Fashion needs your help!  On the first night of New York Fashion Week, Fashion and Art come together for a night of glamour and cool shopping with the advent of “VOGUE FASHION’S NIGHT OUT” in New York City.  Coordinated by the U.S. and international editions of Vogue, the Big Apple joins its sister fashion capitals around the world— From London to Paris, from Moscow to Mumbai, from Beijing to Milan –in a global initiative to promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion.

COSTUME NATIONAL is a proud participant of “Vogue Fashion’s Night Out.”  Come explore our exquisite new SoHo space and take in the exciting visual art of Shinique Smith, from the Yvon Lambert Gallery, who will intrigue shoppers with an art installation brought in exclusively for this very important shopping event. Costume National Creative Director, Ennio Capasa, has always supported contemporary creativity in all its expressions: from art, to cinema to design. In addition, the boutique, along with other participating retailers, will remain open late until 11 p.m., to help maximize shopping time and stimulate purchases.

In addition, shoppers can pick-up special T-shirts created by the CFDA at the Costume National boutique for this shopping event.  Your purchase of a “Fashion Night Out” tee will benefit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center.  For more information, visit www.fashionsnightout.com.

COSTUME NATIONAL & SHINIQUE SMITH FOR THE YVON LAMBERT GALLERY, in conjunction with American Vogue, NYC & Company, the City of New York, AMEX, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)

Thursday, September 10, 2009 6pm -11pm

Costume National Boutique Located at 160 Mercer Street, SoHo, New York

About Shinique Smith

Shinique Smith, represented by the Yvon Lambert Gallery, Paris and New York,  is an American artist who brings the anonymous aspects of life to the forefront, examining her own footing within the world. Her latest work, “Ten Times Myself,” a series of paintings and sculptures inspired from song lyrics, is a self-imposed call to be bolder and to go from one to ten without remorse. Infusing an ardent style owed to Abstract Expressionism and Japanese Calligraphy, Smith’s work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions internationally at venues including the National  Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.; the New Museum, New York; Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin; PS 1 Contemporary Arts Center, New York; and the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Colorado.

All eyes will be on New York when fashion’s greatest designers gather to reveal the upcoming season’s sleekest styles at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and Chambord® Black Raspberry Liqueur will be serving up its own version of style with fashionable cocktails as the Official Liqueur of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Chambord, an all-natural liqueur produced in France’s Loire Valley will be on the scene for the fourth consecutive year in the tents at Bryant Park, adding to its reputation for fashionable cocktails.

“Chambord is the perfect accessory for every outfit and occasion. With cocktails from the seriously chic French Martini to the rocking Chambord Velvet Elvis, Chambord is an all-natural liqueur that suits every style,” said Josh Hayes, brand manager for Chambord. “Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is an excellent way to highlight Chambord’s stylishness and versatility, and we’re excited to partner with IMG Fashion once again.”

The cocktails Chambord will feature are the classic Chambord French Martini, the Velvet Elvis (a rocking combination of Chambord and Jack Daniel’s) and for the calorie conscious, the Chambord Lemonade (Vodka, Chambord and sugar free lemonade) during the showing of the Spring 2010 Collections (September 10 – 17).

Chambord® French Martini                                              Chambord® Lemonade

1½ oz vodka                                                                             1½ oz vodka

½ oz Chambord                                                                                       ½ oz Chambord

3 oz pineapple juice                                                              3 oz sugar free lemonade

Shake ingredients with ice                                                 Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a tall glass.

And strain into a martini glass.                                          Garnish with fresh berries or a lemon.

Garnish with a lemon twist.

Chambord® Velvet Elvis

2 oz Jack Daniel’s® Tennessee Whiskey

1 oz Chambord

2 oz sweet and sour

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist.

About Chambord

Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur, made from all-natural, raspberries, blackberries, XO cognac, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel and honey extract, is produced just south of Paris in the picturesque Loire Valley. Inspired by Louis XIV’s visit to Chateau de Chambord in 1685, Chambord continues to lend elegance and style to every occasion as one of the world’s most versatile liqueurs.

Perez Hilton Gossip King, Queen, Royalty, what have you, has expanded his already huge grasp on the Internet gossip business by making a sister site to his vastly popular perezhilton.com, cocoperez.com. His new site is devoted to exclusively covering what the celebs are wearing. When asked what the fashion magazines should feel about the new kid on the block, Perez responded with, “Absolutely. Anna Wintour watch out! Actually, Anna Wintour’s days are already numbered now, so she should be cowering in fear. I don’t know if she’ll make it past the Fall. Eventually, I will have a larger audience than Vogue.” That’s some pretty big words for Perez, but I have a feeling that he will back them up and then some! We look forward Perez to what you have in store for the fashion world!

