Fashion Week, Creative Director Mykel C. Smith announces MX ESSENTIALS debut collection ” The Star Collection” during New York’s famed fashion week in September. “As creative director it is an honor to work with MX ESSENTIALS in developing the visual image of the brand”., said Mykel

Maria Moore the creative chemist of MX ESSENTIALS is destined to garner a reputation for being on the pulse, fashionable, innovative, and fun-much like Maria Moore the latino entrepeneur. From unique products, to naming her collection ” The Star Collection” with a wicked sense of humor and undeniably glamorous formulas, MX ESSENTIALS truly lives up to the brand’s philosophy: “It’s not where you come from, but where you are going”

With the hottest color combinations and the ability to customize your look, MX ESSENTIALS delivers revolutionary, cutting-edge cosmetics, state of the art simplicity and a high-fashion finish. No matter what the look, MX ESSENTIALS allows you the power to be whomever you want which is the perfect way for a woman to express yourself.

With Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week around the corner, CUSTO BARCELONA is proud to announce its move from The Promenade to The Tent. The brand has presented two collections per year at New York Fashion Week for over twelve years. This September, due to a consistently overwhelming response from national and international media outlets, buyers, opinion leaders and VIP’s CUSTO BARCELONA will move the show into the largest venue offered by IMG. In a time of downsizing and cutbacks from other designers, CUSTO BARCELONA is expanding in size and striving in all business endeavors. This change of venue is integral to the growth of the CUSTO BARCELONA brand and representative of Custo Dalmau’s position as one of the fashion industries fearless risk-takers.

“The runway is experimental for us. Where we introduce new techniques, take risks, and have fun” states Custo Dalmau.

About Custo Barcelona

Custo Barcelona is a European designer brand based in Barcelona, Spain, with 80 stores in 35 countries worldwide including 18 in the United States. Custo Barcelona caters to women, men and children with a European flair, a love for the arts, adventurous, confident and with an independent sense of style. The company counts on a global fan base rather than customers due to the passion associated with the brand which is directly related to the Mediterranean passion emitted from the designer Custo Dalmau himself.

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.

On September 17th, 2009 TRIAS will emerge during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week as the next big force in the fashion industry with the debut of the Spring/Summer 2010 collection.  The much anticipated launch will debut designer Joaquin Trías’ refreshingly modern yet feminine aesthetic that will quickly take the world by storm.

Joaquin Trías was born in Spain and grew up between the towns of Marbella and Madrid.  Educated by an aristocratic family, Joaquin learned the essence and respect for elegance from an early age.  The inspiration for TRIAS comes from the sublime and discreet elegance transmitted by the designer’s two grandmothers, Cristina Sartorius and Frida Trías.  Cristina Satorius, Countess of Quiroga, exuded an untouchable and pure elegance with reserve while Frida Trías, model and muse of Balenciaga, was the person who initiated Joaquin in the fashion world through her glamour “par excellence”, seduction through distance and mystery, and knowledge of every detail of luxury without ostentation.  This feminine, generational inspiration for the line combined with Trías’s yearning for perfection, has created a brand that exuberates respect and strength towards the sophisticated woman.

Trías’ search for the clean, pure, perfect, innovative, and impeccable results in designs of natural elegance.  Each design is a true architectural masterpiece, with special effects generated through not only exceptionally worked lines but also the election of materials and finishing.  Trías is always searching for the perfect textiles to create more sensual effects with riskier finishing, empowering the exclusivity of each item.

Modern, universal, aggressive in its forms, the TRIAS style is a concept of perfect lines for an unbeatable woman.

With the upcoming 2010 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week quickly approaching, we here at Runway New York, would like to look back at some previous seasons of the New York Fashion Week. We are starting off with the Fall 2004 Collections. To see the Fashion and the Trends just visit our gallery. Please check back daily, since that each day we will be uploading more shows. Hope you enjoy this blast from the past and look forward to the upcoming 2010 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York.

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!

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.

I did not know what to expect going into Matthew Williamson, I was barely familiar with his clothes and had never seen him show before. However as soon as the first look came out, a tan and pink dress with a beautiful multi-colored cocoon jacket I knew I was going to love the collection, and I did. It was easily my favorite collection of the week, perhaps my favorite I’ve ever seen. Despite being a fall/ winter collection there was barely any black, however the clothing still had some dark colors, created by Williamson’s deft combination of color over color. He played with different prints including stripes, animal and geometric shapes- and even when all those prints were combined on one look, it somehow still worked. He was not afraid to play around with many different styles, showing short dresses, long dresses, pants, capes, jackets and even more. However all the looks were held together by the amazing color palate of corals, blues, pinks, and tan.

The tents were buzzing with energy before the Narciso show; this was his grand return to Bryant Park after leaving in 2005 to show in Chelsea. While celebrities lined the catwalk once the lights went down and then back up an extremely bright intensity all eyes immediately focused on the clothes. Rodriguez played with the typical dress silhouette by using cut-outs, straps, and excess fabric. While the focus of the collection was definitely black he infused colors such as silver, blue, gold, and pink, which kept the black from being staid. He also showed a few full outfits of wither pink, yellow, or purple. The best part of the show however came at the end with the last three dresses. Each had a similar shiny- leather looking corset- like top and a fun light pink, mango, or sparkling black free flowing skirt. These were absolutely stunning and showed growth in Narciso’s style. They were so great in fact, that Rachel Weisz wore the last dress to Vanity Fairs Oscar party only a few weeks later.

The summer season is beginning to heat up with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim a few weeks away. Supermodels and celebrities will come together on the runways of Miami Beach to celebrate fashion and beauty with the sexiest swimwear designs in the world, July 15-19, 2009.

“We are proud to welcome so many new designers to our roster this year,” said SVP of IMG Fashion, Fern Mallis. “In its fifth season, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim has become a strong and effective platform to showcase the finest swimwear collections and their talented designers from around the world. This season’s line-up continues to bring to the market the quality and ingenuity that people now expect from this show.”

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim kicks off with an official kickoff party on the 15th, followed by four consecutive days of shows by featuring collections from Tibi, Caffé Swimwear, Marysia Swim, True Religion Swim, Red Carter, Aqua di Lara, L*Space by Monica Wise, Ed Hardy Swimwear, White Sands Australia, Poko Pano, Xtra Life Lycra®, Cia.Marítima, Luli Fama and V Del Sol.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at Miami Beach’s historic hotel The Raleigh, will present three venues, the Cabaña Grande, the Beachway and the Oasis, accessed via an event lobby on Collins Avenue at 18th Street, adjacent to the hotel’s main entrance. Over the course of five days, 12,000 journalists, buyers and VIPs will be in South Florida to experience the most elite swimwear event in the country.

Mercedes-Benz, the event’s title sponsor, is joined by American Express, DHL, LYCRA®, MAKE UP FOR EVER, The Raleigh, Conair, Bain de Soleil, Continental Airlines Inc., Peroni, Chambord, Ocean Drive Magazine, Miami.com, California Apparel News Waterwear and Getty Images.

Further details and announcements on this event will follow.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2010 Collections will be held July 15 to 19, 2009.  For more information, and for press and industry registration, please visit us online at www.mbfashionweek.com/miami.