With the American fashion show turning 75 this year, CFDA took the opportunity to not just release its new book American Runway during New York Fashion Week, but to also celebrate it. On Tuesday morning, Steven Kolb and American Runway author Booth Moore hosted a book signing at La Mercerie at The Guild on Howard Street.
Guests included Nicole Miller, Kerry O’Brien, Carlos Campos, Doug Hand, Isa Tapia, Fern Mallis, Paul Marlow, Bonnie Young, Luis Fernandez, Nicole Colovos, Selima Salaun and Brooke Garber Neidich. The book’s designer Dan Lori and Abrams editor Sarah Massey also came to show their support.
Prabal Gurung, who worked at runway regulars Donna Karan, Cynthia Rowley, and Bill Blass before launching his own label, loved reading about the history of American fashion and runway shows – from the “good old days” to “what’s happening now.”
“When I look through the images, I see the transition of our industry from a glamorous and beautiful place to now really addressing the cultural and political climate,” he said. “It’s represented very well here.”
Peter Som appreciated how American Runway highlights the importance of NYFW from its early days. “I stepped in during the Bryant park days, which was a watershed moment in terms of the unification of the industry,” he said. “It feels like a simpler time. With so much change right now, it’s nice to look back and see where we were and we are trying to go. It’s like the Wild Wild West, which can be scary, but I think we have to look at it as opportunity.”
Gigi Burris was full of praise for the book. “When fashion week comes around, it’s very easy to just focus on the stress,” she said. “I get anxious about all the things you have to do and places you have to be. The book really reminds me of the heritage and the magic. It is so inspiring, and a special way to start fashion week by reminding us what it’s all about.”
In addition to getting their books signed, some used the event as an opportunity to shop at the stunning Roman and Williams Guild. “I got to do a walk-through and I am obsessed,” Victor Glemaud said. “I even bought something for a friend’s baby.”
Moore, for her part, found many fascinating tidbits while working on the book, including the long history between fashion and politics.
“We think of Jacqueline Kennedy as the first fashionable First Lady, and we are all curious about what Michelle Obama or Melania Trump wear,” she said. “But I love the story of how Eleanor Roosevelt came to New York and took part in a ceremony to sew ‘New York Made’ labels into clothing using 24-karat gold needles.”
Fashion shows, she added, may come off as professional and polished, but there are times when elements align only at the last minute. As she put it, “It’s a real labor of love to get these shows under way.
“Shows mean different things to different designers,” Moore added. “It was great to talk to Marc Jacobs and Thom Browne and understand how for them, this theatrical element of a show is as important to their creative process as designing clothes is.”
