What a day in New York. As the world’s press fixated on the designers leaving the city to show at other fashion weeks, New Yorkers seem largely unbothered. Out and about in the warm September sunshine, runners turned out for a charity race down 5th Avenue, a man proposed in Central Park (she said yes) and Hell's Kitchen hosted a street market. Also enjoying the last days of summer were the fashion set, who gathered before the shows showing off their finest threads. We ran into designer Alaa Balkhy and fashion blogger Ascia Farraj. Alaa Balkhy wore Sotra and a clutch by Sarah's Bag. Farraj was wearing a Kuwaiti designer. Outside the Diane Von Furstenburg show, we spotted the lady herself, wearing a shimmering brocade suit and looking pretty spectacular. As befitting a designer known for using bold colour and pattern, the crowd for her show ramped up their looks, prompting many to ditch - however briefly - the fashion crowd uniform of all black. A standout look was sported by a woman wearing a turban and a clashing sea-green and white patterned dress that was bold and audacious. Another was a simple jumpsuit, pushed down off the shoulders and cinched with a vivid corset. Dresses came in black with red flowers or green horizontal stripes, or in multi-coloured lace. There were bright skirts, fringed tops worn over long-sleeved white tops and even a pair of wonderfully over-the-top sequinned jeans. Shoes were a chic offering of flat mules and slides, in velvet and pink suede or fur lined and studded. Even the guys upped their style game, with a bold yellow pyjama top tucked into slim trousers and a striped bag that was a small taste of Italy. A press photographer put most of the crowd to shame in his Hawaiian shirt and back-to-front baseball cap, while one man donned a striking black and white jacket with detachable, vinyl sleeves. How he eats is anyone's guess, but hey, that's fashion. We found some of the runway models loitering outside the stage door, ahead of the show. It is always fascinating to see what models wear off duty. Londone Myers opted for head-to-toe red, while Sarah Brannon picked a patterned yellow dress. Dutch models Kiki Willems and Damaris Goddrie went for black and khaki respectively, but the best was undoubtedly a model running to get to the show in time. Clearly late from her last show, she raced down the street wearing a patterned blue dress, white trainers and headphones. Too rushed to stop, she showed us all how to stay stylish while racing the clock. Bravo. _____________ <strong>Read more:</strong> _____________
