Recap: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week China Art Hearts Fashion

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week China has come to an end, but the mark left by the Art Hearts Fashion Designers has left a lasting impression. From October 25th - 30th Art Hearts Fashion presented Six international brands to the MBFW runway and brand exhibit at 751D Park. 

On Saturday October 29th at 7:30pm China was taken on a western journey by six amazing and unique international designers. The showcase opened with children's brand Lulu Et Gigi from Paris France. The brands signature Parisian flair lit up the crowd and brought smiles to the packed house. Celebrity model Madeline Stuart closed the show to a round of applause for a great cause. Los Angeles favorite Hale Bob by designer Daniel Bohbot took center stage with gorgeous silk ensembles and a preview of their denim line. Argyle Grant followed with a standing ovation and loud cheer as beautiful male models walked the runway in the sophisticated speedo and resort wear looks the brand has become known for. Edgy Street wear with swag appeal followed as Mister Triple X by Erik Rosete brought a sexy display of men and womenswear to the MBFW runway. Stand out brand Arzamendi Style by Ada Arzamendi had the audience turning pink with envy as her models graced the catwalk in pink gowns and matching pink wigs. The grand finale of the Arzamendi show featured a lit up LED bride that left a memorable impression. The evening closed with none other than celebrity designer Willfredo Gerardo. Willfredo brought his signature eveningwear and sexy silhouettes to wrap up the show in a memorable manner. 

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Top 10 Independent Fashion Weeks Not Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz

1. FASHIONCLASH

2. Berlin Alternative Fashion Week

3. Brighton Fashion Week

4. Vancouver Fashion Week

5. Fashion Week Brooklyn

6. Serbia Fashion Week

7. Copenhagen Fashion Week

8. Africa Fashion Week

9. Melbourne Fashion Week

10. VFILES Made Fashion

The energy surrounding Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City is always very exciting. Many have referred to MBFW / NYFW as a big fashion circus with as much of a style show on the street as on the runway. As we are just days away from fashion week, I'd like to share with you  a list of ten of the best fashion weeks from around the world that are NOT sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. Imagine that... Hey, I love MBFW as much as the next guy but they're not the only "ride" in town. After all, fashion loves options... See list below:

1. FASHIONCLASH

As an international and interdisciplinary platform, FASHIONCLASH organizes a variety of events and projects to showcase the work of new generations of designers and artists. The main event is the FASHIONCLASH Festival, an annual international fashion festival that features emerging talent from a range of disciplines.

2. BERLIN ALTERNATIVE FASHION WEEK

Berlin Alternative Fashion Week is a platform showcasing the rise of alternative concepts in fashion. With a weeklong program of shows and marketplaces, it aims to promote influential, genre-breaking innovators and connect them with established contemporaries in the fields of fashion, music, and art in a context that isn’t constrained or dominated by big brands and labels.

3. BRIGHTON FASHION WEEK

Brighton Fashion Week was born by serendipitous necessity, the need to give voice to the creative individuals that are taking control of their creativity, their work, their output, and their vision. Working with and not for designers, Brighton Fashion Week has for 10 years offered a platform for designers, artists, costumers, and explorers the opportunity to showcase their talents.

4. VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

For an outstanding 25 seasons, Vancouver Fashion Week has brought emerging talent from around the world to their runway. Diversity and multiculturalism are celebrated in the heart of the bi-annual fashion shows. By providing an accessible platform to designers, buyers, media, and industry professionals, VFW leads its participants on a path to success in the world of fashion.

5. FASHION WEEK BROOKLYN

Founded by the non-profit BK|Style Foundation, Fashion Week Brooklyn puts on a bi-annual show featuring designers from around the world. FW|BW goes beyond fashion to support and raise awareness for social issues like human rights, HIV/AIDS, poverty, and community development. Proceeds from each season support charitable organizations.

6. SERBIA FASHION WEEK

Serbia Fashion Week is the country’s leading voice in international fashion. With partnership agreements from 16 European countries, Serbian designers are able to showcase their work across the continent in fashion shows, educational workshops, exhibitions, and competitions for students studying fashion. SFW encourages the exchange of ideas, creativity, and talent across borders.

7. COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK

Copenhagen Fashion Week is the largest fashion event in the Nordic Region. With its mix of Danish and international talent, the shows attract an enormous number of designers, buyers, and press from around the world. Every February and August, Copenhagen Fashion Week fills its catwalks and trade fairs with a diverse array of progressive fashion brands.

8. AFRICA FASHION WEEK

Showcasing contemporary design from countries across Africa, Africa Fashion Week aims to foster economic cooperation between nations around the world while simultaneously promoting African designers and brands. Founded by New York public relations and communications firm Adiree in 2009, Africa Fashion Week puts on shows in fashion capitals like New York, London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, and Tokyo to expose the African fashion industry.

9. MELBOURNE FASHION WEEK

With a weeklong program of world-class runway shows, workshops, seminars, forums, and live entertainment, Melbourne Fashion Week offers both up-and-coming and established designers in Australia the opportunity to make their work known to the world. The Melbourne Fashion Festival will celebrate its 20th edition next March.

