Haute and the City

It has become an increasingly popular notion in the fashion industry that what was once a tightly-sealed industry-only event, fashion week must be brought “to the people.” DKNY Men made New York Fashion Week history yesterday by becoming the first-ever collection to be presented at the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square, which was broadcast on the screens to the pedestrians outside on the 12 Reuters JumboTron screens.

The crux of this season’s DKNY Men’s collection pays tribute to the timeless 1950′s gray suit, modernized by a slim silhouette, skinny ties and paired with platform Doc Marten’s and Tevas. Unstructured blazers and the (disappointing) presence of cargo shorts provided a more casual feel to the overall collection.

The message here is clear: whether you need an outfit for your nine-to-five or for the weekend, DKNY men has you covered with the American classics.

Photos courtesy of Style.com.

DKNY

It’s finally here! Tonight is NY’s Fashion’s Night Out.

Although I have a laundry list of about 300 places I’d like to check out, I thought I’d share some of the hot spots I hope to hit tonight.

ADAM
678 Hudson Street New York NY 10014
ADAM promises lots of cocktails and raffles will be held for tickets to the S/S 11 fashion show and $500 gift cards. [Editor's note: WANT.] DJ Phresh will spin while Space NK provides free makeovers. 8pm – 10pm.

Christian Louboutin
59 Horatio Street New York NY 10014
Preview of boutique-exclusive for men/women will be available for sale on Sept. 10th with a limited preview size run. There will be 47 pairs of the men’s Superball high-top sneaker and 48 pairs of the Miss America platform peep-toe slingback available. I mostly want to see how many fights break out over the 95 pairs of shoes.

Dior Homme
17 East 57th Street New York NY 10022
VMA-nominated electro-pop artist Dan Black will be at Dior Homme on 57th street and Madison Ave to DJ and celebrate Fashion’s Night Out. Dan will spin from 7 – 9 p.m. Here’s the big ticket: champagne will be served throughout the night.

DKNY
655 Madison Avenue at 60th Street New York NY 10065
Donna Karan, Leigh Lezark and other VIP guests will be out for an evening of cocktails, music, shopping and fun surprises including a digital photobooth, and the launch of the interactive DKNY Delicious Core Club with a design your own bottle contest. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase the look Leigh is wearing, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity.

Opening Ceremony at Ace Hotel
1190-1192 Broadway New York NY 10001
Opening Ceremony will ring in Fashion’s Night Out with a French flea market staged in the lobby of the Ace Hotel. Inspired by the famous Les Puces de Saint-Ouen market in Paris, the French flea market concept coincides with the launch of France as O.C.’s country of focus for 2010-11. Brands will have their own flea market booths with exclusive items and designers will be present to meet fans and enjoy the festivities. Participating brands include agnès b., Alexander Wang, Band of Outsiders, Collette, Deyrolle, Joseph Altuzarra, Keds, Ladurée, Patrik Ervell, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte and more. But, most importantly, they are selling cookies with gold flakes in them. Hell. Yeah.

I know this is just a short list, but I thought these stores would be extra fun to check out. Where are all of you going tonight?

Michael Kors

So, I definitely missed doing the weekly news recap last week. You’re not supposed to notice, so pretend like I didn’t tell you.

• Milan Fashion Week – As you probably know, Milan Menswear Fashion Week wrapped up this week. Check out the links to see full collections.

• Paris Fashion Week – Aaaannd Paris Menswear Fashion Week is in full swing! I’m updating links as quickly as humanly possible, so keep checking back!

• ‘Sidewalk Catwalk’ Slideshow: 32 Big-name Designers Turn Mannequins Into Art – This week, the Fashion Center Business Improvement District unveiled 32 sidewalk mannequins dressed up by designers such as Michael Kors, Donna Karan and Isabel Toledo. Check out the slideshow!

• Birthday Time: Dolce & Gabbana Turn 20 – Happy birthday, Dolce!

• Designers Pitch Brand New York – “Made in NY” is the haute new thing. Terrible joke. I’m sorry. But really, this article is phenom – read it now.

• Jonathan Newhouse on the Future of Fashion Media – Very interesting read for us fashion marketing folk.

• Pina Ferlisi Creative Director for McQ – Sarah Burton replaced herself with Pina Ferlisi as the new creative director for McQ.

Photo credit: WWD

• Donna Karan’s Neighbor Tries to Come Between Her and Liquor License, Bothersome Parties: From the complaint: “I need some help. Donna Karan, the fashion designer, has a studio next door to my apartment. She wants to get a liquor license for her studio so she can have parties there and bother my family.” Really? Shut up.

• Khaki Gets Street Cred: Apparently, khaki is cool these days.

• Generation Next: Understanding Tomorrow’s Affluent Consumer: Famed baby blogger Tavi spoke at last Friday’s “Generation Next Forum,” and proved that she is more intelligent that fashion industry “leaders” who are four times her age.

• Ad Pages Go Up and Down…: Good news for struggling magazines (I think that’s all of them) – ad sales are on the rise!

• Gucci Launches Custom-made Gowns: Um, it’s about damn time.