I'm back in NYC, but the cold weather has followed me east. Still, I took it as a good sign that I followed Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey into the tents this morning (I was wearing a hat, a scarf, and about 50 layers; Glenda looked way more chic in platform boots and a cutout leather jacket). My luck continued as I parlayed my standing-room invite into a comfy seat at Kai Milla, the first show of the day. Glenda at first seemed to be one of the only familiar faces in the audience, until I saw...Stevie Wonder. Now, I was a bit puzzled about what, exactly, he was doing at a fashion show, of all places, until I read the liner notes and discovered that he's designer Kai Milla's husband. Aha. Now, Kai is not exactly a household name (and judging by the sparse attendance at her show, not exactly a hot ticket either), but that's a shame, because girlfriend can do some beautiful tailoring. Kai's clothes are definitely aimed at an older customer, but in a "You can wear a bra with this" way, not a "This will camouflage your hips/tummy/thighs" way, although most of her clothes were indeed flattering.
This ensemble definitely falls into the "older" category, but the tailoring was impeccable, and I like the belted jacket.
She sent several gorgeous cocoon-like coats down the runway. This one just looks so luxurious and comfortable and warm. In fact, it would've been perfect for a day like today.
There was a bit of a futuristic tangent during the show, and while I'm not sure about wearing these gold lamé pants with this sweater, I though they were pretty awesome (unfortunately, I couldn't find a full-length shot of them). They also appeared to not make the model's legs look huge, but, then again, she was a model after all.
At first I though the models in this show were not great walkers, but after this model lost one of her shoes at the end of the runway and proceeded, to great applause, to finish her walk, Tyra Banks-style, I figured it was the shoes--huge, vinyl-ish platforms--that weren't working so well. Beautiful skirt, though.
The sweaters--chunky-knit but fitted, and in gorgeous shapes--were some of the best pieces in the show. I couldn't find a picture of my favorite, which was a charcoal-gray cardigan, but here's another great one, with a keyhole and an obi belt.
This, however, was my favorite look in the show. Toward the end, she sent out a bunch of jersey pieces with beautiful smocking. This one was asymmetrical and looked incredibly comfortable yet flattering.
So while I might not be part of Kai Milla's target audience, I can definitely appreciate her artistry. Let's hope the press--and retailers--start to as well!
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