Nicholas K Opens Fashion Week at Lincoln Center

So Lincoln Center is officially open for fashion business, and it looks spectacular. I actually got chills when I walked into the huge plaza and saw the fountain. And I live on the Upper West Side. I’ve been there 500 times, at least. It was definitely the best-dressed crowd I’ve seen in the neighborhood in a long time, so that alone was enough to move me to tears.

After being photographed by a Japanese magazine (I have no idea why, but of course I agreed to it), I was greeted by the usual burly men with ear pieces at the door. Inside the tents, it’s a wonderland of corporate sponsorship, with Maybelline offering make-up applications, Kim Crawford with wine and hand massages, and Tresemme doing hair styling.

The check-in process was amazingly simple with the new FashionGPS in place. And the PR girls all looked calm and collected behind their imposing row of Macs. I checked into two shows at once and it took a grand total of three minutes. I’m sure horror stories will emerge of system failures, but this morning it was a hive of efficiency.



So onto my first show of the season, Nicholas K, a label which was co-founded by siblings Christopher and Nicholas Kunz. It’s also the first People’s Revolution-repped show I’ve ever seen, so I made sure to get right to my seat and not annoy anyone by dithering around on the runway. I watched Emily Bungert effortlessly getting everyone seated. Then Kelly came in. Watching her in action in real life was surreal. I want 1/10th of that woman’s confidence. I sat up a bit straighter when she made eye contact with me.

Oh, the clothes, you ask? Really, really cool. Tops were loose, mostly hooded, and in a palette of slate and olive. Box plaid, berets, and drapey dresses rounded out the mix. I don’t think there was one look I wouldn’t have worn. And Nicholas K guys are exactly the ones I should have avoided in college, but didn’t. Sort of grungey, with floppy hair and loose pants.

Two of the pieces are going to show up on Fashion Stake, where it looks like Nicholas K has received about 50% of the funding they’re asking for. The first look was a cascading, draped, sleeveless grey dress, and the second, the Luden jacket, was boxy and military-esque with a huge floppy collar. Both great.

It was an auspicious beginning to Fashion Week, and I’m looking forward to more.