Scene at New York Fashion Week: Fall 2008 Edition

Another New York Fashion Week has come and gone, and as usual, Meniscus returns with its roundup of random bits from the Bryant Park circus and its ever-expanding radius…

Pageant Place: Current Miss USA Rachel Smith at Tracy Reese and Miss Universe Riyo Mori at Vivienne Tam. photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan

Spotted!: There wasn’t nearly the celebrity draught as there was during last year’s arctic freeze (it helps when the temperatures reach 64 degrees as it did on Fashion Week’s lone Wednesday), so here is Meniscus’ celebrity sighting roundup for the New York Fashion Week Fall 2008 edition:

• Carol Alt and Chris Noth (“Sex and the City,” “Law and Order”) at Nautica;
• Zhang Ziyi before the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection show and wearing (what else?) a red dress;
• Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann (Isabella’s daughter and the current face of Lancome) at the Peroni/Vogue “50 Years of Italian Style” photography exhibit opening reception at Twelve 21;
• Kat de Luna at Sass & Bide;
• Miss USA Rachel Smith at Tracy Reese, where she told reporters that she would like to become an entertainment reporter after her reign;
• Mandy Moore, Rose McGowan, Sophia Bush and Emily Deschanel at Ports 1961;
• Miss Universe Riyo Mori at Tracy Reese, Vivienne Tam (where she snapped pictures from the front row with a digital camera) and Tadashi Shoji;
• Tinsley Mortimer and Rachel Zoe at Bill Blass;
• Anna Wintour, Janice Combs (mother of P. Diddy), Joy Bryant and Tyson Beckford in the lobby prior to Zac Posen;
• Aisha Tyler at Tadashi Shoji;
• Salt ‘N’ Pepa at Social Atelier, held at Caravan;
• And seemingly everywhere: “Project Runway” contestants and alumni, and “America’s Next Top Model” judge/photographer Nigel Barker, who has probably cloned himself a half-dozen times in order to hit all the shows

Proud photog papa: GQ Taiwan’s Chiun-Kai Shih gushed over how far the male models that walked in Nautica have come from the starts of their careers. One of those models, an Asian American named Philip Huang, spoke with Meniscus in-between all his Fashion Week engagements.

This was the lone prize in the Ports 1961 gift bag. What is it? (photo by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

LYCRA Go Bra(gh): In lieu of a denim lounge, LYCRA decided to go with a BRAsserie this season showcasing – what else? – a lingerie exhibit, and free coffee and snacks at select hours. Guests could order an A-cup (espresso), B-cup (Americano) or a C-cup (cappuccino).

Raindrops keep falling on my head: Thinking that an angry fashionista was shaking his or her umbrella at me as I was trying to read a book between shows at the Bryant Park tents, I looked up to discover that the roof was leaking, causing raindrops to wrinkle my pages and creating much confusion to those who already thought they were “indoors.”

Worst gift bag ever: They say it’s better to give than to receive, but in a few cases, perhaps it’s not even worth it to get anything. The gift bag at the Ports 1961 show featured a strange yarn concoction resembling a combination of a carrot-gone-bad and a voodoo doll. It didn’t look right as a necklace or a belt. What gives, and why give?

Christopher Bourne and Kwai Chan contributed to this report.

More photos:

At Ports 1961: Mandy Moore (second from left), Sophia Bush and Emily Deschanel photo by Kwai Chan
Joy Bryant, Anna Wintour and Tyson Beckford in the lobby before Zac Posen’s show. photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan