One Stop FNO

"What are you doing for FNO?" 

Shrugging the shoulders and going "I dunno…" and secretly thinking I want to veg out and watch Man vs. Food on Travel Channel is I think the heinously wrong answer.  I never have seen how it goes down in London though I gather it's growing every year but in New York, it's a beast to contend with, one that requires pre-planning, a map-out of where to go, and a relentless bundle of energy to keep you chugging away at navigating the myriad of events.  I would say a one-or-two-stop drop on the night is the way to go but why listen to someone who was going to spend a night watching a guy stuff three hamburgers down his pipes.  

I headed up to W Hotel Times Square to have a triple whammy of exhibition, pop-up shop and a purpose of style scouting for the aforementioned Diet Coke New Looks project, and in the process drinking so many cans that when I went up to people asking if they'd like to be on a Times Square billboard, I may delivered it with a scary sort of jittery exhuberance.

Ivan Shaw, Vogue US's director of photography hosted and curated the beautiful exhibition "Between Us: A Model's Life" featuring Annemarieke Van Drimmelen's photography.  The pictures are staringly contemplative so it was quite weird to see so many jostling about these panels with pictures of models, ingenues and girls about Paris, London and New York town in stark black and white.  I love the spontaneous portraiture feel of a lot of the photographs, in line with what I love about blogs such as Turned Out.  

Tucked away at the back is a fairly compact pop-up shop where that is specifically focused on two designers with one being Juan Carlos Obando.  Shamefully, I didn't really know much about his work until two seasons ago but this advertising creative director turned designer has a knack for textiles manipulation that is definitely noteworthy.  He has four of his dresses from his S/S 09 collection on display at the W Hotel Times Square and I'd advise anyone with a love of the touchy feely to go in and have a gander.  The silk is hand dyed and hand pleated and moulded to create these unbelievable collages that are beautiful in itself.  It's really sort of an added bonus that they're dresses as well.  For the shop, he's also created some colour blocked silk scarves to complement.      

George Esquivel is also at the store with his shoes that are partly from his ready to wear line and partly from his shoe atelier, which he runs in Orange County.  I find the idea of a sturdy brogue/Oxfords-based shoemaker in a place like Orange County quite intriguing.  

The third part of the evening that didn't involve photo-gazing or window-shopping actually gave me a bit of purpose other than standing around with a drink, awkwardly looking for a familiar face (or just any old face to talk to…).  As I said, Diet Coke's new look design for fall/autumn (btw, who else likes reading pedantic comments on Creative Review about font and type positioning) is being feted with a billboard fashion show on Times Square.  My mug may be up there potentially but I won't be there to see it and for the ultimate cringe moment.  Meanwhile, I was at the party to scout for some possible candidates and thankfully they didn't look at me like I was having them on… here's hoping these beauties here make it on to the board… 

P.S. Everyone can actually submit their 'new looks' piccies on Diet Coke's Facebook page should you wish see your face glowing with neon wattage…