Living in New York City, it’s easy to get jaded. On any given night there are an innumerable amount of events going on in designer shops, boutique hotels, and other flashy venues to celebrate anything from a new partnership to a new product – even a magazine cover is worthy of champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and a guest list in this town. You tend to see the same people at many of these events so it’s quite the challenge to plan an affair that will leave a lasting impression. When I got the invitation for a block party on Crosby Street to celebrate the launch of the DEREK LAM + eBay collection, I wasn’t sure what to expect, certainly not that I would leave thinking it was possibly one of the best executed events I’ve been to in years.
Derek Lam was on hand and all smiles in fitted denim trousers meandering and chatting with the guests which included Rachel Bilson (who jetted in from Cannes where she attended Chanel’s Resort show), Rose Byrne (right), Zoe Kravitz, Prabal Gurung, Anne Slowey (baby in tow!) and a slew of models.
As for the collection itself, I wrote about it back in February when a presentation was held to showcase the line. Lam created 16 dresses (priced between $125 and $295 and sized from 0 to 16), and following the Lincoln Center presentation of the collection, shoppers were invited to vote for their favorite pieces. The five designs with the most votes went into production and are now on sale. I singled out my five favorites back in February and was glad to see that three of my picks were favorites of the voters as well: the indigo denim sun dress, the black cotton poplin shift dress with peplum back, and the black cotton poplin “black tie” evening dress (though I preferred it in white). Rounding out the collection is the multi-color floral print georgette boho halter dress and the multi-color floral print georgette chemise dress. A sixth item, the tee shirt dress, is available exclusively through the eBay Fashion iPhone app in black silk poplin and dahlia silk poplin.
Image of Derek Lam, Rachel Bilson and Rose Byrne: harpersbazaar.com
