Cheryl Shops

I always look forward to Nanette Lepore's show for several reasons: One, she usually has a random selection of celebrities in the front row, many of whom are her personal friends (this year, Stanley Tucci, Kelly Rutherford, Aida Turturro, Arianna Huffington, actress Carol Kane, Austin Scarlett from Project Runway, and SNL's Vanessa Bayer). Two, she often has live entertainment; in this case, Sam Bisbee, whose CD everyone received as a gift. Finally, not only are her clothes very wearable, but they make it to the stores in almost exact runway form, which means that you can basically shop the runway—a dangerous proposition, but an appealing one as well. And in spite of all this, there's something distinctly mellow about her shows (or maybe that's because it's the second-to-last day of Fashion Week and we're all dragging). What was not mellow was Lepore's use of color, which, in a season of mega-bright citrus shades, outshone everyone else. With a seemingly go-big-or-go-home ethos, Lepore went with full-on day-glo for nearly every look, but when teamed with her sweet cutout sundresses, work-friendly suits, and retro ruched swimsuits, the color was totally wearable—irresistible, even. I've already made my shopping list for next spring.