Fashion Fix: The VERVEnyc Party
BY: Michelle Lapidos

When your emcee for the evening is a flamboyant man prancing around in a custom-made cheetah print costume and 5-inch stilettos, you have to assume it’ll be an interesting night.

I ordered my rum and diet extra strong.
  
VerveNYC, a new entrepreneurial fashion and music networking group, held its first-ever fashion show in Times Square’s Marriot Marquis on July 12th. Women in skinny jeans, men in skinnier jeans, and the designers’ friends and fans mingled and sipped on overpriced domestic beer and cocktails before the runway show began.

Washed-out sounds of the intro band hummed in the background (artists included Dive, Liam and Me, and the Nuno Baker Band) as I made my way to my seat for show time. The chair even had my name on it…sweet!
 
Seven emerging designers, including Project Runway’s Zulema, showed their collections that night. VerveNYC’s founder, Micah Clasper-Torch, was the first to show, and her creative take on fullness of shape was an impressive start to the evening.

Next came a Gaulier-esque dramatic entrance that was far too goth for my tolerance, and before I knew it, in flew our fantasmic emcee to announce an intermission. He encouraged a lot more drinking… who was I to object?
 
Rumors of Beyonce making an appearance were clearly not being fulfilled, but guess who DID come for his front row seat! Milan from Project Runway. On the show he was known for his keen attention to detail… I wonder if he, too, noticed a few pins and loose threads.

Props to the creators of Verve on starting something new and ambitious to get young talent noticed in this huge, fabulous city. We're already counting down to next year's show.

For more info, click here.