• by Kelly Samardak , September 13, 2010

Moves Magazine Celebrates 2010 Fall Fashion Issue, Ethan Allen Design Center, New York
September 10, 2010

Perpetuating stereotypes for snarking is too easy.  It's lazy, if you think about it.  I told myself I wouldn't light upon the "hungry models" and "they served low-fat air at this party" and "scent of weight management" jokes --  but Friday's party made it impossible since the lovely Moves magazine hosts must have thought we were all trying to fit into that size 00, thus saving guests the pain of turning down party food by simply not providing any. Or, maybe it was a clever tie in to their support of the Food Bank's "Hunger Awareness" campaign.

When I arrived I had actually forgotten what the party was for.  It was Friday, my brain was already shutting down, plus, my +1, Buddy Media's Jenean Chapman, had just informed me that Omar, I mean Michael Kenneth Williams of the new HBO show "Boardwalk Empire" (his character's name is Chalky White) was outside Bloomingdale's.

The event was held in the Ethan Allen Design Center, or as people call it anywhere but in Manhattan, "Ethan Allen." When I lived on the Upper East Side, I would walk by, my head full of my tiny apartment with little room for even a toilet, and wonder, "who the hell shops for rooms of furniture in this town anyway?!"  Oh naïve Kelly, the same people who read Moves.  Wait, you've never heard of Moves either?

Moves  is "Fashion and Lifestyle for City Women" (who apparently care little for sustenance) focusing more on the "real people,"  not just the celebrities.  I think we all know what that means: nannies, multiple floors, Gucci bags, polo matches, and jingly bracelets.  And if you go to their website, you'll see the Editor In Chief Richard Ellison is so outta there: "Now I am looking to replace myself. I am looking to hire a highly capable female editor in chief" -- incapable rubes need not apply!

All expected fashion and status materialism aside, the event was held for a great cause!  Moves challenged a bunch of "Project Runway" designers to create orange bags to generate awareness for the Food Bank of New York, an organization working to provide food and services for the 1.5 million New Yorkers whose last concern is what fabric with which to refurb their chaise lounge.

I met quite the cast of characters, including "Project Runway" season 7's Mila Hermanovsky.  I found her and her guest, photographer Matthew Betcher, standing awkwardly behind the VIP velvet rope area.  I walked over and asked if they felt like zoo animals, because everyone was standing around, sort of sideways pretending not to observe them.  They immediately warmed up, with Mila taking off her VIP laminate.   After I told her I had met a "Project Runway" super fan of another designer, Carol Hannah, earlier in the evening, Hermanovski explained that if someone is a fan of Hannah, they usually don't like her work, as they're like oil and water, design-wise.  "If you're a fan of Carol Hannah, you're not a fan of me...it's like Prada and Ralph Lauren, you can't love both."

Oh, that super fan of Carol Hannah? She was the smiley adorable Samantha Carter, whose dad, Coyne PR's David Carter, wins for dad of the year for bringing her to meet her idol.

I also met Dr. Michelle Clough.  When I asked her what sort of doctor she was, she replied, "I have my Ph.D. in art history and I'm a hat designer."  I wonder if Mt. Sinai would call her for a consult if someone swallowed a beret.  Dr. Clough was hanging by the carpet swatches with Mehran Soroudi, who owns property.  That's what he said, people.  Hell, if I owned property I suppose I'd tell the world, too.

I met Brooke Abernathy, who works for Delta but once, years ago, had her apartment redesigned by the Ethan Allen Design Center.  She was talking with Priscilla Fried, a designer specializing in residential design.

Mingling by the Don Q rum sign I found Molly Lewandowski, Lucia Protopapas, Nora Murphy, Jim Debernardo, and Dave Cote.  Don Q PR was also in the house in the form of Lucy Nash, Jessica Carlson, and Marissa Morrison.

Other "Project Runway" designers I found mingling about were season two's Andrae Gonzales and season five's Stephen "Suede" Baum.  Chris "wait please while I put on my sunglasses" Young, (in)famous for his work on The Countess's "Money Can't Buy You Class" was also there, stopping to pose quickly with musician Nessa B (@nessnessmusic on Twitter).

Friday night revealed my first judge - not of fashion types, but of the murdering types.  She was Hon. Patricia M. DiMango and she was keeping FIT students Lindsay Reed and Deanna Weinheimer company.  I also spotted Vladimir Severe (whose name is very appropriate for his photo) and Paul Juma.  They are both Senior Online Ad Traffickers at nytimes.com.  Severe explained his photo severity as low interest in social activities, but explained that Juma was more into that scene.  Maybe Severe was cranky because THERE WASN'T ANY FOOD.

Everyone is at work all day -- and an event that begins at 6 p.m., which is prime eatin' time, that serves bucketloads of alcohol, but not even a cube of cheese, is an event that I'm not long for.  Even if Mary Louise Parker or Gandhi himself is "hosting" it.  At the 8 p.m. mark I was so ravenous my hands were shaking.  Louise-Parker had not yet arrived (and the party was supposed to end at 6:30 p.m.!) and the gnawing wombats in my belly didn't care.  I mean, seriously -- send someone over to the Food Emporium for a friggin' cheese plate if you can't get sponsors.  Seriously, even Banana Republic had a platter laid out for the unwashed masses.

Photos are up on Flickr!