Meet the New Girl: Lee HyunThe South Korean model hit her stride at February’s catwalks. And she even made an appearance at couture. See what’s next for her.
Baby Phat Creates Scary Kimora Barbie DollWe’ve literally spent months preparing for the release of Baby Phat’s Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie Doll; we even got a terrifying sneak peek of the damn thing at Fashion Week. But today we’re filled with a new level of fear upon learning that this little hell doll is back-ordered until February 29. We mean, it’s one thing to give your child a toy that looks like a miniature hooker. This is, after all, the day and age of the Bratz, so we can’t really judge anymore. But when said hooker doll has a wait list?
three is a trend
Designers Catch Yellow FeverWe were expecting grays, browns, and blacks for fall. But banana yellow? Not so much. Kimora Lee Simmons sent Little Miss Sunshine down the runway in a floor-length yellow dress at Baby Phat, while Lacoste complemented the loud color with a dark cardigan. And Nicole Miller brightened up traditionally dark outerwear with a three-quarter-sleeved coat of color. This isn’t mellow yellow.
backstage video
Tyra Banks and Vivica A. Fox Speak On the Fabulosity of KimoraAmid the usual chaos backstage at Baby Phat, Jada Yuan managed to catch up with not only label designer Kimora Lee Simmons, but also Tyra Banks, Robert Verdi, Star Jones, and Vivica A. Fox, who each testified to Kimora’s “fabulosity,” as Fox put it. “Kimora is big, she’s over-the-top, she’s a grande dame,” said Banks; “she taught me ‘off the hook’ and ‘off the chain’ — and the chain is actually diamonds, when it’s Kimora’s chain,” added Verdi. Indeed. Watch the video for more.
backstage video
Baby Phat Invents ‘Understated Bling’Only at Baby Phat could black-on-black nails embellished with black crystals be considered low-key. But as Creative Nail Design co-founder Jan Arnold explained backstage before the show, Kimora Lee Simmons decided to go with an “understated bling” look this year. Now there’s a contradiction. New York Magazine Beauty Editor Aja Mangum also caught up with MAC’s Nadine Luke, who expanded further on the show’s makeup theme — “it’s 1920s but a modern 1920s, so instead of a flapper girl, she’s a flippin’ girl.” Watch the video to see the nails and the makeup close up.
Rag & Bone Sets the Box on FireWe’re not sure which was the bigger crisis at the Rag & Bone after-party last night at the Box: The fact that a fire alarm went off around 11p.m., prompting a visit from the FDNY, or the fact that the D.J. followed said fire scare by playing “Burning Down the House,” prompting the already jumpy Box management to stomp through the balcony, proclaiming, “That’s it! We’re clearing out the floor!”
new york fugging city
Tyra Thrills, Kimora Dolls Give Chills at Baby PhatThere’s nothing like bookending day one with a pair of genuine national treasures: Liza Minnelli at breakfast time, and come supper, that deeply understated legend of Lycra-blend we call Kimora Lee Simmons. Tonight’s Baby Phat show was everything we’ve come to expect from the exceedingly subtle model turned designer, right down to the feathered hot pants, visible garter belts, and getups that felt inspired by Atonement via a few head injuries and maybe a martini.
show & tell
If Kimora’s Your Boss, Spell Her Name RightSomeone misspelled Kimora Lee Simmons’s name as “Kimmora” beneath the logo for her KLS couture line last night at the Baby Phat after-party. No one noticed, so we pointed it out to Kimora when she arrived. “Where?!” she said, turning around. “I’ll be Kimmy-mora for tonight. It’s fine, it’s no big deal. It’s just an extra ‘m’ it stands for ‘million.’” she said, explaining: “My lovely ad agency did that, and I guess it was some internal problems in the office, and I said, ‘Well, did you misspell the name when I paid your check?’”
new york fugging city
Celebrities Get Obscenely PhatGoing to a Baby Phat show feels a bit like going to a nightclub. The prospect of a big ol’ spectacle gets everyone to tease up their hair and put on something shiny — one woman showed up in a dress that had mesh strips that went all the way up to her butt cleavage — and stand around sipping drinks, bopping their heads to the dance music, and craning their necks to see if that really is Jeremy Piven over there, or if it’s just some dude who hates to shower. It’s such a tornado of humanity that we couldn’t even make our way to the bar, and as you know by now, that says a lot.
loose threads
Thom Browne’s Got a Cute New Friend• Thom Browne’s maybe-twink is cuter than all of our boyfriends put together. [Daily Intel]
• The early word from Baby Phat: shitshow. Stay tuned for Fuggish impressions. [Jezebel]
• Candace Bushnell’s Fashion Week has been rough. Maybe that’s why she looks so wounded. [Fashion Dish/NYDN]
• To celebrate the end of the taxi strike, Robin Givhan hits Saks’ Shoe Megaloporium for some proper heels. Alas, if only Chloé boots were made for women with regular calves. [Off the Runway/WP]
• We’re just going to throw some phrases around out there: Pete Wentz. Clothing line. Macy’s. God is dead. [StyleHive]
• Memo to YSL: What the hell are you guys doing with your new marketing campaign? It’s a really busy week; we don’t have time to wrap our heads around whatever you’re up to. [Fashion Inc.]
show & tell
The Best Fashion Week Invites: Passports Are In This Year
Every Fashion Week, a few designers put a little extra effort into the design for their show invitations. Now that we’ve almost finished sorting through the mountain of invites here at Show & Talk HQ, here are six that stood out this year.
new york fugging city
Baby Phat, Meet Carolina Herrera
Evidently, ‘tis the season to soldier along with the unwashed masses.
Evidently, ‘tis the season to soldier along with the unwashed masses.
First Lulu Guinness slummed it waiting for seat assignments at Matthew Williamson Sunday night, and then this morning before the Carolina Herrera show, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien chatted merrily with a reporter about the size of runway models while she waited her turn at registration. Less patient was The Young and the Restless’ Victoria Rowell, who jumped the queue in order to gain entrance on her own recognizance; all that hurrying was for naught, though, as she then spent the entire run-up to the show standing aimlessly in the aisles waiting to see if she could snag an unclaimed spot. Soledad, meanwhile, was rewarded with a prime front-row view. It’s good to see karma in action.
21 questions
Kimora Lee Simmons Embraces Her Fabulosity
Name: Kimora Lee Simmons
Age: A woman who will tell her age will tell anything!
Job: Mother, businesswoman, fashion designer, entrepreneur, philanthropist. Her fall 2007 Baby Phat collection debuts tonight at 8 p.m. at the Roseland Ballroom.
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Jackie Kennedy Onassis
three is a trend
The Pack Is BackLike taking pictures in Times Square, wearing a fanny pack has long been considered tourist territory. But if this week’s shows are any indication, these bum bags (that’s what they’re called in other countries) are once again hip for, well, the hip.
harriet and amy
Ten Things We Liked on Friday
1. Soft and comfy little leather jackets from Neal Sperling.
2. Chocolate-dipped macaroons at the Yigal Azrouël show.
3. Kara Ross’s new line of bags in ring lizard and colored ostrich skins.
show & tell
Baby Phight!It was a harried day for 50 Cent. He spent the afternoon in the Midtown South precinct house after being pulled over for a traffic violation. He got out in time for the Baby Phat show, only to wait around an hour for it to actually begin. And then he got in a fight with another show-goer.
