Goth Rocker Meets Renaissance Faire at Bess

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The dark retro Theater 80 St. Marks in the East Village was the perfect location for the Bess women's and men's Fall/Winter 2010 show late yesterday afternoon. Designed by Douglas Abraham, this rocker grunge label is a favorite of trendsetting models and celebs like Erin Wasson, Mary Kate Olsen and Alexander Wang and is probably single handedly responsible for the whole studding craze. Fashion and entertainment mogul Russell Simmons stopped backstage prior to the show to check out the collection (or models?) He then came into the theater and sat next to two guy friends.

Seating was delayed, so the very fashionable downtown crowd cooled their heels at the bar with some complimentary absinthe. The show began about 40 minutes late with a recording of a little boy from The Innocents reciting a poem in a foreboding voice. The dark velvet curtains opened and a somber string instrument soundtrack played as the models, clad in dark, long and lean silhouettes, slowly walked out on to the stage.

True to form, there were many sexy leather pieces: Pants, leggings, capes, jackets, studded jackets. With the exception of a skintight black mini-dress and a few bright poufs, the women's dresses and skirts were floor length and tight—in velvet, silk and of course, leather. Mixed in were shiny crushed silk tops with puffed shoulders and billowing sleeves in splashes of dark, earthy colors. Some looks crossed genders, and a few layered menswear looks even featured fur and lace. We bet Kelly Cutrone's dress-wearing assistant, Andrew, would be all over this (a couple models even looked just like him). Of course, the models were all wearing Bess signature studded boots and booties.

The hip downtown crowd was filled with a plethora of individual and inspiring looks. It seemed like most people got the memo about the upcoming collection, as most were sporting fur, leather and envy inducing vintage. We have to give extra credit to the guys as they were dressed to impress and accessorizing like nobody's business.
· Fashion Week 2010 All Coverage [Racked]
· Bess [Official Site]