Fashion Week: Tracy Reese Spring 2007

Rosemary Ponzo at Tracy Reese Every now and then, fashion can be fun, dropping its pretense, forgetting that it gets whole weeks named after it in style meccas around the world. I had a down-home experience stumbling into the tent on a lazy Sunday afternoon, lining up behind hundreds for Detroit native Tracy Reese.

The tent was particularly peaceful as was the pre-show catwalk fanfare. Either they were pumping sedatives into the tents or everyone was just quietly nursing their wino-selves, enjoying Sunday in prep for Monday.

1:50 Something smells strangely relaxing.

2:05 Everybody slowly piles into the Promenade, is making faux friends with their neighbors and laughing.

2:15 Camera people stand idly with few celebs to hawk. 2:20 Sort-of celebs spotted! The Apprentice’s Stacie J makes an appearance, along with Project Runway’s Tim Gunn. And, of course, a requisite show-face from costume designer and Fashion Week staple Rosemary Ponzo. Reese’s family takes most of the cameras’ attention.

2:30 Bump into a Latino fashion friend and his Gucci model boyfriend. They had just done the music for Gustavo Arango and complained about how bad Reese’s show music always is. “It’s, like, totally thee deesigner’s fault,” they crooned.

2:35 Show starts. Tango music fills the air. We are all shocked at how great the music is.

Reese pulled inspiration from “the pulsing tempo of Buenos Aires” for her Spring 2007 show. Dropped and ballooned waistlines flirted with asymmetrical sleeves (a widespread Oscar no-no), shapeless slips and curious colors (black + white + brown= mistake) for a collection that generally came off as 80s in all the wrong places. Lost was Reese’s usual unrelenting sense of whimsy. In its place was a bit more danger, which may be a signal that she’s moving in a different direction.

Or maybe Tim Gunn told her to take a risk, and she just “made it work.” Three cheers for the cocoa jumpsuit and “blue ghetto fairy” beaded empire dress. Muy caliente, indeed.

Stacie J (and a girl who’s apparently someone… with a name that sounds like “tameeka.” None of the paparazzi or camera men could tell me either. Access Hollywood? Should we play Gawker’s ‘And Friend’ game? )

Swag Bag: Got one, a triumph in itself! Best Tracy Reese swag bag in three years: A Sally Hansen nail polish, “Flame,” made specially for Reese’s new line; Mally Perfecting Powder; Pure Hapa Hawaiian Essential Face Serum and Travel Candle; Bohista Eau de Toilette and fabulous chandelier earrings.

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