It seems like a lifetime ago, yet it has really only been a year since New York Fashion Week was Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, and Lincoln Center was the central hub of activity for many of the biggest shows. But things change. Mercedes Benz stopped sponsoring, and shows at Lincoln Center became a memory. For the last few seasons at Lincoln Center, Erik Rosete’s Art Hearts Fashion would be the closing show; a group show by up to 5 designers that ranged from high-end gowns to batsh*t crazy club wear. These were smaller designers who could take a chance in the big tent, it didn’t always work but it was always interesting; over the years presentations featured models wearing chain mail dresses, full face masks, and a male model coming out completely nude except for a bracelet and a cape. And among the designers, Rosete would always show his own label, Mister Triple X.
The whole thing was an excellent platform for emerging talent, and there really was heart in Art Hearts, as they worked to raise awareness for AIDS research. Art Hearts has expanded, with three full nights of shows this season, and has hopped venues to the Angel Orensanz foundation. One of the highlights of night three was the Mister Triple X show, scheduled for 9 p.m. but not getting underway until 10, this was an appropriate start time for a club wear line that’s both edgy and animated but not so outlandish as to be unbearable.