Senator Kirsten Gillibrand looked striking last night in a Nanette Lepore LBD and heels, showing up at the Lepore store around nine p.m. for a tour. Gillibrand once told an aide, “There was a press conference on a windy day where I didn’t look my best, and that was the picture my opponents used in negative ads for two years.” So we asked her just how close fashion is to her heart. “It’s an important industry for our city and our state,” she said. “We want to enhance this industry. It generates ten billion dollars in salaries. It’s a fundamentally New York industry! We have double the number of designers that Paris has.” She continued: “We need to keep manufacturing in the city so new designers can come in and sell pieces to Barneys. Allowing young, cutting-edge newcomers to thrive in New York is great for the industry in the long-term.” That sounded good to us, but we also wondered if she thought that by wearing high-fashion herself, she could help it thrive. “I do,” she admitted. “It’s a small way to support fantastic designers.” Then she headed to Saks, where she cut loose on the dance floor.