10. VFILES MADE FASHION

A crowd-sourced runway show, VFILES MADE FASHION offers young talents in the fashion world the opportunity to show their work on runways like New York Fashion Week. VFILES is an online community that enables all those involved in the fashion world, from designers to photographers and stylists to fashion fans, to get exposure digitally and on the runway.

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Planning a NYC Fashion Tour

New York's fashion industry is home to 13,800 fashion establishments with 900 fashion companies calling the city home, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation. New York also hosts 75 major fashion trade shows and houses thousands of showrooms scattered throughout the boroughs. As a thriving fashion capital, the city is home to Fashion Week, couture museum exhibits and trend-setting boutiques.

New York City’s Fall Fashion Week kicks off September 10. Traditionally held at Bryant Park and Lincoln Center, Fashion Week moves to Soho and West Midtown in two locations called Skylight at Moynihan Station and Skylight Clarkson Square. While tickets to Fashion Week are difficult to score unless you’re an insider or a celebrity; there are other exhibitions, fashion landmarks and tours to enjoy. You can also check in with Time Out New York for updated lists of sample sales to score designer duds at a discount throughout the city.

FIT Museum

Stop by the famed Fashion Institute of Technology's museum for a look at fashion's long history and unique style icons. Upcoming exhibits starting in December 2015 include Denim: Fashion's Frontier. The exhibit Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartsch directly follows Fashion Weekand opens September 18 through December 5. The exhibit looks at the socialite behind the extreme fashion and makeup who took New York City nightlife by storm in the 1980s and continues to do so in the present.

Free Garment District Tours

Mike's NYC Tours hosts Garment District Walking Tours with a look at the apparel industry and its winding history from the development of dress sizes to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Mike offers free walking tours throughout the year and shares his insider knowledge about the industry, including the best places to shop. The tour stops at boutiques and fashion landmarks around the city such as the Fashion Walk of Fame.

City Opera Thrift Shop

Head to the City Opera Thrift Shop at 222 E. 23rd Street near Third Avenue to shop while helping support its namesake opera. Explore two floors of carefully curated clothing and furniture from major designers, such as Christian Dior. Proceeds help fund the costumes for the New York City Opera, making this a unique fashion stop for those looking to support a good cause while finding quality clothes at a discount.

Fashion Walk of Fame

A fashion walk through Manhattan isn't complete without a stop at the Fashion Walk of Fame on 7th Avenue. See nearly 30 plaques commemorating some of the industry's great designers including Oscar de la Renta and Ralph Rucci. The walk was established in 1999 and is currently the only monument in the world dedicated to American fashion.

Couture Fashion Week

You may not be able to score access to Fashion Week, but tickets to Couture Fashion Week are as low as $50. From September 11 to the 13th, designers from around the world show off their couture and luxury designs. Events take place in the heart of the city at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in Manhattan. Stop by the TKTS Booth for a discount on same-day Broadway show tickets, suggests The Dig, to see the costumes and set design of Tony award-winning shows.

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Thom Browne Fall 2015

Even death is something chic for Thom Browne. The mourning, which began with the men's show in January continued in a runway procession of black. The drama that is a Thom Browne show was in the "new" elements he introduced - newness to Thom Browne that is. Short dresses, cleavage and (for me at least) the most shocking was the last look which featured a cropped jacket exposing the model's midriff! Is Thom Browne attempting to reach a younger audience?

You know that for Browne detailing is everything. No one handles it with more refinement and abundance than Browne. This time around the detailing features were also youthful like in his use of zippers. Many zippers running along dresses and coats making them more modern and less Victorian. One of my favorite details, other than the spectacular headwear, was in how he treated frayed edges and hems. It was beautiful and rich in texture making the edges more of a decorative feature and less than a deconstructed element.

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Public School Fall 2015

I admit that I have a slight (not-so-slight) obsession with Public School. Designers Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne's approach to design, gender, style and comfortability resonates perfectly with the past, the now and future of fashion. Season after season they continue to metamorphosize their street-wear style into the chic and upscale. This collection is modern, edgy and at times very unisex. Also, Public School did something very new (for them) they introduced color for Fall 2015. A splash here and there, but nonetheless, another sign of growth and brand development. These guys are just really really cool. Keep your eyes out for Public School.

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JOAN RIVERS "Can we talk..."

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers stood up from her seat in between tapings of Fashion Police during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York and looked over at the crowd beneath her at Lincoln Center. She was taking in the moment. Both arms perched on the railing. I was looking up. Suddenly, our eyes locked. I was looking at her and she at me. Joan smiled, as did I and then she walked away. That's the closest I've come to meeting Joan Rivers. I've been a fan since the days she used to joke about being "so ugly at birth, her doctor slapped her mother." That's a long time ago. I'm a huge fan and will miss Joan Rivers tremendously. My heart goes out to her daughter Melissa, her family and E! News friends.

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