For any body who is or wants to be a fashionista, we are all aware of Vogue’s legendary September Issue. This is the Coup De Gra of Fashion, the high light issue of the year for Vogue and Fashion Magazines everywhere. Well, now the process, work, and hours that go into making this famed issue is now going to be on the silver screen. Titled The September Issue, the movie takes an indepth look with unparalled coverage of Anna Wintour and her iconic magazine, more specifically The September Issue. I, as well as many others, will be looking very forward to seeing this movie, which is being released on August 28th. See you at the theatre! Click Here to see a preview!

DRESSED is a documentary about once homeless, Laotian-American fashion designer Nary Manivong and the trials and tribulations of “making it” as a fashion designer in America. The documentary, features an up-close and personal portrait of the self taught designer from his early beginnings as a homeless young boy in Ohio to the daily production routines and challenges faced leading up to the presentation of his Spring 2009 collection during New York’s infamous “Fashion Week”.

Click here to view the trailer

Because of limited financial resources, Nary began designing and creating his “look” from vintage clothing, DRESSED announces a Facebook Fan contest called SHOW US YOUR VINTAGE! and the winner receives TWO tickets to Nary’s, September 10th,  4pm-6pm,  fashion show and entry to the sneak peak of the film DRESSED at 9pm that same evening. The contest runs from August 1, 2009 at 12:01am to August 31, 2009, 11:59pm only.

DRESSED Fans are asked to submit a photo of themselves featuring their favorite vintage piece, updated for the Fall ’09 trends with a caption of why they love it and why they are a fan of the film DRESSED! The winner is selected by Nary Manivong and the DRESSED Team.

The film also offers an insider’s look behind-the-scenes of the glamorous, chaotic world of fashion as well as insightful commentary from industry experts such as Fern Mallis, Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion; Ohio designer Nanette Lepore;  Mickey Boardman of Paper Magazine; Author Mary Gehlhar “Fashion Designer’s Survival Guide”; Simon Collins, Dean of Fashion for Parsons, The New School for Design; Industry Consultant George Furlan; Stylist, Robert Verdi; President of The Fashion Group International, Margaret Hayes; fashion writer Lynn Yaeger and author and Creative Director at Barney’s, Simon Doonan.

DRESSED is directed by award-winner David Swajeski, with executive producer Maryanne Grisz, both of onerock.tv

A mid-summer cocktail party was held last night at the upper East Side home of decorator Charlotte Moss. This party kicked off the fundraising drive that culminates in the annual Couture Council luncheon where Dries Van Noten will make a rare trip to New York to receive the 2009 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.

Over a hundred people showed up on a warm and muggy night. A lot a familiar faces were out in the garden enjoying cocktails. They included Ralph Rucci, Hamish Bowles, Victor de Souza, Nanette Lepore, David Chu, Christian Cota, Somers Farkas, Amy Fine Collins, Cece Cord, Arnold Scaasi, to name just a few. And quite a number of photographers were on hand, including Bill Cunningham and Patrick McMullan to record the event.

Co-hosts for the evening was FIT museum director Dr. Valerie Steele and deputy director Patricia Mears. We also ran into Charles B. From, the exhibition designer responsible for setting up the museum’s exhibitions and who we interviewed for our Masters of Fashion series.

The Couture Council is a membership group of fashion enthusiasts that helps support the exhibitions and programs of The Museum at FIT, a specialized museum of fashion. Previous recipients of the Couture Council Artistry of Fashion Award are Isabel Toledo in 2008 (a prescient choice made before Michelle Obama selected Toledo’s design to wear on Inauguration Day), Alber Elbaz of Lanvin in 2007, and Ralph Rucci, the recipient of the first award in 2006.

Currently on exhibition at The Museum at FIT, Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out, a mid-career retrospective displaying approximately 70 iconic looks from the mid- 1980s to the present, including the ensemble worn by First Lady Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day. Also on exhibition, Fashion & Politics, a chronological exploration of over 200 years of politics as expressed through fashion.

Steve Madden and Giant Step present an intimate performance by Top 40 Radio artist Jessie James at Steven by Steve Madden in New York’s Lower East Side.

James will perform a special acoustic set for Steve Madden and his adoring fans showcasing brand new songs from her highly anticipated self-titled album, which drops August 11th, 2009. The release of James’ first single “Wanted” sold over 300,000 copies and iTunes named it ‘Video of the Week’ receiving more than 300,000 downloads.

Before James takes the stage for her sizzling performance, electrifying DJ Lilypad will spin music to amp up the crowd.  Attendees will enjoy a meet-and-greet with the mogul behind the brand, Steve Madden himself.

From September 10-17th, during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, designers, show producers, members of press, models and fashion followers can be found in the iconic tents in New York City’s Bryant Park. This season’s line up will once again host runway shows accommodating 300 to 1200 people as the established and up-and-coming designers set the trends and entice the world to buy their collections for next Spring/Summer 2010.

