Ladies Who Lunch: Thuy Cruise/Spring 2011 Collection

Shown at the Audi Forum at Park Avenue and 47th Street, the Thuy show was a little bit of sunshine on an otherwise grey and rainy day.  A collection dominated by dresses, it also has some great separates.  A little cropped jacket was shown in different fabrications and in different colors can be worn nicely over dresses or with the other separates.

A mix of neutral beiges, whites and blacks were punched up with a bright navy, chartreuse and mango to create a collection that is both functional and feminine.  The show closed with a super fun brightly beaded floral dress that made a bold final statement.

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Ladies Who Lunch: Fashion's Night Out

This year, Fashion's Night Out seems to have been a tremendous success.  The stores were packed uptown all the way through Soho.  The fashionably clad shoppers congested the streets in Soho so much that at times they were almost impassable.

I dropped by the party hosted by Charlotte Ronson and Gossip Girl's Michelle Trachtenberg for JC Penney's I Heart Ronson collection.  Sister Samantha DJ'd and beautifully decorated cupcakes were served along with tea and a bar.  The music was great, the food was great and the hosts were gorgeous.  What more could you want?

Then it was on to Soho for Chanel and then the Modelinia Party with Model Sessilee Lopez, where the enthusiastic crowd partied through the evening.

With so many events going on all over the city, my only regret is that I couldn't take them all in!!

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Ladies Who Lunch: Editions Georges Chakra Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

From the moment the Editions Georges Chakra show opened at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, two words filled my mind: Red Carpet. From start to finish, this collection of cocktail dresses and evening gowns delivered with looks that were sophisticated, sleek and above all elegant.  Mr. Chakra’s approach to designing this eveningwear brings the collection to the level of couture.

The collection is very artisanal and incorporates ribbing, basket weaving of fabrics and intricate drapes. While the tops of some of the gowns may be very constructed, drama is added with high slits and full flowing floor length skirts.  The sleekness of the line calls to mind 1930’s film icons like Jean Harlow, with an almost Deco feeling to the designs.

The fabrics of the collection are satins, charmeuses, chiffons and metalics.  The primary colors of the collection are white, gold platinum, metallic gold, metallic taupe and metallic taupe.  However, there is a punch of color as well, with some gowns in either violet, bright aqua and golden yellow.  A lot of the colored pieces also use ombré fabrics which give the gowns a whole other dimension. Mr. Chakra also utilizes just enough beadwork to give some of the pieces that extra sparkle, but he does so with a light hand so that it does not overwhelm the dresses.

A beautiful collection, I look forward to seeing his gowns on the Red Carpet and seeing more of his work in future collections.

Photos by Ritika Wahal

http://www.georgeschakra.com/

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Ladies Who Lunch: Guli Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

The Guli runway show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York was definitely a pleasant surprise.  Designer Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the President of Uzbekistan, utilized the fabrics and colors of her native country to produce a collection of modern silhouettes with an ethnic influence.

Gulnara incorporates traditional Uzbek fabrics: adras, bekasam, atlas, han atlas, silk and shoyi.  There is a predominant use of ikats based on ancient handweaving techniques, which bring a lively color display to the line. The use of the Uzbeki patterns and fabrics sets this line apart and gives it a distinctive look. The collection was further enhanced with the use of Ms. Gulnara’s jewelry line that was created in conjunction with Chopard.

The collection of 34 looks runs from casual daywear pieces into elegant evening attire and included a few menswear looks that I would be thrilled to own.

An evening gown in a pale beige silk with a lace paneled back and some nice movement with a lace pleated godet set the tone for the evening grouping.  Another body skimming gown had a plunging back that showed just a hint of lace on the lower back.

Though the evening pieces are lovely, the strength of this collection is in its use of color, fabrics and its decidedly ethnic vibe.

Photos by Ritika Wahal

http://guli.uz/

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Ladies Who Lunch: Silvio Liu Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Constantly in search of what will be the next big thing, I am hitting the shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York.  While I most certainly will be going to some of the big name shows, I find it just as interesting to search out the up and coming designers and see their fresh take on the fashion scene.  My first show to report on is the debut line from Silvio Liu, a partnership between designer Brian Wood and industry production pro Danny Liu.

The Silvio Liu collection of eveningwear takes its inspiration from “the soft feminine palette of the French Impressionists and the bold patterns of the Fauves painters.”  This influence can be seen in the pastel spring colors as well as taking a brighly colorered print and softening it with an overlay of créme pleated chiffon. The print was created by deconstructing Matisse’s portrait of Madame Matisse, The Green Line, and rearranging it into a digital print.  This print also is used throughout the collection as a bright accent to highlight the other colors in the collection.  The collection colors are primarily nude, coral jade, mauve, créme, navy and black.

Silhouettes range from a drapey cowl necked jersey dress to very feminine full skirted taffeta pieces and slim pencil skirted dresses.  Mr. Wood’s background as a successful menswear designer is evident in his attention to tailoring and to menswear inspired detailing.  This collection is however in no way masculine.  It is young, curvaceous, flirty and sexy.  The drape details are very interesting, including a sheath dress in digitally printed silk charmeuse with a bias pleated overlay, which I would say is a key piece of this collection.  

The collection has been presented as eveningwear, but many pieces would be suitable for day or day into evening looks.  Along with what is mostly a dress collection, they have several jackets that compliment the dresses, including boleros and long jacket coats. The Silvio Liu collection is modern and feminine with hints of classic design, a touch of couture workmanship and a lovely spring color palette.

http://www.silvioliu.com/

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title photo courtesy of Silvio Liu

Ladies Who Lunch: Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring 2011

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is kicking off today in New York with a bang. Having moved the venue from its previous site at Bryant Park, Fashion Week is now taking place at Lincoln Center.  As you can see, it has totally transformed Lincoln Center and promises to be a hot house of activity over the next week. 

