[The Horror] Depesha's Russian Fashion Industry Reception

Thursday, February 7, 2013



Above was the single image that I shot from last night's debacle of a fashion reception, held at the Russian Consulate's mansion in New York, sponsored by Depesha. If only I had known...

Initially, I was elated. I completed my undergraduate degree in Washington, D.C., so I am no stranger to functions at government institutions, both domestic and foreign. I wore a red Carven dress and even my ushanka to celebrate what I believed to have been, a momentous fashion occasion. That couldn't have been further from the truth.

After I spent $25.00 on a cab to the mansion (which was quite a bit, by New York standards), I was greeted with a long line of seemingly well-dressed individuals, shivering in the cold. I couldn't believe my eyes. The thought of waiting outside a mansion on the Upper East Side was unbelievable. But I, along with 40 or so adults, waited in the below freezing temperatures to be ushered into the building. 15 minutes later, I had the pleasure of more lines! The first (10 to 15 minutes) was check-in and the second (10 minutes) was security. I overheard one of the check-in girls complaining that the event was overcapacity because guests showed up without confirming their invites. What I couldn't understand was why the check-in girls just didn't turn those guests away, only to have confirmed guests waiting in the cold (but I digress). 
Security was an absolute joke. In order to expedite the wait, we were given the option to keep our coats with us (the make-shift coat check appeared full) and to pass through a metal detector. Well, every-single-person who passed through that metal detector set it off and every-single-person was allowed entry without further inspection. When in Russia apparently...

Once upstairs, I saw dozens of underdressed women and men, spilling drinks, bumping into the other without the slightest regard. And as I moved between the first two main rooms, I saw very little to do with fashion. I was at a Russian Fashion reception, was I not? Where were the clothes? Where were the models? What I saw: what appeared to be the scene from a seedy happy hour at some random Midtown bar-turned-lounge, a dry bar-turned-lounge at that! So, without a drink in my hand, and more body-checks than necessary, I wandered into the third and final room where there were a couple of models, who stood on podiums and wore the above. I could not believe, that after the wait in the cold, the false sense of security, the general disarray, and dry bar that the above image was what I had to look forward to. I left shortly there after. 

And spent another $25.00 to escape that fashion reception nightmare. 


2 comments:

Trebleandlace said...

Yikes! Sorry to hear. At least the one image is nice..

Tanya said...

Lovely pics.

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