Day 2 of New York Fashion Week began off-site with Jason Wu's show on 11th Avenue. Inspired by the restoration of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, Wu used baroque details, Swarovski crystals and gold accents to uplift everything from sharp tailored pants to luxurious gowns. Black models Rose Cordero and Joan Smalls walked, as did Jourdan Dunn, who closed the show in a cerise-pink silk chiffon strapless gown with gold leaf embroidery.
Later, at Nicole Miller, Gabrielle Union, Taraji P. Henson and stylist June Ambrose were spied taking in the brand's edgy menswear-inspired pieces. Ambrose fell in love with one of Miller's shiny tuxedos, saying, "It just reminded me of my early Puffy days." Aside from the tuxedo, she said, "I loved the screen-printed pieces and the geometric angles. Miller's attention to structure was amazing and refreshing." A navy dress with pale blue geometric details looked amazing on model Ajak Deng, whose blond mini Afro provided a nice contrast.
At Byron Lars Beauty Mark, we chitchatted with Anika Noni Rose, who lauded Lars because "he makes things for curves, which I appreciate, but he also does chic." Rose said that she was busy finishing up a guest-starring role on The Good Wife and co-composing a musical. When asked how she stays warm in the crazy weather, she said, "I love a good sweater. J.Crew has had some lovely sweaters this year. Cashmere has become very affordable, so I'm always on the cashmere hunt, and always wait for the end-of-the-season sale so I can buy in bulk."
The next day began with Vivienne Tam, where we spied model Sessilee Lopez and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey. Bailey said the reunion episode, which airs tonight, is "definitely a must-see. … We get a lot of things cleared up. We have a lot of confrontational conversations."
Lastly, at Mik Cire we caught up with Deborah Cox, who plans on attending Carmen Marc Valvo, Catherine Malandrino, Derek Lam and Marc Bouwer shows. When it comes to deciding what to wear during Fashion Week, she said, "My vibe is really about comfort first, especially in the winter. It's much too cold to be trying to do too much. I always think black is chic, and I've got a great pair of boots that I can actually walk in that are warm. I just keep it simple." The singer, who is preparing for a role as Josephine Baker on Broadway, said, "I'm inundated with rehearsals, so no partying for me."
Claire Sulmers is the editor-in-chief of the Fashion Bomb. Follow her on Twitter.