As I walked into the Henry Street Playhouse for designer Rachel Antonoff's Spring/Summer 2010 presentation, I didn't know what to expect.
Having only seen fashion shows through obsessive viewings of Project Runway, I thought all fashion shows involved a catwalk, fashionistas in giant sunglasses in the front row and a brief 11 minute glimpse of each designer's fashions set to a techno soundtrack.
Instead, what I got was something quite different and much more interesting. Rachel took over the stage of the playhouse with her "enchanted forest." Instead of watching from down below, visitors walked right up on stage and were able to see the looks up close.
Each model, dressed in Rachel's ultra-feminine and playful creations were engaged in a different activity. One girl was playing the piano, others were dancing ballet en pointe while others just read, and of course, posed for the myriad of writers and photographers who arrived to cover the show.
I walked through the "forest" twice, checking out the darling array of cute frocks, tailored pants and skirts. The looks are hyper cute and could teeter on the edge of being a little too precious had Rachel not styled the models with dramatic hair and makeup.
Rather than looking too cutesy, the looks suggested that the Rachel Antonoff girl is a mix of sweet and spicy. Some of the dresses were clearly for a younger lady, but the blouses, formal shorts and little black dresses looked really versatile and like any woman would be happy to wear them.
For an idea of what Rachel's unique fashion show was like, check out the video I took of the show below: