Fashion Week Day 1: An Insider’s Perspective

Finding a seat at B-5-13, I nestled in for the Ports 1961 F/W 2010 debut presentation. The air buzzed of a futuristic era. Cameras flashed in repetitious pops as The City girls, Whitney Port and Olivia Palermo, coyly watched, and were watched, from their perch in the second row. Fashion editors took their positions. The lights dimmed and an echoing broadcast annouced, “Let us take a moment of silence for the great loss today of Alexander McQueen.” We bowed our heads in unison.

The stage was set with a backdrop of machines in gray and black, bringing the Italian Futurism movement or George Orwellʼs 1984 to mind. A white flash and an effervescent flow of billowing white smoke seeped onto the runway. The models began their trots adorned in symphonic blends drawing the tension of both technology and nature into a holistic melody.

Colors like mulberry, tobacco brown, iris, and rosemary juxtaposed against lighter shades of freesia, chicory, clover, and pepper. Sharp leather aviator-inspired cloche hats—designed by Annette Becker—rubberized finishings, and innovative materials with aluminum and fused neoprene beckoned towards innovation. Also spotted were glazed ceramic and blown glass jewelry in vegetal shapes, and wool and silk pointed towards nature. All encompassing, both strong and enchanting.

Tia Cibani, the designer behind the brand, expressed her visions of an exhilarating future, in which invention and nature co-exist harmoniously. The collection certainly was a clear representation and inspiring highlight of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Day 1.