FASHION

The latest fashion news and updates

Ariel Meredith of Shreveport was discovered at a Dallas modeling expo.

NEW YORK -- Ariel Meredith sat on a concrete bench at the 39th Street ferry terminal, nibbling on peanut butter crackers and waiting to catch the boat back to her apartment in New Jersey.

The day was sunny and cool, with an early fall crispness. She shivered a bit and hugged her long legs up to her chest, sinking into the bench. Dressed in a T-shirt, gray workout pants and a fedora perched low over her eyes, she had not a bit of makeup on her face.

There's one thing that drives me absolutely crazy about New York fashion week.

Kathy Anderson / The Times-Picayune

Carolina Gallop Fashion Show
• What: A fashion show and clothing drive for LaCeiba, Honduras. Event includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres, beverages and live entertainment as well as the fashion show.
• When: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
• Where: The Blue Nile, 523 Frenchmen St.
• Cost: Entrance fee is $10 with a donation of two pieces of clothing. Money raised will be used to ship the donations to those in need in Honduras.

Carolina Gallop spent most of Saturday with needle and thread in hand, seated in her second-floor studio overlooking Elysian Fields Avenue, hand-sewing paillettes onto a belt and finishing the trim on collars and hems.

A cool breeze blew off the river, ruffling the Indian print fabric draped artistically over the windows. The day was sunny and warm, but with blessedly low humidity. There was not a cloud in the sky.

More importantly, further south, all was quiet over the Gulf of Mexico.

Local hairstylist Chris Guidry of Paris Parker Salon on Prytania Street works backstage at New York's Fashion week.

NEW YORK -- Behind his chair at the Paris Parker Salon on Prytania Street, Chris Guidry chats with clients, many of whom he has known for years, listening to tales of their romances and routines as he clips the latest bob, trims some split ends and pins an up-do.

Backstage at New York Fashion Week, where Guidry recently was part of an assembly line of leading Aveda hairstylists, he is lucky if the women in his chair get off their cell phones while he works.

AP PhotoA gown from the spring 2009 Zac Posen collection.

Zac Posen is the darling designer of the pretty young things, and the PYTs were choc-a-block along his runway Thursday night. Claire Danes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bernadette Peters, Venus and Serena Williams created the constellation on the front row.

AP PhotoA look from the Diane von Furstenberg's spring collection

There's a bohemian rhapsody playing out for spring.

Associated PressTim Gunn will serve as the guest judge for the 'Project Runway' season finale.

Oh, leave it to the permanently affable, permanently pressed Tim Gunn to come out of the wings to fill the vacant guest judge's spot for "Project Runway's" New York fashion week finale.

AP PhotoA look from the spring 2009 Vera Wang collection.

It's the fabrics that make Vera Wang stand out. Her runways glisten and glitter.

AP PhotoA look from the spring 2009 Calvin Klein collection.

Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa knows how to fold.

His vision of spring was a pared down, sharp-angled study on creases and pleats. Dresses unfolded like origami. Sleeves jutted out like starched dinner napkins, and jackets were square boxes. One iridescent coat looked like stiffened cling wrap.

Lauren Leonard, designer of the Leona Collection sold at Hemline boutiques, will make a personal appearance Sept. 17, 6 to 9 p.m. at the Whiskey Blue at the W Hotel New Orleans, 333 Poydras St. See her new collection and a get a chance to shop it before it even hits stores.

Two local fashion shows planned for this month in New Orleans have been rescheduled due to the havoc caused by Hurricane Gustav. The dates were changed after today's WISH magazine was pre-printed.

Local designer Carolina Gallop will now hold her benefit fashion show on Oct. 1 at the
Blue Nile, 523 Frenchmen St. The event will raise money for charities in LaCeiba, Honduras, Gallop's home town. Gallop has designed 75 pieces for the show, including a tribute to Yves Saint Laurent.

Designers John Delgadillo and Aurora Knoxx have rescheduled their Alegria fashion show, benefiting the Louisiana SPCA, to Oct. 11 at the Bridge Lounge. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Fashion model Ariel Meredith hails from Shreveport.

Sometimes, you have to resort to ambush journalism at fashion week. I'm working on a story about the lack of diversity among the models, and it's been hard to nail down people for comments.

Sitting at the Milly show on Wednesday, I spy a gorgeous black face on the catwalk.

Ah ha!

AP PhotoI couldn't get a good picture of LL Cool J in the crowd at the party, so here's one by AP of him at Conde Nast's Fashion Rocks show on Sept. 5 in New York

Here's the scene at a fashion week party Wednesday night: Old school rock - "Play that Funky Music White Boy," "Let's Dance" by David Bowie - blaring from the DJ while LL Cool J (sunglasses, baseball cap, major entourage) and the president of Sears mingle with the media over vegetable dim sum and coconut shrimp.

It's nights like these when you have to love New York. The party was celebrating the launch of LL Cool J's new line of t-shirts and hoodies - some emblazoned with gold fleurs de lis - that will hit Sears stores this month. The LL Cool J Collection coincides with the release of his latest album, "Exit 13."

In a break between shows on Wednesday, I dashed over to the 5th Avenue showroom of handbag designer Elaine Turner.

Elaine Turner

Turner, who hails from Houston, is known for her bold prints and richly textured bags. She's coming to Mandeville on Sept. 26 to make a personal appearance at Brenchley boutique.

Over sips of ice water with lemon, we chatted about her business and the threat of Hurricane Ike taking aim at her hometown.

Aveda hairstylists work on a model backstage before the 3.1 Phillip Lim show.

I always expect to see hairbrushes flying in the air behind the curtain at fashion week, what with the pressure for perfection, the short turn-around time between events for the models and the big dollars riding on these presentations for the designers.

On Wednesday, Aveda and Nars beauty teams prepared models for the 3.1 Phillip Lim show. I snuck backstage to take a look.