Meanwhile, Over at Nanette Lepore: A Formal Family Affair

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Colors were bright, moods were light, and everyone was young, or at least that's how it seemed at Nanette Lepore's Bryant Park show on Wednesday morning. The room was packed with familiar faces: Abigail Breslin, Robert Verdi, Mickey Boardman, and Kelly Osbourne. Nanette Lepore's husband and the company's president, Robert Savage was there, along with Mad Men stars and regular Lepore show attendees, John Slattery and his wife Talia Balsam —whose daughter goes to school with Nanette's young daughter, Violet. Of course Violet also attended; she always walks the runway with her mother at the end of the show. This year, she and a few of her very excited friends, also stood chatting on the runway beforehand.

Most of the collection was typical Nanette Lepore: very feminine, but with a bit of an urban edge. There were uniquely tailored wool, tweed and shearling coats, as well as plaids, solids and beaded separates. Almost all of the designs were made in deep autumnal tones. What was unusual about this collection was the number of evening dresses it included. Although Lepore has occasionally produced floor-length dresses, a significant number of lush, draped, velvet ones were featured this time on the runway.

Nanette Lepore spearheaded the Save the Garment Center campaign and, in the past, has used her shows to further its cause. This year was no exception. On every seat was a stamped postcard to send to Mayor Bloomberg, asking him to support the Garment Center. Unlike at some of her past shows, the designer didn't wear a T-shirt printed with the campaign's slogan when she came out on the runway. This was just as well, because it would have been hidden when she gave a hug to an ecstatic Kelly Osbourne, who had jumped up to give Lepore a standing ovation.

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