You Never Leave Parsons: 560 Parsons Farewell Party

It's the end of an era on 7th avenue. My alma mater of Parsons School of Design is bidding farewell to their campus at 560 7th avenue and moving downtown. I spent my junior and senior years in this building, draping, drawing, sewing... I made some of my best friends (who still are) within these walls.

Current fashion dean Simon Collins hosted a goodbye party to the space last night on the second floor. To the rest of the world, the second floor of the Parsons School of Design Fashion building is home to the Project Runway fashion shows (and judgement).  In my junior year, it served as the venue for my fashion show too.

On my first day in the fashion department, each student had the opportunity for a one-on-one meet and greet with then department head Stan Herman (now a beloved fashion figure on QVC). I had psyched myself up to present myself as professional and sophisticated, only to have Mr. Herman pinch my cheeks and tell me how adorable I was. I was crushed.  Of course, that made me push harder for the next few years.

My favorite teachers were Steven Broadway in illustration and Maria Laveris in draping.  I was lucky enough to partake in Steven's drawing sessions recently, glad to see he is still inspiring the fabulous in young artists.

Standout moments in my Parsons experience, also turned out to be historical fashion industry ones. The school recruited a few of us to assist former alumni Isaac Mizrahi in dressing his fashion show which ended up as the documentary "Unzipped". One of the first behind-the-scenes reality-style movies that preceded Project Runway by a decade. Of course, the man mentoring the designers, Tim Gunn was at Parsons too but was not yet a part of the fashion department.


In my first semester in the fashion department, I also had the opportunity to volunteer for the CFDA at the first Bryant Park fashion shows when it was called 7th on 6th. A bunch of students were invited to Gianni Versace's first fashion show at New York Fashion Week, which ultimately turned out to be  rare and tragic as he was murdered a few seasons later.


For my senior fashion show, I had two mentors, Tracy Reese and Louis Dell'Olio.  I created a big, dimensional origami bridal dress (long before Galliano and Dior). I also made a tailored jacket/tulle ballgown ensemble that represented both the bride AND the groom (with marriage equality progress, I would like to think this was heralding good things to come). A newly single Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson was Tommy Hilfiger's date and sat in the front row.

I don't know how I will feel walking into that building on the corner of 40th street and knowing it is no longer my former home. With the "Garment Center" rapidly disappearing, the departure of my former school feels like the end of an era.

Did you go to Parsons? What were your favorite memories?

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House of Versace - Some Thoughts

Whenever any high profile fashion-themed television program airs, non-fashion people inevitably bombard me for my opinion on it.  Mostly, they want confirmation that what they see is "really how it is".    I watched Lifetime TV's House of Versace last night with pretty low expectations in the accuracy or artistic merit department, but fully expected to see some great fashion.

I love Gina Gershon as an actress.  She plays ballsy roles that mix sexy, wacky and scary oh so well.  She played an over-the-top Italian beauty maven on the television show Ugly Betty a few years which no doubt served as her audition.  As Donatella Versace, she looked great and created a flawed, but sympathetic character.  She was over the top as you would like her to be with the men, sassy quotes, drugs and drama.  However, I'm sure I'm not alone in being disappointed that there wasn't a bit more humor in this portrayal.  I think Maya Rudolph set the bar too high on Saturday Night Live.  

I was preparing to indulge in a trip to my favorite 1990's fashion moments.  The peppy club hits at the beginning of the movie had me optimistic.  I was actually at the first Versace show to debut in Bryant Park many years ago.  It was one of my favorite shows of all time.  However, the biggest disappointment of this film was the cheap recreations of the Versace fashion.  It was far too obvious that the pieces were not the real thing.  The models in the film just didn't have the walk or the attitude or the posture of the models back then.  The fabrics looked cheap and clothes fit poorly.  I know that the costume designer Claire Nadon attempted to source some pieces from Ebay and followed pictures in a book, but 90% of the wardrobe were just knockoffs.  Really?  Half the women in Los Angeles and every costume studio should have racks of it.  

For all of Donatella's declarations about heels and confidence, the runway shows certainly didn't reflect it.  The poorly produced fashion segments looked so bad that the viewer who doesn't remember the real thing will end up wondering why the Versace name ever became an icon.

Drugs and champagne in fashion! Yes, it exists, but only occasionally to a certain segment of the population.  Yes we know the woman went to rehab.  The movie started with her hustling for editorial and celebrity coverage.  All the extraneous work that needs to be done just to get the fashion designs to be seen, but the movie dissolves into scene after scene of her drug use that overshadows her work and particular talents that made her a great partner to her brother.  Gianni was murdered, cue slo-mo Donatella drop to the ground.  How about the shock and sadness of all of his peers and what he meant to the fashion world?

I know a Lifetime Movie is about sensational drama and not a documentary.  I just wish for once that the real star (the clothes) would be the ones to shine.

Did you watch the movie?  What did you think?

Photo: Joseph Viles/Courtesy of Lifetime

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