NYFW For Fall '15: Favorite Shows and Parties!

By: Anne Raso

Every New York Fashion Week is a rush of craziness, color and being crushed tight into the shows, both on s‎ite at the Lincoln Center "tents" and at the many off site shows. You kind of get used to having to sit tight to people from riding the subways here, but how close the seats are arranged at the NYFW shows gives the phrase "packed in like sardines" new meaning, LOL! My favorite shows never seem to be the "big" ones by the legendary designers such as Ralph Lauren or Oscar De La Renta, but rather the lesser-known designers who aren't afraid to put an edge to their designs. I also admit to a soft spot for evening wear, and that's why I love to go to Lela Rose and The Red Dress Collection each year.

New York Fashion Week Part 2: The Fabulous Parties and Lounges

By: Anne M. Raso and Finance Foodie

The parties are the lounges are really what some fashionistas live for—especially for those dying to strut their stuff on a “step and repeat” and get their names out there in the press. I personally prefer the more low key events where I can sip a cocktail, get my nails done and mingle with friends.

Christian Siriano Fragrance Launch

New York Fashion Week Roundup Part 1: The Shows that Rocked, Shocked and Wowed

By Anne M. Raso and Finance Foodie

This past New York Fashion Week (NYFW) lasted about 11 days and was enough to knock even the most seasoned fashionistas off their highest Louboutin pumps! There were numerous shows overlapping both inside and outside the Lincoln Center—with actually many more outside the tents since it tends to be more cost effective.

Breaking Bad star R.J. Mitte at Desigual

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2014, Part 2: Lounges & Parties!

By: Anne M. Raso

Wow, there are nothing like fashion week lounges and parties even if the dim economy has put the kibosh on companies who previously had events at past Fashion Weeks and had to pull the plug this time around. I started out the partying early by checking out hot food, clothing and accessories at the GBK Super Bowl Direct TVLounge at the Gansevoort Hotel. In the past, GBK did a Fashion Week Lounge but this time they opted for a Super Bowl-themed one because so many athletes were in town--and celebrities who flew in to watch the Super Bowl. I got to hang out with Charger Dwight Freeney as we both checked out every booth--and he seemed to have the same "sweet tooth" as we both devoured cupcakes from Cake That! In Manahawkin, NJ and SAAS Hot Sauce of Upper Montclair, NJ. As the smoke cleared from our ears and we took away bottles of both types of SAAS, we headed to the Promax table to check out the new Promax LS (Lower Sugar) Peanut Butter Cookie Dough bars--it's the latest flavor and it's gluten free!

IRC New Roots Popup

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2014, Part 1: What Looks Really Rocked The Runways?

By:Anne M. Raso

Any fashion journalist/blogger will tell you that Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is more than just overwhelming. It's like being in the center of a fashion hurricane. It's physically impossible to attend all the shows and many attendees are running to cabs or shuttles in front of Lincoln Center in order to make shows "off-campus" (the "second home" of Fashion Week this season was the studios at Pier 59, way down on the Hudson in the West 20s, so it was not a very quick "schlep")!

Daisy Fuentes and Models

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2014 Part 2: The Catwalks

By: Anne M. Raso
(Continued from Part 1)

Now that the parties are done, on to the real reason why all people fashion gather in NYC during the first week of September - the fashion shows! This past Mercedes Benz Fashion Week showed off the collections for Spring / Summer 2014, and while few people will really ever purchased the expensive ensembles shown on the catwalks (well, at least Daisy Fuentes for Kohl’s is affordable to the average American woman), it was a taste of trends to come.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2014 Part 1: Celebrities And Chaos!

By: Anne Raso
(Part 1 of 2)

The parties during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week this season were fantastic and in full swing again (do people really go to the shows anymore?) Team Finance Foodie doesn't sleep so we can bring you all the deets - so without further ado, let's take a look at some of the festivities we hit up during the week!

Melissa & Joan Rivers at Benefit Cosmetics Join The Realvolution Party

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2013, Part 2: Don't Stop the Party!

By: Anne M. Raso and Finance Foodie

[Continued from Part 1: The Shows]

The most fun part of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week--at least for me--are the fabulous lounges and other parties associated with this crazy time of fashion, beauty and foodie guilt after looking at thin models all week!

Party Ready Look from Noon by Noor

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2013, Part 1: Fun, Fabric 'N Frolic!

By: Anne M. Raso and Finance Foodie

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City --which is as exhausting as it is fun --was something that we truly found to be a mix of crazy and conservative (with a touch of Blizzard Nemo dashed in). The catwalk craziness was fortunately balanced out with some lovely events given by celebs in town for the shows but promoting their own projects. Here’s a look at some of our favorite shows during these few days (we’ll get to the parties in part 2 of our report later this week).

Finance Foodie Outside Lincoln Center 

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2013: The Parties, The Products, The Players!

By: Anne M. Raso and Finance Foodie 

Of course, attendees of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week made the effort to wade through the crowds in the tents at Lincoln Center last week to see the Spring / Summer 2013 designs, but many of the press and VIPs enjoyed the parties and private lounges just as much, if not more. They give attendees the chance to kick off the Louboutins, get a backrub, have a glass of champagne and peruse the cool new products in no-pressure environment.

