For some reason, I had big expectations for Fashion Fringe.
Maybe it’s because some super cool designers have emerged from it and I thought I might see the next big thing. Or it could’ve been because Tom Ford was a judge and I have a huge crush on him. But it could be because when I walked in, the front row names read: Jerry Hall, Georgia May Jagger, Dita Von Teese, and Princess Beatrice.
But in the end, it was about the clothes. (Well, sort of. I did get a huge kick out of seeing Emma Watson end up in Jerry Hall’s seat and next to Dita. And it was kind of amazing to watch Donatella Versace walk straight into Faran).
The competition included four designers. The first showed an all-white collection inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker which sounds doomed for failure but actually ended up the winner (Eun Jeong Hong’s line, Go By a Secret Path). The second featured super cute, super wearable brightly colored dresses. The third went on print overload with more than a little Miu Miu influence. And the fourth, well the fourth kid was banking on Donatella’s vote and showed a parade of vampy dresses set off with dark lipstick.
Do I think I saw the next Chris Kane or Gareth Pugh? No. But I had fun.