Tommy Hilfiger Paints DC Orange
By Marta Dehmlow, Guest Blogger [martafacts.blogspot.com]
High fashion headed to the nation’s capital for a cause on Tuesday night for the first annual Fashion’s Fight Against MS, a fashion charity event that raised funds and awareness for the National Capital Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Tommy Hilfiger, the event’s honorary chair, described the event as a “real fashion show for a real, great reason.” Hilfiger has close ties to the cause, as his sister suffers from the neurological disease.
Hilfiger, model and event host Shannon Rusbuldt and several New York and DC socialites posed on the orange carpet as attendees filled a room at the Washington Club to watch a runway show of a magnitude not often seen in Washington, DC.
The show, styled by Hilfiger’s daughter Ally, featured a capsule collection from Hilfiger, showcasing his fashionable take on the preppy look. With East Coast prep school skirts, tweedy carrot pants and a take on the classic trench, the capsule collection echoed the youthful offerings of Hilfiger’s Fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection. The shoes were sassy and fun: Pink peep-toed booties and high-heeled duck boots stole the show.
The event also featured three other New York fashion designers’ collections – Hilton Hollis, Nary Manivong and Sir by Joanna Baum. While the Hilton Hollis pants – made out of a shiny material that reminded me of pants the high school dance team would wear – were pretty uninspiring, a belted leather jacket showed a sleek, New York edge. Joanna Baum’s soft, girlie dresses seemed to excite the crowd, particularly a cocktail dress in the night’s most prominent color, orange.
The fashion was fabulous, but show-opener Michaele Salahi, one of the stars of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of DC, was really the most talked about thing on the runway, having recently revealed that she has MS.