h fredriksson runway at the soho grand

The show was sponsored by Budweiser, as you can see from the crowns.

The calm before the throng. I got there early. It was so peaceful
because no one arrives on time. Nor does the show start on time.
But that is to be expected. I love the garden party chairs arranged in perfect rows.

And on every garden party chair, a gift bag. Who doesn't love a nice perk?

I had quite the nice afternoon at the H Fredriksson Spring 2008 runway show at the SoHo Grand Hotel yesterday. Fashion shows bring a funny crowd. There were lots of people doing their darndest to get a seat and get a gift bag. The cloying smell of bragging and bubble gum was in the air. Is bubble gum popular again or something? Everywhere I go lately, people are chewing like cows.

Anyway, I was pleased with my seat on the aisle in the B-2 section. I examined my booty while I waited. On my seat was a bottle of Budweiser, a bottle of Fiji water, two hair products by Joico and two makeup products by Jane Iredale, all sponsors of the venue. I got very excited and then unexcited by the makeup freebies. Nude lipstick and deep plum matte eyeshadow, neither of which are my shades. If the colors were reversed, then yes. Add a little shimmer to both, then yes, perfect. I remain excited about my hair products. The Fiji, always refreshing. The Budweiser, no comment.

When at last the show began, 29 looks strutted down the runway with flutter sleeves all aflutter in shiny silk charmeuse. Helena Fredriksson's Spring 2008 collection very much continued the stories and shapes she created for Fall 2007 with an emphasis on billowing volumetric dresses (18 of the 29 looks were dresses), presented in a straight-forward manner, un-layered and lightly accessorized with a cropped jacket, belt or necklace here and there.

We saw lots of volume in the sleeves, in the body, or in the cascading neckline, and sometimes all at once. But the drape of the lightweight fabrics Fredriksson chooses, especially when paired with an unstructured belt to create definition at empire waist, makes the volume work in a delicately flattering, figure-emphasizing way. Similarly, her volumetric tops when paired with high-waisted bottoms -- hi shorts, hi pants and high-waisted pleat skirts and poof skirts -- also created that delicately feminine and appealing empire waist silhouette. Of the bottoms Fredriksson presented, the inverted-pleat A-line skirts in shimmer fabrics were my favorite. All in all, a creative nicely-executed collection by this Brooklyn-based designer.

Photographers at the end of the runway testing their shots.
Little do they know the models won't turn around, stop
and make the sign of the Nestea Plunge.