There is nothing like a group of scantily clad trannies to wake you up on a saturday morning!  First stop, The Patricia Field Boutique on The Bowery, was home to a Valentine’s Day party, featuring Dirty Dolls Lingerie, champagne and strawberries.  After a quick walk through the dual-level shop and a flash back to my “Happy Valley Nightclub” days, I was aesthetically stimulated and ready for our next move.

Next stop was the Andrew Buckler presentation aptly entitled, “The Decay of Beauty, The Beauty of Decay.”

“The picture of Dorian Gray, by controversial Irish writer Oscar Wilde, is a Gothic tale that exposes the duality between substance and surface, good and evil, ethics and aesthetics, and human decay. When first published in 1890, Wilde caused a great stir in aristocratic London as he revealed the life and the aim of the dandy: turning life into a hedonistic work of art. The binary nature of the story has inspired the Fall 2009 Buckler Collection, offering versatile garments that work equally well in a rough or formal setting. The designs are a contemporary take on traditional mens garments.”

*Andrew Buckler F/W 2009 (Photo courtesy of Bob Bland)

With the Front of House being handled by People’s Revolution, I took the opportunity to (re)introduce myself to infamous PR-guru and current star on “The Hills” and “The City,” Kelly Cutrone (who had handled the opening of Happy Valley, an account that AMP3 later took over).  Interestingly enough, she was attached at the hip with a girl who she introduced to me (and everyone else that approached her) as “Ashley Dupre, my good friend.”  (Yes – that Ashley Dupre, the call girl associated with the Governor Eliot Spitzer scandal).  At the time, I found it slightly odd.  I later found out this was a PR stunt in the making, with Kelly standing strong by her decision to seat Ashley front row at the Yigal Azrouel Show, a move which soon after got her fired from the job.

Kelly’s bold statement that she is “vehemently opposed to morality” aside, I really admire her forwardness.  While she’s on one side of the extreme that I don’t think I’ll ever quite reach, I love that there is no wishy-washyness to her, Kelly tells it like it is!

*In a sea of blacks & grey, I stand out in my hot pink valentine’s day dress @ Buckler (Photo courtesy of Bob Bland)

Still reeling from my amusing Kelly run-in, we left SoHo for the Tents for the Monarchy show.  An ode to my heritage, Monarchy displayed a Scottish inspired Fall/Winter line.   Designer, Eric Kim, showed off women’s and menswear full of plaid capes, toques with fur pom-poms, high-waisted trousers, pleats, and double-breasted trench coats, which were all emphasized by various shades of olive, cream and grey.

*The adorable Jennifer Love Hewitt leaving the Monarchy Show.

An exciting 3-part start to Fashion Week, I called it an early evening to head off to a special Valentine’s day date of my own.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]