Nanette Lepore: Real Actors Front Row to See The Real Thing

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• Jamie Lynn Sigler and Aida Turturro
• Stanley Tucci
• Sarah Marince
• Talia Balsam
• Carole Kane
• Lili Taylor
• Designer Jonathan Adler
• Singer John Forte
• Nanette Lepore and daughter Violet

As the house lights went down for the Nanette Lepore show, we heard a voice yell, "Quiet on the set!" which was the perfect start for a fashion show whose audience included some of New York's finest actors. While many designers' front rows are populated with celebrities who would only be recognized by fashion aficionados or people who watched The Hills, Lepore's audience included some of our all time favorite thespians. Stanley Tucci, Lili Taylor, Kristin Chenoweth, Carol Kane and former Sopranos, Aida Turturro and Jamie Lynn Sigler were all in attendance.

Lepore show regular, Talia Balsam, was seated front and center, without her real-life husband and Mad Men ex-husband, John Slattery (aka "Roger Sterling"). Fortunately, all is well with the talented couple. Talia explained that John was, "Currently on a plane to New York from LA," where he just directed his second episode of Mad Men. We were so awed by the acting talents of all these guests, that we asked first time fashion show attendee Tucci why he thought there were so many "real actors" at the Lepore show. Stanley emphatically bellowed his response, "Because she's the real thing!"

He's right. The guest list, amazingly enough, did not overshadow the collection. The designer, who usually leans toward more fitted pieces, showed a surprising number of loose-fitting dresses—both shifts and floor length, many in white. She had a few gorgeous rose-toned print, vintage-style swim suits (which would be perfect for "Betty Draper" to wear on Mad Men), and a few tastefully sparkling pieces, including a beaded sweater and a couple of skirts which caught our eye.

Getting back to the guest list—because we really have to—there were other non-thespians celebs in the crowd as well, including designer Jonathan Adler, the Today show's Natalie Morales and singer Natasha Bedingfield. Bedingfield attended with the gorgeous John Forte, who performed songs on the runway, which he'd specifically composed for the collection. One piece was even named after Lepore's daughter, "The Ballad of Violet." We confess, we were a tad envious. But not as envious as we were over another musical guest, country singer Sarah Marince, whom we overheard say, "Nanette sent over one hundred dresses last night, and I had the hardest time picking!" She made us want to self-release our own country album—for the clothing.
· Nanette Lepore [Official Site]
· All Fashion Week Coverage [Racked]