Tastemaker

Tribe, please say hello to my delicious Fashion Spy, The Snark. Review #1 below:

So I bribed a connection and scored a ticket to the Mary J Blige...oops! i mean Catherine Malandrino show last Friday at 5pm at the Roseland Ballrooom.

I walked in to be greeted by a few rather large and menacing bodyguards on headsets, which I found a little silly seeing as the crowd milling about was a bit disappointing for either fashion week or a Mary J. appearance, however it added some intrigue and flavor... It's always a relief to see a show away from the-carnival-known-as "The Tents". Mostly present in the lobby area was a flock of girls, all of whom work for Catherine, buy Catherine, or are friends of Catherine, each wearing a different example of her perfectly feminine-without-that-juvenile-girliness-crap dresses, one more covetable than the next. (I have a few on order for a special discount, already! That big tab at Morimoto's with above-mentioned connection was definitely worth it!) 
 
I was hoping that once I got inside, the front row would be filled with hot, young celebutantes or P. Diddy imposters so I could be a bit snarkier in my review but sadly, it seemed to be populated with your typical buyers and industry-folk...all rather tame. My hunch is that the headliner was kept too tightly under wraps or the egos in question didn't want to be upstaged. Fashionistas also simply hate to travel to off-site venues unless the designer in question is Marc Jacobs. Our favorite fashion peacock, Vogue Editor-at-Large Mr. Andre Leon Talley, decked-out in some sort of fur schmatta however, was present. My connection told me that he originally RSVP'ed a big, fat "NO" but must have changed his mind in order to lay claim as Mary J's biggest fan.
Mark my words....his column will mention how "fabulous" this show was! 
 
The clothes themselves were rather unique, artistic, intricately crafted, and elegant yet the overall presentation really detracted from their beauty. As each model walked out, she was able to take only a few awkward steps around this weird wedding-cake-tiered-platform-thingy (which would later jerkily rotate) before she had to stop and assume a rigid standing postion next to the girl who came out before. Most of the girls didn't even make it 1/2 way around the cake, so I doubt anyone got a good look at the clothes but they were gorgeous and prove that Ms. Maladrino truly has a very unique voice in the current world of fashion.

The weirdest part though was once Mary J. busted through, all sexy, sassy, and already on mike to assume her position as the plastic bride on top of the cake, the girls just stood there staring into space with their Matthew Barney hairdos as she rocked out. The crowd liked it though...a lot! And having never really followed Mary J. before, I did too! Andre was clapping and bopping boisterously to the beat. Also rather excited were Simon Doonan, of Barney's fame, and his boyfriend Jonathan Adler, the hip pottery and lifestyle guru. It was a rare treat, and lent an element of authentic "cool" to an arena that is so often criticized for its phoniness. Mary J's medley was tightly edited, short and sweet, without a gratuitous note to be heard...all very appropriate, positive, and lady-like just like the clothes themselves. 
 
check back for more reviews as the traveling fashion circus head over to Europe! - The Snark