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Wallette Watson

Fashion

MEN’S NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: FW17

The Velvet Resistance 

The island of Manhattan is hit with the familiar tsunami of energy; you can taste the anticipation in the frigid air. This year was the first time that I was able to attend both the Men’s and Women’s New York Fashion Week, which was a pleasure given that many of my favorite designers were showing throughout the weeks. I was also looking forward to this fashion week adventure as it would be my first time ever attending men’s fashion week in New York City.

Being able to witness first-hand the runway shows and presentations of the designers that I not only respect and admire, but wear, was an incredible experience. The first show that I attended was Christopher Lowman’s which was also his New York Fashion Week debut, at 23 no less. Held at the Prince George Ballroom, this runway presentation looked as well put together and seasoned as someone a decade into their career. The models walked out at the perfect moment when the beat dropped to the music, painstakingly selected by the designer himself, as he would tell me later the next day. As I had just arrived into town early that morning on the redeye, I spent the rest of the night with friends enjoying drinks and great food at The Bowery Hotel.

After some early afternoon meetings the following day, I got to attend the and just as much if not more for their impeccable customer service. Alana, a beautiful and wonderful woman who is an integral part of the team, would follow up with me when I ordered online to make sure everything fit okay and of course always arrived beautifully packaged. She recognized me as I walked in and instantly showed me around and introduced me to people. After viewing their presentation there is definitely a blue suede biker jacket that I have my eye on after seeing it on the elegant Eric Rutherford, an icon of mine in men’s fashion. Which brings me to my favorite part of the evening, which is when I got to meet some people of whom I greatly admire as men who have cultivated amazing careers in the fashion world, himself included. The first of which is Mr. Rüdes’ himself who is as graciously humble as his designs and clothes are effortlessly stylish. It was pleasure to tell him how much I enjoyed his new work as he showed me around showing me things he thought I would enjoy. From there I met Preston Konrad, a dashing celebrity stylist and creative director whose career I have followed and who spent a great deal of time talking to me about fashion, his career, an
d giving me tips about my blog and my career aspirations.

The following day I collaborated with a friend on his show that was coming up the following week, and spent the day being creative with his team. I love the feeling of being exhausted by pushing the creative envelope, adding something new to a never before experienced moment. That evening I met up with my friend Marie Anne for dinner at Mamo, an amazing restaurant where food and ‘raw sex décor’ add to a fantastic dinner. I love surrounding myself with like-minded young men and women who own their own companies, and her’s is one I am a huge fan of and use constantly. Her company Caileur offers travel size products from exclusive grooming and beauty brands that allows both men and women to mix and match their favorite travel sized products, arriving in a custom TSA approved clear and reusable travel bag, allowing you to throw it in your carry-on and go. I highly recommend you check them out, as they are a LIFESAVER and I never travel without them. Delivered to your door or go to the store? No answer needed there!


On the final day of Men’s NYFW I met up with two of my best friends Deion and Wallette
at the STAMPD preview, where we got to see some really great new pieces from their collection, it had a revolutionary feel to it, in fact most collections this season had a resistance feel to them, only their resistance was swath in velvet, satin, and suede. As they had to leave for castings, I then left Skyloft to go back to my Hotel on Rivington to do a quick change before going to Thaddeus ONeil’s show. I have been a fan of his work since seeing him compete on the Amazon Unscripted Series The Fashion Fund, by CFDA & Vogue, and his new collection certainly didn’t disappoint. As half the models walked out to the showcase amidst disco balls and a bright pink neon sign saying An Attempt to Survive Time, models rolled their way down the showcase on rollerblades, the show represented finding optimism, unity and resistance. The clothes were inspiring as was Thaddeus, who I quickly informed I would be purchasing his new chocolate velvet jacket and he was just as delighted that I loved it. He is a man with a great passion for design.

As Men’s Fashion Week came to a close that evening, the city got a little reprieve, as did all those who participated. I enjoyed some more quality time with my friends before departing that Sunday, only to return four days later for the conclusion of New York Fashion Week, where two of my favorite designers would be showcasing their new collections in unexpected and very provocative ways. Those stories…will be coming soon.

Travel

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