Some days my job has some major perks. Wednesday was one of them. Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities was entertaining clients and partners at the Lafayette 148 NY fashion show at Neiman Marcus and as their publicist, I was asked to attend. Um, gee. I mean I guess if I have to...
Edward Wilkerson sketches stylist Dawn Mellon
We were granted a private reception with Lafayette 148 NY's Creative Director, Edward Wilkerson. Charming and personable, Wilkerson regaled our group with stories about how he "failed" as an architect and was then asked to leave fashion school because "it wasn't for him" - even though he already had a job at Anne Klien.Donna Karan, who was the lead designer at Anne Klein at the time told him, "What do you care what they tell you? You are already working in the fashion industry. You are a success!" And it's that mindset that has carried him through his career.
Wilkerson is currently taking art classes in NYC so that he "can sketch better" and to show us his technique, he whipped out his pad and paints and did a personalized sketch of all 8 of our guests. It was a lovely surprise and I can't wait to frame my work of art and display it in my office! After sipping champs and chatting with Edward, we took our seats and Edward joined Neiman Marcus' Fashion Director and Senior Vice President, Ken Downing on the runway to show his Fall 2015 collection.
The collection was a delight of grays and greens with a dash of plum thrown in for good measure. Lafayette 148 NY is known for elegant yet approachable style. Their designs have a sense of ease about them that I am very much drawn to. I noticed a couple of things in this collection: 1) wide legged pants are in, whether they are long or cropped. 2) layering is going to be in for Fall and in Texas, that's a good thing. I am totally drooling over the cropped leather trousers you see above. You can shop the current collection at Neiman Marcus. Visit their website to see a list of upcoming events. They have designers visiting all the time and it's a super fun (and free) way to stay on top of current trends and meet your favorite designers! Thanks to Ronelle Ianace at Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities for including me in this fun afternoon!
