Back to Gap jeans

It's good to be home. Today I'm wearing three-year-old Gap jeans that are not tucked into my boots, and I don't even feel self-conscious about it. Not much, anyway. So here's what we've learned: Fall is going to be a time to sparkle in sequins and metallics. Purple is the color...but dark neutrals will prevail. Dresses are the way to go for day or night. They're slim or swingy and often above the knee. Pants are getting slouchier, and even when narrow, they have a bit of a flare once again. Coats are important, as are menswear touches like tweed, plaids and pleats. Look for a full report, with pictures straight off the runway, on the Style page next Sunday, Feb. 18. Throughout the week, I'll have other reports in the newspaper on hair trends, bringing fashion home and one of the fashion world's hottest DJs, who happens to be from Minneapolis. You can also check out today's column for more insights. The week has been a fantastic whirlwind -- thanks for joining me. Oh, and the $49.99 Rafe bag from Target that I carried all week in New York? It held up beautifully, and I got more compliments on it than I could count! Just goes to show: Fashion is all about how you wear it. That, and thank goodness discounters are doing such a knock-out job of imitating runway trends.

Swag

I forgot to bring a razor to New York, but no matter -- Venus razors were being handed out on the street corners near Bryant Park, which is home base for Fashion Week. Hue fishnet tights were also being doled out on Sixth Avenue. Those tents are a marketer's dream, with virtually every fashion magazine editor in the world, plus news personalities, celebrities and some of the wealthiest, fashion conscious shoppers coming in and out all week. Designers that have products beyond clothes under their name tend to hand out gifts at the shows -- Carolina Herrera and Bill Blass gave perfume; Betsey Johnson's gift bag included lipstick and panties. Tracy Reese, who has a partnership with Hue, handed out -- surprise, surprise -- more tights! Of course, I would have preferred a new tube of my favorite MAC lipstick, but despite the makeup company's display booth in the tents, they didn't seem to be giving anything away. The nerve! A couple of the most practical freebies I spotted all week: Band-Aid's Blister Block Stick and Foot Petals Stiletto Survival Kit.

Joynoelle...at a Macy's near you?

Minnesota's own Joynoelle had a first Fashion Week showing in New York Thursday night. Carson Kressley made it, but unfortunately, I could not. Neither could Macy's North President Frank Guzzetta, but designer Joy Teiken is definitely on his radar. "She's amazing," he told me. Joynoelle had a limited-time run at Macy's on State Street in Chicago last fall, and Guzzetta says bringing her sophisticated dresses to the Minneapolis Macy's store is a definite possibility. Another Minnesota native designer currently on his radar: Lewis Albert.

VIP for a night

Along with my invitation to the Max Azria show came an invitation to the private after party at Buddha Bar in NYC's hip meatpacking district. I did a double take. Was it an accident, or did they really want me there? Who cared! I called a New York friend and said "We're going!" It's good to have a friend that is up on all things cool in the city. She got us a reservation at Jean-George's Spice Market, where we had a leisurely dinner before arriving at the party fashionably (oh, I hoped!) late. The burly bouncer said we each needed an invitation. "But I'm on the list," I sort of whined, not really convinced that I was. He checked, and sure enough, there I was! The velvet rope was opened and we were in. Max Azria was at the door putting his coat on. I thought about thanking him for the invitation, but decided to play it cool. Didn't spot anyone famous or any models. Just a lot of regular looking people in fabulous looking clothes (ranging from a floor-length white gown to denim). No matter. I was on the list!

Off the runway

Runway fashions aside, readers want to know what is currently being worn on the streets of New York - the true indicator of what's hot and what's coming to Minnesota...eventually. So here are some highlights:

• Boots, boots, all kinds of fabulous boots. From ankle to above the knee varieties. Most popular is standard tall boots, both flat or high heel. Most importantly, pants must be tucked in. From skinny jeans to black leggings, the boots are the statement. And they need not be all matchy-matchy with the rest of the outfit. I saw a trendsetter wearing a gray and yellow top (a color you'll see a ton of this spring) and skinny black pants tucked into brown boots. It looked good. Seriously.
• Bags, bags, fabulous bags. It's nothing new, but it sure is continuing. The bag is the key piece -- the one fashion lovers are always willing to splurge on. They're not as huge as they were a season or two ago, but still substantial. Metallics and patent leather are big finishes.
• Sweater dresses. Well, calling some of them "dresses" would be a stretch. But girls are wearing longer sweaters -- more clingy than bulky -- with thick tights or skinny pants tucked into boots.
• Statement coats. Outerwear is as much a necessity in New York as it is at home (maybe more so, since there are no skyways), and it is definitely not an afterthought. Coats are fitted, patterned, embellished and fur trimmed -- often the highlight of the ensemble.
• Fur hats. I've mentioned this already but it's worth repeating. The hats are huge, furry and luxurious.

Spa break

Being a fashion writer is no day at the spa...except during Fashion Week. Normally, I would turn down an invitation for beauty treatments unless I was specifically reviewing them for the paper. But the usual rules don't seem to apply during Fashion Week (and my boss is a time zone away!). Besides, the publicist said Carmen Electra would be "dropping in."
So I paid a visit to the Cygalle Healing Spa, a traveling operation that is camped out for the week in the penthouse of the past-its-prime Night Hotel, just a couple of blocks from Bryant Park where the fashion shows are held. Cygalle, a slight and not particularly fashiony young woman greeted me and nodded approvingly when I explained that I'm a reporter and was there to see what a VIP fashion suite is like. "I love that," she said, speaking really slowly. "I'm all about experience."
And so, I got to experience a 10-minute hand massage (I'd provide more detail, but it was difficult to take notes.) while seated on the edge of a round bed. Cygalle seemed flustered that her press releases had not properly been packaged in envelopes. Two liters of Coke sat on the floor while Cygalle's assistants had some sort of debate about bringing up a tray. The music of Erika Jayne played in the background and her picture was all over the place. Oh, you never heard of her? Perhaps that's why she paid for the spa to be there. Lure reporters with the promise of hand treatments and hope to get some publicity for your new album.
I didn't see any celebrities at the mini-spa. Only other reporters, who seemed quite at home indulging in massages and manicures. At one point while I was there, Cygalle ducked into the bathroom for an important phone call. Maybe it was Carmen Electra?

Inspiration

Sequined jumpers, leg-of-mutton sleeves...where do designers come up with this stuff? Here are some of their inspirations for fall:
Marc Jacobs: Bertolucci's "The Conformist"
Diane von Furstenberg: The cultural landscape of Spain
Temperley London: Paris in the early 1900s with the arrival of Russian nobility, artists and their muses
Monique Lhuillier: Frank Ghery's Disney Concert Hall
Reem Acra: Simplicity of form and sensuality of fabric
Michael Vollbracht for Bill Blass: Indiana design legends Norman Norell, for his sequined mermaids; Halston for the simplicity of his designs; and the late Bill Blass for, well, obvious reasons

And yet even with influences so varied, no more than 10 major fashion trends for the season will emerge this week.