Victoria's Secret Party

Models and Bottles: Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012 Party and Show Highlights

By: Anne M. Raso and Finance Foodie

When one thinks about Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City, one thinks of models, runways and the celebs in the first rows of shows. We find that the parties happening around Fashion Week to be as exciting as the shows, if not more so in some cases. Some parties we attended had nothing to do with fashion, although many of the guests or even the honorees made a point of taking in some shows.

Whew - Whatta Week! Highlights from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012

By: Anne M. Raso

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is always exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. The failing economy did affect things slightly as many designers chose to have their shows off the Fashion Week site in Lincoln Center. Our favorites included the low-key and simple glamour of Rolando Santana and the bold prints of Stephen Burrows--who held their shows at Exit Art and the Audi Forum, respectively. The most flamboyant show (always) seems to be Betsey Johnson, and the favorite flamboyant and practical at the same time designer always seems to be Guishem! Straight ahead rock and roll wear with rock music to accompany it was given out in spades by Charlotte Ronson. By the way, we have to say her gift bag was one of the best from the shows--attendees got a few Hydroxatone skin products, a fun "female products" case courtesy of Kotex, Color Club mail lacquer and a couple of Charlotte's own line of lip glosses.

Backstage at Stephen Burrows

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Nintendo, Jewels, Richie Sambora and more

By: Anne M. Raso

Fashion week can be a lot of fun but it can also be a big mess of too many events in one day and too many snooty pr people who have to accomodate Anna Wintour types and put you on the back burner. In case you don't know it, unless you edit Glamour mag, press people have to get on the end of the line. At the Simon Spurr show, we waited 45 minutes to get in but of course the previously mentioned Anna Wintour got in exactly when the show was suppose to start -- even though a clueless security guard did not know who she was (and a publicist for the designer had to be called in). The camel-colored-cashmere-coated Miss Wintour was heard saying, "They are expecting me inside!"

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: Haute Looks for Fall Travel

By: Finance Foodie

As Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has come to an end and Lincoln Center resumes its daily schedule of ballet and opera performances, I couldn’t help but reflect on some of the fashions I had seen during the past week. Given my own busy travel plans scheduled for this upcoming fall and winter (because being a student=more vacation time), my main goal this season was finding pieces and looks that would be suitable for gallivanting across the globe. Namely, I was looking for stylish yet multifunctional garments that would not only make me the trendiest tourist in the land, but also get me through airport check points (without the dreaded pat-down).

New York Fashion Week: Bright Young Things, Bebe, and the VIP Suites

By: Anne M. Raso

I am a very select New York Fashion Week attendee...for us not-Anna Wintour’s, it gets exhausting waiting for shows that always start 45 minutes late or are so crowded that eight hundred people are fighting their way in and out the doors.

As a result, I only saw two shows this season: Bright Young Things and Bebe [Ed Note: Don’t worry Anne, I fought the crowds for the both of us when I was in town]. At Bright Young Things, which was part of the Green Shows at the Metropolitan Pavilion, each separate was used two or three ways (such as a blouse that also doubles as a scarf or even a skirt)! This show also used some "real people" models of different shapes and ages (which was really refreshing)!

New York Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2011: Weekend Part 3

By: Finance Foodie 

(continued from part 2)

The last and final day of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (for me at least)! Without further ado, let’s jump on in.

New York Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2011: Weekend Part 2

By: Finance Foodie

(continued from part 1)

After staying out into the wee-hours of the night on Saturday (ok it was actually only till 3am, which is early for NYC, but late for granny-pants me these days), I woke up at 11am and realized that there was no way I was going to make it from the UES to the West Side for the Simon Spurr show (which started at umm…11am). So I went back to sleep, disappointed knowing that I was missing some quality eye candy. Argh.

New York Fashion Week Spring / Summer 2011: Weekend Part 1

By: Finance Foodie

Ahhhh and I’m back – to Boston that is! After a tiring but exciting weekend spent in New York covering Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (MBFW), I’m happy to be back to slower paced Beantown. New York – especially during Fashion Week – can be like a non-stop amusement park ride. After three days, I was ready to get off.

Not wanting to fatigue myself to the point of illness (which happened last season), I made the decision to cover fewer shows this time around and use the freetime to catch up with old friends and well….eat proper meals (last season I survived on nothing but protein bars and Diet Coke). So with my Nikon, Blackberry, and badge in hand, I was ready to see what would be in stores for Spring / Summer 2011.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week: The Pre Event Diet

By: Finance Foodie

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is less than a month away! And for loyal followers of this blog, you know what that means – it’s diet-so-I-can-fit-into-cute-dress time. This year, since I started early, I am DETERMINED to lose the pounds the healthy way. After doing some research, if I follow a 1,400 a day calorie diet (along with exercise), I can lose about 1 pound a week – which is exactly want I need to fit into my “goal” dress.

New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2010: Who.What.Wear Part 3

By: Finance Foodie

(Continued from Part 1 and Part 2)

My final day at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was the most chill – no shows or events until the evening meant I had the afternoon and morning free to hangout with friends in the City (whom I’m highly thankful for – as they immediately took me to Chinatown for a big bowl of noodles upon hearing about my deprivation of solid foods for the past two days). Anyways, onto the final installment!