A previous post, highlighting some of life's more attainable pleasures, reminded me of footage that I shot in NYC for Spring 2011.
My favorite socially conscious designer John Patrick of Organic described the inspiration for his collection as "the water that connects us." John Patrick explained that water is free flowing and is that unifying thing that all of us need and are entitled to. He emphasized that he didn't create the line for money, but rather, he was doing it for the love of design and the need for people to hear his greater message.
Although many of John's travels are to Third World countries, parts of the south remain hidden behind the "cotton curtain" and experience the same kind of life as those in opposite hemispheres. Therefore his global based presentation had a suitable all-American relevance as it mirrored the romantic and unpretentious nature of a beloved Country Time Lemonade commercial...Ahhh refreshing, graceful, chic. Models sat on crates leisurely mingling about the set in their pale colored, patent leather, wing-tipped shoes. An enormous woven hat and over sized lightly tailored linen took me back to childhood memories south of the Mason-Dixon where folks talked of drinking sweet water (which was nothing more than well water with locally grown sugar cane stirred in). I can imagine that sweet water provides a universal refreshment across the globe.
This brings me to my final point in this post which is: that I love a presentation style fashion show. I could never have seen the level of detail sitting front row in a runway show as I got mingling the crowd of a presentation. Watch the video above you'll feel like you were right there talking to the designer elbow to elbow with major magazine editors, having the models flirt with YOUR camera. From now on I'm going to every presentation I can, because I know that I'll certainly get my camera's worth.
