, with the help of keynote speaker Alber Elbaz, who doled out gems on the perils of success — "It's like a bottle of perfume. You smell it, you don't sniff it or drink it" — Alaia veteran and Michelle Obama favorite Sophie Theallet took home the 2009 Vogue/Fashion Fund prize of $200,000 and a year of mentoring.  Fellow nominees Patrik Ervell and Monique Pean were named runners-up, and received $50,000 each plus a business mentor.

In her speech, Anna Wintour said that in addition to the US, Italy, and the UK — which just started a similar talent-nurturing program — she just met with the French minister of culture about mirroring the contest there. "And Brazil, India, Russia, and China aren't far behind."

Theallet Tweeted of her win: "my american dream comes true tonight thanks and much love to all of you!xox."  Cathy Horyn, too, weighed in on the choice:

"The money and the mentoring will help Ms. Theallet because she needs to be able to offer more range in her collection, as well as expand her production options. She has such a distinctly feminine eye, and the skills, that I’ve often wondered why a big retailer doesn’t ask Ms. Theallet to design some blouses and summer dresses for them, using the store’s resources and manufacturing connections."

Videos of the nominees going through the competition and the awards ceremony last night can be seen here and here, respectively.