“All of us at IMG are proud of the caliber, talent and quality of designers who will be presenting their collections on America’s most renowned runways.” said Fern Mallis, SVP of IMG Fashion.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will kick off with Michael Angel followed by BCBGMAXAZRIA, Duckie Brown, Ports 1961, Cesar Galindo, Cynthia Steffe, Yigal Azrou?l, Charlotte Ronson, Nicole Miller, This Day/Arise: African Fashion Collective, Venexiana, Lacoste, Georges Chakra, Andy & Debb, Academy of Art University, Christian Siriano, Chado Ralph Rucci, Vivienne Tam, Lela Rose, Derek Lam, DKNY, Thuy, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Diane Von Furstenberg, Rebecca Taylor, Tuleh, Custo Barcelona, Carolina Herrera, Carlos Miele, Jill Stuart, Tracy Reese, Donna Karan, Yeohlee, Tadashi Shoji, TonyCohen, Gottex, Badgley Mischka, Brian Reyes, Toni Maticevski, Pamella Roland, MAX AZRIA, Dennis Basso, Willow, Tibi, Narciso Rodriguez, Toni Francesc, Tory Burch, Michael Kors, Nanette Lepore, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Milly by Michelle Smith, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Anna Sui, Doo.Ri, Ralph Lauren, Isaac Mizrahi, Trias, Calvin Klein, Chocheng, Argentinean Designer Collections and Tommy Hilfiger.

The Bryant Park Tents’ three venues include the Salon, the Promenade and the Tent. Over the course of 8 days, approximately 100,000 people will pass through these venues to attend shows, meet and greet the media, retailers and fashion professionals – each doing their business from morning to night.

Title sponsor Mercedes-Benz is joined by DHL, American Express, Maybelline New York, W Hotels Worldwide, TRESemmé, McCafé, LU Biscuits, Peroni, Chambord and O.N.E.™ One Natural Experience as well as the following media outlets The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily and Getty Images. Each of these sponsors will be providing hospitality, services and amenities to make the hectic week of shows as effortless and pleasurable as possible for all attendees.

Judge Paula Abdul poses in the press room during the “American Idol” Season 8 Grand Finale held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 20, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Paula Abdul wore a radiant gown by designer Ivonne de la Vega to the after-party celebrations that started at the popular West Hollywood nightclub “Area”.

“This gown was perfect for Paula’s tiny frame,” states Ivonne de la Vega, “I immediately pictured her in this gown when we received the request to dress her. It really enhanced her figure, elongated her silhouette and the color was a perfect compliment to her skin tone.”

About Ivonne de la Vega:
Ivonne de la Vega is a couture eveningwear designer with a flagship salon, Atelier Ivonne de la Vega, located on the picturesque Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As designer to the stars, Ivonne de la Vega caters to an elite clientele of jet-set celebrities, successful entrepreneurs and socialites from around the globe. Her gowns have graced the Red Carpet of such prestigious events in Hollywood as the Academy Awards “Oscar” celebration. Know for her exceptional fit, premium quality and impeccable service, Ivonne de la Vega is sought after by the most discriminating women today. In additional to the namesake salon, Ivonne de la Vega is sold at specialty department stores and boutiques across the country. To learn more, please visit www.ivonnedelavega.com.

Global videogame publisher, 505 Games, and global sports, entertainment and media company IMG, today announced a new partnership to develop multiple, multiplatform console and iPhone games based on a concept created by world-famous make up artist Pat McGrath and fashion insider Noël Gordon.  For the first time on the videogame platform, game players and fashion lovers alike will be able to enter the world of high fashion at Fashion Week, with a true insider’s point of view.  Games will feature world-class industry gurus, top models and the star-studded runways of Fashion Week events worldwide. The first titles will be available in 2010 in all major markets around the world.

“The time is right to bring the high fashion world of Fashion Week events to the videogame platform and we’re thrilled to be partnering with IMG to make it happen,” said Adam Kline, president of 505 Games U.S.  “With today’s videogame technology and IMG’s incredible reach into all facets of the global fashion business, we’ll be providing fashion enthusiasts the opportunity to experience all aspects of the international fashion scene at Fashion Week.”

IMG is responsible for the industry’s most celebrated portfolio of Fashion Week shows and designer fashion events – from New York to Miami and from Moscow to Mumbai.  Along with showcasing world-class designers at invitation-only Fashion Week events, IMG champions the fashion business in many other ways — providing hundreds of hours of Fashion Week programming as well as customized fashion content for worldwide distribution over every type of medium, including the Internet, iPods, PDAs and mobile phones. With offices in New York, London, Paris and Milan, IMG’s modeling arm, IMG Models, expertly manages the careers of the world’s top models and trend-setting celebrities.

“IMG Fashion is thrilled to be working with 505 Games on an interactive fashion video game which incorporates all the elements of our industry, from the glamour of fashion weeks, and runway shows, to the models, designers, stylists, hair and make-up artists, the parties and celebrations. By combining IMG Fashion’s experience, expertise and relationships in this space with 505 Games’ abilities, I’m sure we will all soon become video game fashionistas,” said Fern Mallis, Sr. VP IMG Fashion.