So how will this transition to Lincoln Center effect Fashion Week and how different will it be form 7th on 6th? Stay tuned as I hop from show to show and report on the best of the shows and parties.

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Ladies Who Lunch: Man With a Mission

I have passed through Santa Barbara numerous times on my way to destinations up the coast of California.  I have even stopped at and explored the Mission several times. Yet, I had never found Santa Barbara intriguing enough to actually stay and really explore it, despite the urgings of numerous friends.

Then a few weeks ago, two very close friends from Vegas planned a wine tasting trip to Santa Barbara and I was coerced into being part of the party.  The one friend had recently had her first child and this weekend was to celebrate the end of her abstaining from wine.  Big wine aficionados, they are the perfect couple to go tasting with and more friends came along to make it a very nice excursion.

After an afternoon of wine tasting at different wineries, we split up with plans to meet at a restaurant/wine store for some libations before heading off to another restaurant for dinner.  When we arrived at The Wine Cask, our pre-dinner meet up, the wonderful variety of wines and charming atmosphere initiated some musing on perhaps staying there for dinner. 

The restaurant section was historic and beautiful, with carved wood ceilings and a beautiful fireplace and they also had outdoor seating in the courtyard between the restaurant and wine shop.  As we were planning on just having some wine, we sat in the front of the wine shop in a long colonnade that had couches, chairs and a big coffee table.  It was all very informal and relaxing.  But the decisive factor on us canceling our other reservation and staying at The Wine Cask for dinner was the purchase of a 2001 magnum of Gaja  Sori San Lorenzo, a Nebbiolo/Barbera Italian wine from the Piedmont region.  Decanted and left to breathe, we started with a 2005 Palmina Nebbiola, a nice medium bodied wine and treated ourselves to a bottle of Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé.  And yes, I am always a sucker for pink champagne!

We ordered an interesting array of appetizers for the whole table to share (seven of us). First up, we tried the Flatbread with Prosciutto, Arugula, Humboldt Fog cheese & Oven Dried Tomato.  I sampled a piece without the prosciutto, finding the crust of the flatbread to have a nice crispness and the melange of toppings a nice accompaniment to the wine. Next up, Short Rib Ravioli with a spicy tomato ragout, Fresh Dungeness Crab Cakes on a remoulade and Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Napa Cabbage, Almond Puree and kumquat Marmalade.  All fought over who would get the last bites, so I would say they were a hit! 

And finally in the cavalcade of appetizers, a good selection of veggie dishes. The ‘Confit’ of Artichoke Heart with Roasted Garlic Purée and Meyer Lemon Aioli was a cool and refreshing surprise. as was the Goat Cheese Stuffed Tempura Squash Blossoms, both perfect for a summer evening. Finally, we finished off the appetizers with a Mizuna Salad and a Farmer’s Market Mixed Greens Salad, which cleansed our palates for the Gaja wine that was now ready to serve.  We poured the wine and sampled it before the main courses arrived.  The Gaja was a nice oaky medium bodied wine with slight currant and berry flavors.  We all agreed it was a delightful wine.

The main courses ordered were not as varied as the appetizers, with three of the party ordering the Grilled New York Strip with Potato Purée, wild Mushrooms, grilled Spring Onion Tomato Confit, Mizuna and Port Roasted Shallot Sauce. All three agreed that the combination of flavors and sides enhanced the very tender beef. The one steak dissenter ordered the Steak Frites, a grilled flat-iron steak with garlic-seared broccolini, blue cheese, french fries with both a demiglace and chimichurri sauce.  A few at the table who tasted this dish proclaimed ti the winner of the evening, commenting that the blue cheese blended with the other sauces was right on. A summery combination of Braised Pork Shoulder with a white corn polenta, shrimp and a tomato-corn-cucumber salad was enjoyed by one of our gang, while the Wine Cask Cassoulet, a deconstructed version of the classic dish with the meats on the side was enjoyed by another.

The chef said that he would make a vegetarian dish for me, but I had already chosen some menu items that I really wanted to try.  I feted on a serving of sautéed Brussels Sprouts, wonderfully al dente and seasoned nicely and a serving of the Baked Mac ‘N Cheese with Gruyere, Cheddar and crisply topped with toasted bread crumbs. Not overly creamy, this Mac ‘N Cheese was very cheesy in texture and packed an intense Gruyere/Cheddar flavor that was really incredible.  It definitely goes up there with my all time favorite macaroni & cheeses.  I also wanted to sample the fries, so ordered a side dish of them  At first I was disappointed, as the fries were not really crisp and seamed to be little pieces and not full fries.  I told the server and they were whisked away and replaced with a fresh order that was perfect.

As usual, when it came to dessert time, we were all pretty sated.  We only ordered two desserts and everyone sampled a little of each  The Bread Pudding was nicely prepared, but what really made it special was the incredibly flavorful bourbon-salted caramel sauce. We also sampled a Mango Creme Brulée and a Chocolate Crème Brulée, both very creamy and light.

The staff were incredibly attentive and to have dinner outdoors in such a relaxed setting was the perfect end to a very pleasant day.  If only to go back to the Wine Cask, I would definitely pay Santa Barbara another visit. And if this remarkable find was discovered there, I can only wonder at what other hidden jewels this town has to offer.

http://www.winecask.com/

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