Christina Kruse

>> So far this season, the most eye-catching show package came courtesy of One Management, who had their stable of models mimic an iconic '60s Harper's Bazaar cover by Richard Avedon, but a couple of Paris agencies are running a close second, and curiously, they are both feeling the comic book look.  Women Paris altered portfolio pictures of the likes of Iris Strubegger and Iselin Steiro into with a little high contrast look and a splat of yellow, and WM emulated Sin City for their gaggle of fresh faces. 

>> The 96-page September issue insert The Imagist teased back in June turned out to be for V: Paul Rowland, founder of Women and Supreme agencies, photographed 19 of his models in studio back in April with help from stylist Nicholas Grasa.  His inspirations were "Joel-Peter Witkin, paganism, mysticism, vampires, witches — all the things I love," and V has a video of the shoot in action, which required Hannelore Knuts to have raw meat draped over her chest and the rope holding it together lit on fire on both ends. The supplement will be available with V61 in select cities. 

Maybe this whole project is the start of a move into a new arena for Rowland?  As V puts it: "Rowland, whose lavish and intricate agency show packages are the talk of the industry each season, has a creative verve that extends beyond model agency moving and shaking, and into photography and fine art. After this outing, however, he might need his own magazine as well."

>> New York Fashion Week is known as the springboard for new faces every season, but for Fall 2009, it's become the springboard for comebacks — especially with models right around the 30-year-old mark.  This morning, Frankie Rayder (34), who hasn't hit a catwalk since the Fall 2004 with the exception of Spring 2009 Givenchy, walked Michael Kors.  The runways of Preen, Rodarte, Alexander Wang, and Marc Jacobs have been especially overrun with these mainly late-'90s, early-00's faces — from those who have hovered in and out the past few seasons: Anne Catherine Lacroix (29), Natasa Vojnovic (29), Caroline Ribeiro (29), Jamie Bochert (28), Christina Kruse (34), Carmen Kass (30), Colette Pechekhonova (28), Hannelore Knuts (31); to those who have exited the runway for a while — Tasha Tilberg (29), Kirsten Owen (38), Trish Goff (32) — all are booking some of the most coveted spots this season.  Kors, Behnaz Sarafpour, Staerk, VPL, and Diane von Furstenberg are feeling it too — the mature woman is back in New York.
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>> The line to get into the Roseland Ballroom, where Alexander Wang showed his Fall 2009 collection, went down the entire block and around the corner — it stayed this way for a good half an hour or so after the show was scheduled to start . . . This season brought in the attendance of Alex's first big celebrity front row — Sarah Jessica Parker; also in attendance were Diane von Furstenberg, Patrick Robinson, and Philip Green of Topshop, the latter sparking some questions.  Green said Anna Wintour had just suggested that he come check the show out . . . Wang's obsession with Hooters continues — they provided the backstage catering . . . Alex wrote a sign backstage for the models promising "tequila shots for those who don't fall!!!" . . . Fur was worked into his collection for the first time . . . Anna Wintour brought Bee Shaffer along for the first time (lots of firsts); usually she just comes to Proenza Schouler and Marc Jacobs.  Does that mean Alex has moved up into Proenza and Marc territory in Anna's eyes? . . . Among the model cast were a few '90s and early '00s faces — Trish Goff (who's also supposed to walk Preen tomorrow), Tasha Tilberg, Natasa Vojnovic, Christina Kruse, and Hannelore Knuts — runway comebacks in the works?
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>> The third time was the charm for Costello Tagliapietra yesterday — after starting and stopping the runway music two times, the second of which included dimming the lights, the show finally got under way for the third and final time an hour after its scheduled start. Lucky for Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra, their designs made it worth the wait.

Their tailored lady got some edge, courtesy of Philip Crangi's black leather accessories and an airbrushed-on tattoo . Each girl sported a blue anchor with her initials under it, Miu Miu Fall 2008-style, to match the designers' own anchor and initial tattoos, and Christina Kruse got to show off the big cobra tattooed on her arm. An unconventional fabric choice — ultrasuede — gave a matte contrast to all the shiny charmeuse, and unexpected color combinations gave a real zing to the lineup. The only major problem came from the shoes, made by Giuseppe Zanotti for the show — a lot of girls had trouble navigating them, and Georgina Stojilkovic came close to falling.

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