*All photos courtsey of Fulton Davenport, PWL Studios
The place to be in Houston on Thursday evening, Dec. 7th was Tootsies for The Party and Fashion Event of the season. Tootsies had teamed with American Express to bring to Houston, on its first stop from Milan, the Alberta Ferretti Designer Collection for Spring/Summer 2012. The plus to the evening was the presence of the lady herself, Alberta Ferretti, accompanied by Instyle Magazine Fashion Editor, Hal Rubenstein. The pre-show cocktail party was a-buzz with all of the excitement and anticipation of the evening ahead. What an evening it was.
Tootsies pulled out all the stops to produce a quality show, like it has never done before. The tented structure within the store was tastefully set with plexi chairs, numbered, assigned and gift-bagged seats and mirrored walls, very reminiscent of the runway shows of NYC and abroad.
The collection, inspired by Ms. Ferretti’s vision of the jungles of the 1920s was filled with beautifully feminine dresses in a wide range of colors and neutrals, in flowing chiffons, with treatments varying from sheer and nude lining insets to bugle bead detailing.
Everyone present was treated to a Q & A session conducted by Hal Rubenstein with responses from Ms. Ferretti in her native tongue, communicated beautifully by her interpreter. We were able to get great insight into this woman who is not only physically beautiful and talented but also a very astute business woman. Aware, she mentioned, that she could not only care about herself if she was to grow, she formed a company with others, called AEFFE that also owns Moschino, Jean Paul Gautier and Cacharel. She said that styling her collection is still her priority. She is the creator and her brother takes care of much of the running of the business.
The following are some of her points-of-view on the fashion world and its impact on women’s lives…
On Timing: Timing of Fashion has changed, we have all lived through this. It used to be that designers only had to worry about getting collections out every six months. Now the consumer is demanding newness almost daily due primarily to the internet. We women see more and want more and we want it faster!
On Trends: A word Hal Rubenstein is not a fan of! He asked her if it was harder or easier for women to be on top of the trends. She said that it was easier and more different than it was years ago when all designers were on the same page and the people just followed. Now each designer is doing a more distinct look. Women have to choose and are encouraged to be more individualized. (I love this and feel far more creativity is being shown by the consumer because of this.)
On Personal Style: When asked what is most important for women today in selecting items to expand their wardrobes, she responded that elegance was most important and knowing what your body can handle would be second. Be cautious, says Ms. Ferretti that “you do not costume yourself.” She also said that women constantly evaluate themselves and their style based on what they don’t like about themselves and should focus more on what their good points are and on enhancing that!
On Fashion’s importance in your life: I feel that this is the comment that made the most lasting impression on the attendees. When asked about how much prominence fashion should have in your life, she commented, “What fashion should do is accompany your life, not be the most important thing in your life. It is important as it marks time. When we see ourselves as we looked in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and even ‘90s it brings back the moment, good or bad. It is dressing the time of our lives that is important to me.”
In closing, again great kudos must be given to the Tootsies team for hosting with American Express such a first rate fashion evening where many of Houston’s fashion elite could be a part of an awesome party and view beautiful clothing at the same time. For me, I also had the opportunity to reach deep into my Italian soul and find those few choice words that popped into my head that I could say to Ms. Ferretti in Italian when I was able to chat with her a couple of times…….”Bellissimo,” “Grazie” and of course, as she got into her car…”Ciao” to name just a few!
To see more pics of the evening, visit, www.thechicsheet.com/happening