Lady LUX

Thursday morning dealt a most unfashionable bit of news to both those in town for New York’s Fashion Week as well as the global fashion community, with Alexander McQueen’s untimely passing, a horrible shock to all who knew him and admired his work. Fetes and fashion carried on in his honor though with various parties as usual each night. The hottest ticket in town has easily been the Fashion for Relief, Haiti show, put together by Naomi Campbell on Friday night. The supermodel of supermodels took the lead in rousting her best buds and fashion legends—Helena Christensen, Maggie Rizer (who has been spotted everywhere), Johannes Huebl, Margherita Missoni, Agnes Deyn, and Karin Elson, and Angela Lindvall—to walk the catwalk and add to the spectacle.

And then there were the bevy of celebrities who strutted their stuff for this very good cause—Kelly Osbourne, Estelle, Malin Akerman, and Pat Cleveland. The fun didn’t stop there, and the crowd went wild, when the legends came out: actress Marissa Berenson, Donna Karan, and Diane von Furstenberg. Karan gave Berenson the high five as the former was descending the catwalk and the latter was ascending. Fun, fun, fun.

The Duchess of York—a.k.a., Fergie—served as the mistress of ceremonies, as it were, introducing the show (and walking in it) and making her always appropriate commentary on the rough start to the week, “A week of sadness,” she said, with regard to McQueen’s death, going on to thank the crowd many times over for coming out in force (the room was packed). The show lasted a good half hour, with Agnes Dyn falling off her sky-high heels, which she ripped off at the end of the runway and walk the rest barefoot, and with a tribute at the end to Alexander McQueen. A glowing backdrop framing the entrance to the runway spun out some of the top sup’s—Daphne Guinness, Natasha Poly, Helena Christensen, Naomi Campbell, Angela Lindvall, Sasha Pivovarova, and Heidi Mount—each wearing one of his magnificent creations, and gathering arm-in-arm at the end for a group hug.

Campbell is collaborating with CARE on their charitable efforts, with funds from the show not only going to all victims in earthquake ravaged Haiti but particularly those expectant mothers in the region. All garments, from a mix of different designers, will be auctioned off on the website Net-a-Porter starting March 15.

Tagged in: alexander mcqueen, new york fashion week, diane von furstenberg, donna karan, agnys dyn, maggie rizer, naomi campbell, fashion for relief, haiti,

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