Recovering Victim of Fashion

...and not fashion victim, by any means.

When Fashion Week is over, and you don't continue onto the European circuit, you dive headlong into a bag and sleep for as long as you can. Then something called "Market Week" happens, and you prep for the buyers who have come al the way from their respective farflung corners of the globe to purchase wares in this hot burg, New York City.

Ellen Christine Millinery has not wholesaled on a grandscale before last year, so usually, we just readied the Chelsea shop for spring, the races, and the brides. Not necessarily in that order.

This year, however, we were approached by a Japanese chain, and happily gave them pieces for Spring for 20 of their stores. This week, we show Fall 2010, just off the runway from the Milliners Guild show ......the theme for this collection is Voodoo. Dusky felts, sultry cocktail hats, raucous feather treatments comprise the base of the collection. The photographer hasn't shot the collection yet, so I can't show you anything; it's all up to your imagination for the moment.

While all this hubbub of activity is keeping little fingers busy, the Vogue March issue has come out. We are flabbergasted at having 4 pieces in this bible of spring. Tina Fey leads her cover story with is wearing a darling mouse-ear cocktail cap we made (our salute to Minnie Mouse and Mr. Disney), commissioned by Vogue specifically for Miss Fey. Gorgeous straws, shown with exotic spring fancies. Military complacency (ours is bottle green silk taffeta) as garrison caps.

Great issue, great shots, great styling............thank you, once again, VOGUE!

Hothouse Flowers of the New Decade

The first hat show in NYC's Fashion Week is on Wednesday, February 17th. Exciting, right? the Milliners Guild of New York City is the producer, with a group collection, from 12 of the members. The Grace Hotel is the venue, in mid-town. If you've never been inside this hotel, there's a pool in the lobby , a lounge and a mezzanine that wrap around each other, creating the perfect spot for a fashion show. Choose a seat by the pool for the best view. Park in the lounge closer to the bar for your own comfort. Perch up on the mezzanine for an overview.

But come, wear a hat, and be part of the buzz that this event will generate.

By the way, seating is limited to 250, so please RSVP quickly to ensure entree.

What: a group show featuring new designs of hats and headpieces for Fall 2010

Where: Room-Mate Grace Hotel,

125 West 45th St

NYC, NY

Doors open at 7 p.m., with an hour of hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, compliments of The Milliners Guild of New York City.

Show starts at 8 p.m.

Hosted by: Lady Rizo

Music by: DJ Rich Burroughs

Featuring:

Cigmond

Ellen Christine Millinery

Cha Cha's House of Ill Repute

Guy Carsone Couture Millinery

Hattini

Hatting by La China Loca

Monika Fine Millinery

Lisa Shaub Millinery

Kathy Anderson

Edith & Ivy

Abigail Aldridge

RSVP: events@room-matehotels.com, or pr@millinersguild.org

www.millinersguild.org is the Guild's website, featuring pictures from our last event and news of each milliner, and upcoming events.

Eat Your Hat!

When you have nothing else to do, plan a simple meal around your next confection. Literally. there are contests for these things, and happily most of them use chocolate as their medium.

contests where the entire garment, every hat, sometimes the shoes, bags, "jewelry", is made of chocolate.

Yum.

And if a bustle made of chocolate might not be to your particular taste, think of vegetables. Use them, create your fashion statements with the vegetables of your youth that you never wanted to eat. Drape them around a model's shoulders, flounced around a hip, perched upon a shoulder. Be vivid, be raucous, but be couture, please.

When all else fails, break out the sugar, and ply your whimsy with tails of spun fantasy. Let these examples be your inspiration, and dream up your own sugarplum delights. What's imagination for, if not to dream of stuff of wonder? Delight in the bizarre, but edible. Diet need not be contained by the kitchen, or relegated to the pantry. Fashion becomes the cabbage leaf, the neckace of peas, the corset stays of carrot sticks. Blossoms of molded chocolate top a mousse of a turban.

Get ready for Fashion Week with your own special wardrobe: take lunch to the masses, and build your ensembles with edibles. the photogs will love you!