Red Dress Heart Truth Collection

Talk about ‘Red Alert’. Friday, February 2nd, the kick off day for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, was awash in red. Officially named, National Wear Red Day, it’s a day when Americans nationwide wear red to show their support for women’s heart disease awareness. First Lady Laura Bush was in town for a luncheon but not before stopping by the Bryant Park Tents where she sat front row center to watch the Red Dress Heart Truth Fashion Show. Clad in a red suit, she was seated next to Carolina Herrera, and 7th on Sixth’s Fern Mallis, both wearing red. They were not alone. Many in the audience wore a touch of red or red head to toe (literally) in honor of the day and the event. And perfect timing, since red not only looks amazing on everybody, but nothing heats things up quite like red. And the weather is promising to turn downright wintry (single digit temperatures) during the upcoming 7 days of runway shows.

The 23 piece collection featured celebrity models (including Paula Zahn, Phylicia Rashad, Angela Bassett, Lauren Hutton, Marlee Matlin, Mary Hart, Kim Cattrall, Mae Jemison, Katharine McPhee) wearing one of a kind red dresses (long, short, and everything in between) in a variety of shades and in a variety of fabrics, from designers like Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Carmen Marc Valvo, Swarovski, Bob Mackie, Oscar de la Renta, and Bill Blass. The most crowd pleasing moment by far was when tennis legend Billie Jean King hammed it up down the runway wearing a ruby red pantsuit designed by Gustavo Cadile, accessorized with Adidas tennis shoes (yup!). Of course, another interesting moment was when former San Francisco social figure, Kimberly Guilfoyle, took to the runway. The beautiful and current Mrs. Villency, who had been married to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, glowed and looked amazing in her Nicole Miller gown. I couldn’t help but think that the big smile on her face was not only from happiness with her new life and brand new baby, but after reading about the current shenanigans regarding her ex, she was probably relieved that this was in her past and she did not have to deal with his infidelities any longer.

– Marilyn Kirschner