SHOPPING

At first glance, they seem an incongruous mix. Ultra sleek Phi, owned by Texan Susan Dell, and Bill Blass, the stately and (until today) stale American label. But look at the elements and they have the same Helmut Newton feel at different extremes.

Bill Blass, designed for the first time by Peter Som, reminded me of YSL a little. The famous Newton image of "Le Smoking" in the Parisian alley.
Watching the 47 directional looks breeze past us to various arrangements of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the silence," full of masculine and feminine elements coming together in a palette of grays, blacks and creams with pops of magenta, topaz and amethyst, I was taken aback by how beautiful and, ultimately, desirable the looks were. (Save for hair and makeup that, unfortunately, took us more towards Denver-Carrington or a Robert Palmer video than how I think a woman wants to look this fall.)

I caught up with Mary Alice Stephenson, former Harper's Bazaar fashion director and fashion consultant (oh, and host of "America's Most Smartest Model) after the show. "This is what a rebirth of a house is about. Herve Leger - blah. Halston - boring. This was wow. I think a lot of times it takes growth. But he didn't need that. 3 months? These are clothes I want to wear. I've never worn Bill Blass in my life!"

Phi, designed by Andreas Melbostad, was a tough, chic collection that was in the same vein as Alexander Wang's collection, with perhaps more polish and defintiely more color. Using lace, tulle, wool crepe, cashmere and shearling with accents of patent leather, Melbostad sent out 31 looks that brought to mind Gianni Versace.

Padma Lakshmi, former model and host of Bravo's Top Chef, was at the show, looking tough and chic herself.

"It's a great nod to the early eighties, that sort of day-glo flourescent, tights with the fishnets, reminded me of the darker, edgier Betsy Johnson. The references to Katherine Hamnett are very apparent. I have a lot of Phi pieces I htink they're very wearable and sexy. Her collection reminds me of when Costume National was really cool, in the mid-nineties. I loved the collection."