Style & Fashion

So far, at the slices of New York Fashion Week I have attended at least, there has been little #MeToo, zero Trump fury, and quite a bit of willed escape. On Thursday at Cinq à Sept, held in the fancy-schmancy ballroom of the Pierre Hotel tables of already zonked-looking journalists and fashion-watchers were set up for tea, with miniature sandwiches, scones and pastries.

Yes, reader, they were mostly untouched.

Coffee was served, there was tea, and glasses of water, and a string quartet who played pop music, including ‘Uptown Funk.’ Let me tell you, ‘Uptown Funk sounds way better played by a string quartet.

Jane Siskin, Cinq à Sept’s founder, wrote in cards at each table that the collection was borne of a desire to return to a time of pre-social media politesse, of writing letters, having tea and going to balls. “This lost time of romance” was then brought to life with models in gorgeous long dresses made if chiffon and sequins, crepes and tulle. It was the perfect meeting of romantic and hip, and at the end they all held ribbons and danced around a maypole. Air-skimming culottes, loose sweaters worn over sequin short trousers, a siren-red short dress with clumpy boots—all sailed by.

The pastries remained untouched.